Churchwork
12-24-2006, 02:28 AM
The more I grow in Christ, the more I come to the realization that the true test is the test of being poor, remaining poor and being happy poor. Lots of people can be happy with lots of money and do all kinds of things with that money, or at least as they do what they are interested in, they are not confined by financial restrictions, but just imagine what it would be like for that same person and you take every last dime they have and leave them with only the clothes that they wear now. How do you think they would react? For me, this is what God has been doing to me, breaking me down with regard to money to the point where I experientially learn this lesson and remain walking by the Spirit under such stresses. To many this is a great loss, to lose so much, but to me it is the greatest blessing in the new life, to be stripped of all financial wealth. With each loss, I find that I devote more to the Word. That's just the way it works. With each loss, I consecrate more. This builds strength of character, but I definitely don't want to commend myself, because I feel God is the one who provided this situation for me, and it is only through His Word that He shows me how to handle this situation. I would have never known on my own how to deal with it. The world looks at me and says, what in heavens name are you doing? You were so wealthy before. I wasn't. When I was rich I was poor, but now that I am poor, I am wealthy. I think I was the last person on earth who could ever make this statement. :embarrassed: