Dear Disciple,
“I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich!”
Revelation 2:9
Your Master sees things as they really are. He is not fooled by the illusions of the Enemy. What appears to be poverty to everyone else can be seen through His eyes to be true richness. As His disciple, you will learn from Him more and more how to see things as they really are despite how they might first appear.
As He dictated a letter to His disciples in Smyrna, He once again assured them of His intimate awareness of their situation. He was present with them and saw all that they were enduring for Him. They had little in earthly wealth, but they were rich in His kingdom blessings – true riches.
When Jesus said the words above, He was revealing something profound about life in His Kingdom. He had said it before in different ways, and here He said it to people who were in real poverty as they lived their day-to-day lives. He spoke over them a beautiful truth about their true status in Heaven’s eyes: “you are rich!” Notice He didn’t say they would be rich. He said they were truly rich even as they lived without earthly plenty. Could they believe Him? Could they accept His claim? Yes, because they trusted their Master even when His word contradicted their experience and what their senses told them. They had learned to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).
I invite you to do the same today, Disciple. Whether you are rich or poor (or middle class) in this world’s eyes, trust what your Master has told you. See the material possessions you have through the lens of His wisdom: they are not true riches, but temporary resources that are to be used for His purposes. As a part of God’s kingdom, wealth and poverty in earthly things are meant to lead to the same end: storing up treasures in Heaven by pleasing the King and proving to be trustworthy as His stewards. In health, relationships, employment, body type, bank account, etc., do not let the world tell you who you are based on what you have or do not have. Let your Master teach and remind you of what is truly true.
If you are steadfast and faithful to Him, you are rich. If you are distracted and unfruitful, you are impoverished. Your fullness stands or falls with Him, and He desires your fullness. After all, the Good Shepherd has come so that His people might have life to the full (John 10:10). Take time to dig into His Word today, Disciple. Meditate on it, and trust that He is revealing what no one else can about your life as it really is.
Trusting His Word above all else with you,
Ryan
