When the woman came to the house of Simon the leper and anointed Jesus’ head with the costly oil, some of the disciples questioned the act stating that the oil should have been sold and the proceeds given to the poor (Matthew 26:6-9).  Jesus’ response included the observation:  “For you have the poor with you always…”

          Likewise, in Deuteronomy 15:11, Moses noted, “For the poor will never cease from the land…”

          Even a country as wealthy as the USA has its poor.  For sure, places like the Solomon Islands are a fulfillment of the perpetual existence of economic poverty in the world.

          During the recent mission effort in the Solomons with Robert Martin, your preacher saw greater material poverty than he had ever witnessed before.  There were people there that would make the widow who gave her two mites look like Ted Turner (Luke 21:1-4).  There were people living in concrete block houses, with nothing but concrete floors to sit on.  There were beds constructed  under the corrugated tin porches of these homes where teenage children slept on old worn out pieces of plywood.

          Many Solomon Islanders wore the same clothes to the PIBC courses each night for over two weeks.  Many of them came barefooted or with worn out flipflops or sandals on.  There were worn out Bibles, notebooks frayed around the edges, and those who had pens or pencils guarded them with their lives.  It is true – the poor will always be present.

          Your preacher does not mention this to you in order to create guilt for where we live or the wealth of material blessing we have.  God has blessed us, and hopefully we all are thankful.

          What your preacher did want to say was that spiritually, these island brethren are not the “poor folks.”  We are!

          These wealthy brethren are laying up treasure in heaven (Luke 12:21).  They hunger and thirst for the Word.  They are willing to travel long distances, sit for hours on hard back chairs, enduring a constant onslaught of bugs and mosquitoes.  All because they want to hear so-called “learned” men teach them the Bible.  They are far richer than many of us will ever be.

          The next time we find it hard to come and sit on a cushioned pew, in an air conditioned building, and follow a thirty minute sermon, let us remember Jesus’ words about, “having the poor with us always.”  In this way, WE are the fulfillment of His Words.

                                                                                      - David Decker