Serving Leftovers

Poor, Rich People. Those words don't seem like they go together do they? How can you be poor and rich? In this chapter called "Serving Leftovers To a Holy God" the idea of being rich materially but poor spiritually is talked about.

Chan tells the story of a blind boy who lives in Eastern Uganda. This boy is not unique because of his blindness or where he lives but because of his love for Jesus. One of the first things you would hear him say if you met him is "I love Jesus so much, I sing praises to him everyday!" He has very little of what "counts" in our society but has so much of what matters most, God.

If you make $4,000 a month,  you automatically make one hundred times more than the average person on this planet. Chan tells you that just by purchasing this book,Crazy Love, you spent what most people in the world will make in a week. Then he asks this question: which is more messed up-that we have so much compared to everyone else, or that we don't think we're rich? So many times people walk around saying they're "broke" or "poor." This is something that has always bothered me. And if it wasn't for my opportunity to go over to Kenya and see first hand the poverty and poorness that exists, I would probably find myself doing the same thing. But after seeing the way the people live their and how little they have, I would never go anywhere near calling my self  poor. I would never call pretty much anyone that I know living here in America poor. Poor is not having a house to live in, not having a car to drive, not having food to eat, and only having one pair of old clothes to wear. That is poor and nobody that I know here lives like that. Francis Chan says "we are rich, filthy rich," and its so true, we are.

Although being rich is what a lot of people are after, the reality is that being rich is a disadvantage spiritually. Jesus said "How hard is it for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God?" He says it is as hard as a camel to go through the eye of a needle. That is impossible. But then he says "What is impossible with man is possible with God." Our materials, money, and desire for earthly things many times get in the way of our relationship with God and cause us to lose sight of the ultimate goal. Although it is extremely hard for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God, with God it is very possible.