The Great Equalizer
Today’s scripture selection: Proverbs 22
Key verse: Proverbs 22:2
“Rich and poor have this in common: The LORD is the Maker of them all.”
There’s a lot of talk these days about “re-distribution of wealth” and “economic justice” and “class warfare” and – well, I’m sure you’ve seen the news.
Regardless of where you stand on those issues – I’d like to suggest you take a look at this little verse from Proverbs.
It’s a great equalizer – don’t you think?
As long as humanity has been around to count whatever commodity was considered valued at the time – there has been a problem.
Those with the greatest amount of said commodity sometimes think of themselves as
- Stronger
- Wiser
- More powerful
- More attractive
- More eligible
- And a whole host of other “mores.”
In contrast to this, Proverbs 22:2 humbly reminds us that, well, we should all be humble.
Because God is the Creator and Sustainer of life – all life.
God created all of us; calls all of us; loves all of us.
And God reminds us that we, as the New Testament puts it, “should not think more highly” of ourselves than others.
We are all equal in value – regardless of what we have or don’t have.
It’s not the way the world looks at things. But it’s the way of God’s kingdom. Which view do you prefer?
Prayer: Thank you God, for reminding me of how all are valuable in your sight. AMEN.
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By Paul Simrell
The Reverend Paul W. Simrell has served for over thirty years in a variety of congregational and institutional settings. He is a recognized minister with standing in the Virginia region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada and is nationally endorsed by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) for specialized ministry in both pastoral counseling and chaplaincy. Ordained in 1982, he has served congregations in Kentucky, Texas, Florida, and Virginia. He currently serves as the pastor of Elpis Christian Church, a small, historic congregation located just a few miles west of Richmond, Virginia. “Elpis” is the Greek word for “expectant hope.” He is a graduate of the University of Florida and Lexington Theological Seminary and has done advanced clinical training in chaplaincy and pastoral counseling at the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky, Children’s Medical Center and Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas and the Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care in Richmond, Virginia. He is a Certified Pastoral Counselor, an ACPE Practitioner, a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors, and a member of Spiritual Directors International. He is a Certified Facilitator of the Prepare-Enrich relationship assessment and skills-building program and served as a volunteer chaplain for over twenty years with the CJW Medical Center campuses in Richmond, Virginia. His avocational interests include playing the piano and drawing. He is very happily married to his wife Elizabeth Yeamans Simrell, a free-lance writer, who is also a Certified Facilitator for the Prepare-Enrich program.
Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton
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