My mom used to own a cleaning agency on Galveston Island. As a kid, I loved tagging along. I did help a little. Most times, though, I was a barefoot sand explorer. Or I'd run through the beach houses like they were castles. Mom knew these houses impressed me. And I remember asking her something like, "How rich do you have to be to have a couple of these?" Not one, but a couple!
Now, she never gave me an actual figure. But she did use my beach-house gawking to explain our family's richness. We had each other and there was always something on the table to eat. Throw in a few more classic mom-isms and it was clear we were rich, just not beach-house rich.
All these years later, I'm still not. But Mom was right. I am rich. Not because I have a full storehouse, but because I have a full heart. Not because I own a beach house, but because I'm standing on the promises of Christ my Savior. I've learned to count the Lord's blessings. I've grown to recognize the treasure of our faith in Jesus and the presence of the Holy Spirit.
The apostle John had a word for the church in Smyrna who felt empty handed. In his vision, Jesus says to them, "I know your affliction and your poverty." Their poverty seems to be not just a material lack of resources, but a marginalization brought about by their faith in the Lord. So, Jesus tells them that even though they didn't have the world's treasure, they were still rich. They were rich because, like the old song says, "this joy that I have, the world didn't give it to me." And if the world didn't give it, the world can't take it away!
So, let me ask you, How rich do you feel? Child of God, don't feel less because you have less. Know that you are rich in what matters eternally. You are carrying the Lord's salvation within you. Your richness is beyond anything the world could ever measure.
Stay blessed...john | 
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