My close friends Rob and Christi Gebhart and their three young children spent 6 weeks at my home in Uganda this past year. Christi blogged that she and Rob were most moved by the poignant observations their sons made of the Ugandan people.

“Early on,” Christi wrote, “Tyler observed how strange it was that the people with so little could have so much joy.” (Luke 12:15 says, ‘Life is not measured by how much we own.’) “Brayden,” Christi added, “said he believed that in the next 200 years, Uganda will probably become the richest country in the world.” “Why?” Rob and Christi asked. “Because,” Brayden replied, “the Bible says that the poorest will become rich.”

The family then discussed whether God meant the poor would become rich in a material way or rich in a different (spiritual) way. After discussing it they all agreed that maybe it already happened. “Is it possible,” the Gebharts asked, “that the poor have already found more joy than we have in our over programmed lives?”

The following verses support that God has indeed chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith:

• “He gives prosperity to the poor and protects those who suffer” (Job 5:11).

• “But the needy will not be ignored forever; the hopes of the poor will not always be crushed” (Psalm 9:18).

• “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for Him, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs” (Matthew 5:3).

• “Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith?” (James 2:5).

May we live out a faith today that richly extends God’s love to others.

NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Daniel 5:1-30