“For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land”, Deu 15:11.
We often make some allowances for poverty. Sometimes, it seems too big for us to imagine a world where everyone is prosperous. That way we allow ourselves to accommodate poverty. We must not do this. Simply because everyone is not rich does not mean that everyone should not be rich. It is true that the text above suggests that there will always be the poor in the society. It does not meant that that is the way things ought to be. It is just reporting that it is the way things are. The poor will not cease from the land because everyone will not commit to do what it takes to wipe away poverty from the society.
It is empowering to believe that everyone can and should be rich. Of course, that paints a picture of heaven and isn’t that what we are to do – to bring heaven on earth, Matt. 6.10. Even if some choose to remain poor to help fulfil the scripture, you don’t have to make this choice. A careful reading of the text shows that you should not be the poor rather you should be the one helping the poor, in other words, the rich.
A major reason for financial empowerment is peace of mind and freedom to live your full life. Without adequate financial provision, one is likely to fail to fulfil purpose. Poverty is often a distraction from what is really important in life. Money is definitely not the most important thing in life. However, if you don’t have it, you may likely not know that. You may forever feel like something is missing in your life because you don’t have money. You are most likely to be distracted from the most important things in life. Food is not the most important thing in life but a man who is starving can hardly do any other thing. If you left your house and travelled a far distance to attend a crucial event and there remember you didn’t lock your house, you are likely to be distracted from the activities of event you are attending. That is the place of money.
The Bible calls money a defence, Eccl. 7.12. Its function is to eliminate the worries that poverty often brings and help you concentrate on achieving your fullest potential in life. It is true that money is not the most important thing in life but when a man is unable to pay his house rent, pay the school fees of his children, provide food for his family and fulfil his financial responsibility in the community, it is difficult for the man to understand that. One needs to get money so as to forget needing money and live his or her life. The reason to pursue financial empowerment is not to brag about it, suppress people with it or worship the money. That is an abuse of money. The biggest abuse is to have and yet fail to pursue your purpose in life. The reason to get money is to create an atmosphere that facilitates the accomplishment of your purposes in life.
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