andy cottingham

How rich am I?

An interesting question. I found this web site which gives a good perspective on the subject. The Global Rich list, sponsored by ‘Poke’ aims to help the subscriber understand their place in the global wealth stakes. The results may surprise you.

When Paul wrote to Timothy he was concerned that those who were rich in Ephesus wouldn’t become proud because of their wealth.

“17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.”

1 Timothy 6 17-19

By any measure we in the UK and the USA are rich. We are rich by historical standards, cultural standards and global standards. Earning the UK average wage puts us in the top one percent in terms of global wealth.

If the pitfalls that Paul warned Timothy about were due to wealth then this passage is all the more relevant to us.

There are two specific issues this passage refers to with regard to wealth.

1. It can induce pride.

2. It can be the focus of misplace hope.

We’ll look to these in detail next time and consider the appropriate remedies.

There is a real danger with our reading of the Beatitudes. If we approach them in the wrong way their meaning can not only be obscured, it could lead to pride or condemnation.

This is not a tick list for how well I’m doing as a Christian, neither is it a ‘to do’ list for those hoping to make God happy.

It is an explanation of Grace at work in the life of a believer.

We an accurate overview of the whole in order to grapple with the individual verses. Mercy pours out of the Kingdom because mercy has been poured out on the citizens of the Kingdom. Only recipients of mercy could possible become poor in spirit(v3), or mourn their sin(v4).

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”

Matthew 5 v 7

We have already established that the man in focus here has himself received mercy. He knows what is is to have a huge debt lifted. This is the position of everyone who has truly been born again. The judgment that was due to you and me was poured out onto Jesus, he received the just penalty for sin. I can experience mercy because He experienced judgment & punishment.

The thrust of the beatitudes, and the passage in Matthew 18 where Jesus expounds this teaching(v7), is that because of God’s mercy our response will be to show mercy to others. This not simply because we should but because we have been changed. The working of His mercy within us has made us new creatures, us in Him and, wonderfully, Him in us.

With the life of Jesus now at work in us the expectation is that we will begin to act and react like Him. Just as He shows mercy to those who need mercy so we, with increasing passion, will do the same.

So who needs mercy?

The biblical list includes:

1. The poor – from the earliest teaching of the old testament there were instructions to care for the poor.

2. Widows – those who have been disadvantaged, often through tragedy.

3. Orphans – Again the provider has been removed through tragedy.

4. Aliens – Dispossessed people who have had to leave their homes and country.

This is by no means an exhaustive list but it gives food for thought, and action. It is particularly relevant to our society today which gives cause to reflect on most of these categories.