June 13

Proverbs 13
Woody Guthrie of Okemah, Oklahoma, is well known for his folk ballads and social activism. One of his best known songs was “This Land Is Your Land.” I remember being in school viewing an old film of him leading social protests for workers rights and unions. He was definitely presented as a socialist. One of his more scathing protests was against organized religion. He certainly was an influce on Pete Seeger’s who wrote “You’ll have pie in the sky when you die.” I guess it was a commentary on the action of the fundamentalist church of the 30’s which distanced itself from the social gospel and capitulated the ministry to the poor to the liberal church and eventually the government. He envisioned Jesus as preaching a gospel of mandatory giving up of all earthly material goods. You can hear his song at this site http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDS00Pnhkqk. (Woody might have been an acclaimed song writer, but I don’t know how anybody could stand his voice. Must be why he and Bob Dylan got along so well.)
“There is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing; And one who makes himself poor, yet has great riches.” At least that is how the NKJV & the Authorized put it. All the others say “pretend to be.” It is an interesting nuance, but an important one. Which is correct? I don’t know. But ultimately there is one example that applies to the principle of this proverb. Paul told us in 2 Corinthians 8:9, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” What riches He had in heaven before He became flesh! He was constantly adored by the hosts of heaven. His praise literally shook the heavens. Then He left that throne room to add the nature of a man to his person. Born in the place where people kept animals, he was despised. His parents were put there because they were thought unclean, and therefore there was no room for them in the kataluma (Inn or guestroom). While He ministered, He had no home or bed of His own. He was literally homeless. He really was poor in the world’s wealth and reputation. He was not just pretending.
He did it to purchase with His own blood His bride. In so doing He became wealthy in true wealth, not silver, gold, land, or power. He bought a beautiful bride. It is to be the marriage of the human to the divine. We are His bride, His riches. Somehow when I look at us, I think He got the short end of the stick. Yet I must remind myself that He is not finished cleansing and transforming us yet. It is indeed a process, and when He is done, it will mean great riches for Himself I’ll take it by faith. But we can come alongside Him in building His riches. We do it by becoming poor, just like He did. We let go of everything. When we do, He makes us rich. Lest I am misunderstood, it is not the riches of this life. I am infinitely richer than Bill Gates because I have Jesus, and to my knowledge, Bill Gates does not have Jesus. I am rich because of the great glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. The most economically poor person on this planet, who has Jesus, is as rich as I am. That is because of His great glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john