I Am Rich

In his first letter to Timothy, the Apostle Paul left his young minister friend with some advice for those who are rich.

I have to confess that I never thought of myself as rich until I spent a year teaching in Jamaica. I remember one of my students asking if it were true that even poor people in the United States had flush toilets. Many of them lived in shacks with dirt floors, no water or electricity. My perspective began to change, and I felt wealthy. My perspective changed even more when as a young pastor I began to make regular calls to the hospital. I felt rich in health. Today, when I sit at the dinner table, I realize that I am rich in family and friends.

Paul wrote to those of us who are rich, “…command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God… They are to do good, be rich in good works, generous and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that is really life.

Riches may indeed come and go, but God is faithful. Paul reminds me that when I share out of my abundance now, I tap into a deeper life and I lay a foundation that offers more than riches ever could.

Let us pray: Loving God, You have blessed each of us in some way, shape, or form. And we remember that you have blessed us to be a blessing. We all have something to share, O God, and we don’t have to look far to see someone who is in need. Today, as we offer our smiles, our time, our intelligence, our money, our humor, our talents, our friendship, may our gifts make a difference in the world around us and in the world within us. Today we also pray especially for those who serve us – teachers, firefighters, police officers, politicians, military personnel, and others. May they know our gratitude and your love. Amen.