Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which He hath promised to them that love Him? James 2:5
One of the wealthiest businessmen in the United States was Ken Lay, CEO of Enron Corporation. In 1999, his compensation package was $42.4 million. Between 1998 and 2001, he liquidated more than $300 million in Enron stock options. When Enron declared bankruptcy in 2001, some 20,000 employees lost their jobs and their life savings. Investors in Enron lost billions of dollars. Lay was charged with fraud, and in the trials that followed, he was convicted on ten counts of fraud, conspiracy and making false statements. Three months before he was to be sentenced, he was found dead in his mansion of a heart attack. Newspaper accounts declared that Lay had escaped justice by death. Lay has not escaped justice. The Judge at the Great White Throne will call him to account for every dollar that he stole. He stands as an example of the rich in this world poor in faith. He stands as the exact opposite of what God has called us to be.
The poor of this world hold a special place in the heart of God. One of many Scripture portions that confirm this is ‘For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper. He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy’ (Psalm 72:12,13). It is to the poor that the Gospel is most often directed. Even the Lord Jesus declared that to be true: ‘The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor’ (Luke 4:18). Because the rich of this world are so often self-sufficient and so centred on the things of this world, they seldom give the claims of the Gospel any attention, and so perish in their sins. ‘For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called’ (1 Corinthians 1:26). Maybe it’s not very flattering to think that God reached and saved us not for what we have but for what we don’t have. But it is very precious.
Although it was the bed of a wealthy man, most of us would rather not die like Ken Lay did. And we will not. Regardless of our sinful ways before we were saved, we have been cleared of all charges against us, and will die (if the Rapture does not occur first) with a clear conscience before God. ‘There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus’ (Romans 8:1). Instead of the awful judgment awaiting Ken Lay, there is a great inheritance awaiting us. There is a great kingdom awaiting our arrival and our participation. There is a great promise made that our Lord will keep forever.
The grace of God means that none of us will have any reason to brag about what we receive in Heaven. It also means we have much to rejoice about today as we consider what God has chosen us to receive. -Jim MacIntosh