Humans use the word "Poor" often in describing those who have less. But sometimes, if we were to see things in the perspective of the Divine Life form (Isa. 55), we would call it "Streamlined", "Free", or even---more "power efficient".
I don’t know if people get it. You get rid of excess baggage. You don’t need stuff to be happy, and you can move around a lot lighter, faster, stronger, more “you”. But the more a person has, the more that person’s attention is addicted to those things in order to be happy—his ability to enjoy is shrunken! And he must, in reality, have money to pay for purchasing more of it, to maintain it, and he is enslaved to caring for this thing that becomes his master or it breaks down (and then it demands menta l energy and money to buy a model that breaks down less, at times offering the lie there is a model that will never break down.)
Despite the fact the following has gone on for centuries, is it not true that accumulation of inanimate amenities tends to be in diametric proportion of difficulty of developing deep personal relationships? Logic would tell you that all surrounding humans seek the best possible benefits life can offer them. Okay, easy words. It’s harder to make real friends when you’re rich, because people around see only your money. (Isn’t it more reasonable that real friendships would be born by asking for help, not flaunting wealth?
Showing monetary power merely makes surrounding humans think of how they can benefit by proximity. This turns them into ravenous, sly wolves, not caring friends! Also, it seems to me, sometimes possession of too much causes people to lose social graces as well as respect for others as people, making them think power is sufficient, and it shrinks them as people.
Without realizing it, gradually, they lose the quiet dignity the human being once had and degrade themselves to become me-only creatures which are a step down on the evolutionary scale.
“I was as a beast before thee,” scripture describes the man who has not submitted himself, humbled himself; and I see power-hungry man grappling for the top, ever fitting into this mold.
Do we know how to say, “Please”?
Can people describe our eyes as soft?
Will children quickly approach us?
If our being vindicated would mean those who offended us would have their sins exposed and be driven into the ground, would we rather not be vindicated and have people take advantage of us?
Have we kept smiling—with our eyes—and saying, “thank you” to everyone, even those who couldn’t do anything for me?
When is the last time we said, “I was wrong; will you forgive me?”
Are we willing to take blame to cover someone’s wrong?
When Jesus’ Forces go on the offense and move forward into this sin-cursed, broken world, we do not wield condescension, competition or a combative spirit; our working assumptions must be ruled by the Law of Love. Gentle warriors of God need to look radically different from the world.
