Splendor Of The KingExemplo

"To Flourish"

It’s easy to see poverty as a lack of money, and that’s certainly an aspect of it. But money is almost always a symptom of a bigger problem.

Think of Sambo, the former child soldier of Pol Pot’s regime. Yes, he had a few possessions—but his family had broken down, he had no relationship with Jesus, his neighbors despised him, and he was addicted to alcohol. Money can't help these kinds of issues.

When God designed the world, he did so with a plan for humans to flourish—with Him, that we would have a relationship with him; with self, that we would know we've been designed by God for a purpose and a plan; with our neighbors, that we were not designed to be alone.

Flourishing means living in right relationships, because it is within right relationships that we flourish. That’s what God wants for Sambo, and millions more like him. It’s what he wants for us.

How is your relationship with God? Do you know he cares about you? Do you see the need for him in your day-to-day life? How do you view yourself? Do you have a low opinion of yourself, or maybe too strong of one? Do you know your neighbors? Do you care about them? What about your relationship with creation? Do you think about your environmental impact? Do you help keep your neighborhood clean and neat?

Where do you need to improve your relationships?