Good Words for Today: April 18

“I  know . . . your poverty-yet you are rich!” (Revelation 2:9) These words are literal, not metaphorical. Christians in Smyrna evidently came from the lower rungs on the economic ladder. If they once had been rich in worldly goods, those days were long past. No doubt many had lost their jobs in the trade-guilds because they would not say, “Caesar is Lord.” To these poverty-stricken Christians, Christ says, “But you are rich!” Is he mocking them? It all depends on how we value time versus eternity. If this life is all that matters, then the words of Jesus are nothing more than pious nonsense. What good is it to say, “You are rich!” to those who are starving? It all depends. No man who knows Jesus is ever truly poor. No man without Jesus is ever truly rich.

April 18, 2016