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WHY POVERTY IS NOT A LACK OF RESOURCES

Poverty is not a lack of resources but a lack of knowledge of the dimension of wealth in its fullness.

The Word of God teaches us that poverty has never been God’s plan. God does not cause poverty in this world. When He created this world, He created abundance and Paradise. He also put the man in this place of abundance with everything he needed for life.

The Earth was cursed when man sinned against God. And it’s like that to this day. We know that all creation groans because of the rebellion of human beings against God (Romans 8:22), and one of the consequences of this rebellion is poverty. And it’s something very interesting because can someone die of thirst near a lake with crystal clear water? No. But it’s the same situation as the man. The world is full of riches, but people go through difficulties because of injustice and lack of knowledge (in general). The world has enough resources; if people were engaged in doing the right things, there would be prosperity.

When you go to Dubai or Saudi Arabia, they are deserts, and you realise that human knowledge has helped discover oil, generate wealth, and make cities populous. Poverty is usually a lack of knowledge or use of intelligence to take advantage of what is available. It’s also a lack of a relationship with the Father. How can a child be poor and have a wealthy father? In this world, some children are disowned because they do not have a relationship with their parents. This is also the case with those who do not relate to God.

Many people work with much effort but don’t use their heads. They can’t gather much in their lives. The head has to work. My father used to say the famous saying: “Marry in haste, repent at leisure”. And how many people repent at leisure for the lack of work in the mind? So, poverty comes from the lack of thinking, from the lack of relationship with God, from the lack of character. Yes, we see so much money left over in the world, but there is corruption and interests in the heads of governors and among those who do business. Poverty happens because of the corruption of the human character. Governments work with so many resources that many social and natural tragedies would not occur if properly applied.

When there is flooding, people say, “Where is God?” But why don’t people use intelligence and well-applied resources to avoid problems when these natural events happen? Holland, for example, is known as the “Netherlands” because it is below sea level. They solved the problem by building strong dams that keep the country dry. Human beings speak of God but do not look within themselves.

The greatest poverty of human beings is spiritual. Even though they are surrounded by gold, they are poor until the day they wake up (if it ever happens) to get to know the greatest Treasure, the great wealth of knowing God.

Think about it and follow the entire message in the video above.

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Bishop Renato Cardoso