Poverty is one of the major factors why many people, even in church, can feel powerless to do things. "If only" is often in their mouths, being used as an excuse for not living for and serving God excellently. I know how this works, because I went through it myself.

Friends, the truth is that poverty is not a problem. Though money may be helpful in achieving or acquiring many things, money is not the be-all and end-all of things. It's but a tool that we can use, and as such we must not depend on it.

The Equalizer

Many poor Christians think that the richer brethren have it better. Well, the financially-privileged among us might have fancier clothing, extravagant food and cozy homes, but there's one thing that changes that. They might be richer than many, but there's one thing that makes everyone equal.

Proverbs 22:2 gives us this one very important thing to keep in mind:

"The rich and the poor have this in common, the Lord is the maker of them all."

Whether a Christian is rich or poor doesn't matter, because God is the Equalizer. We may have less money and fewer possessions than our fellow Christians, but that doesn't really matter; God is the Father and Provider of all who are in Christ.

That said, we must realize that money isn't the only thing we can give to the Lord; we ought to give Him our lives, since we now belong to Christ. Philippians 1:21 should be our hearts' cry:

"For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain."

Shining for Christ

If we decide to live for Christ, we should shine for Him, regardless if we're with money or without it. Here are some ways we can shine for the Lord even in our poverty.

1) Give what we have, not just money

Since money is not the only thing we can give, let's choose to give something that isn't measured by monetary value. We can give our time, our efforts, and our skills to bless others.

2) Be Christ-like towards others

There are some things that money can never ever buy, and one of those things is a Christ-like attitude towards others. Compassion can never be purchased at the store, and love can never be bought from the nearby café. Let's all strive to be as Christ-like as we can towards others.

3) Be a role-model to others

We can also choose to be a role model to others who long to shine for Christ. Truth is, the Lord uses the poor of the earth to shame the rich, and the weak things of the earth to shame the mighty (see 1 Corinthians 1:27). Since this is true, we should at least aim to bring glory to the Lord with what we can do.

Let's read this example from 2 Corinthians 8:1-4, which says:

"Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints."