Appreciating real riches

316NOW’s faculty for our online Bible institute includes five women who lead Bible studies for Chinese women.  One of those leaders says,

Compared to what most Christians in the United States have, believers in China have much less.  Their small closets in equally small apartments are not stuffed with clothes like most of ours are. They do not rent storage units for their excess things. They don’t have basements or garages to store stuff.

Their riches–and their joy–is found in mining the treasures of God’s Word.  

Leading my online Bible study has made me think of how we American Christian have so much.  And not just so many more earthly riches compared to them.  We enjoy freedom of worship.  We have the riches of exceptional, Bible-believing pastors who have been well taught in our excellent seminary.  We have a myriad of opportunities to study God’s Word...with those pastors, with other Christians, on our own, over the internet.

Yet there are so many of us who don’t appreciate the riches–earthly and spiritual–that God has given us.  We fail to thank him.  We take his blessings for granted.  And we complain when some are taken away. We neglect Bible study. We shrug off worship. 

Teaching for 316NOW has taught me more than I’ve taught others.  Increased thankfulness for God’s grace in Jesus heads that list.