Rich.

God is so kind. He tells us that His word is like a mirror that lets us see ourselves accurately (James 1:24). Kind..... not easy. Honestly, there are moments that we stand in front of the mirror and we're disappointed with what we see. That's a real thing for most of us. But not being able to have an accurate view of ourselves would be really difficult, if not cruel to not know who it is that we are becoming. We are becoming like "the Word", Jesus, conformed to the image of God's son.

In the Bible book of James, chapter 2, we continue to be encouraged to see ourselves accurately based on the living Word of God. And so, I can't pass by the obvious. "Damon are you pursuing time in the living Word of God today?" I'm close to 50 now. That question is more important than it ever has been. Keep asking me about whether I'm connected to Christ, the Word of God. So this week as I read in James I was drawn to three phrases in chapter 2, verse 5. "Has God not chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him?"

Poor in the eyes of the world.

Rich in faith.

Those who love God.

Poor in the eyes of the world. Overlooked. Mocked. Misunderstood. Odd. Discriminated against. Persecuted. Kicked when down. Judged. Invisible. Not worth noticing by human eyes. Noticed by the Almighty Intimate God.

Rich in faith. A growing intimacy for you and your Abba. An invitation to rich, ongoing, non-shaming growth. A relationship that is abundant, not diminishing. A faith that is sure not because of you, but because of Him.

Those who love God. You not being reserved, but pouring out your heart before your intimate Abba who loves you and welcomes you so deeply BECAUSE He is not reserved, but pours out all that He is on you as our intimate Abba, loving you and welcoming you so deeply. Me? Terribly, needy me? Yes, terribly beautifully, needy you.

I wrote these words about a year ago. "Jesus actually values embracing weakness and neediness as pathways to glory. His glory. Experiencing glory smack dab in the middle of absolute need. It's actually His brilliant design. We're designed to need Him and He doesn't disappoint, even when it seems that He does. Your needy heart is lavishly welcomed by the sacrificial love of Jesus. He actually embraces your neediness as a valuable characteristic of your heart rather than despising it and casting you away because of it." That is incredible news.

As you are navigating life today, using your map to help you hunt the treasure to make you rich, REST. The Treasure found you. The Treasure says, "It's a gift to be poor in the eyes of the world, you who love Me.....you're rich. Really rich."

There's more.