The poor have the gospel preached to them

Now there is a verse we Christians stumble over.

Some will say that through hearing the gospel the poor understand how much God loves them.

Others will say that the poor hear the gospel and understand how really blessed they are in remaining poor.

Others will say it means the poor are to become rich.

Others will say the poor will learn how to have a better life.

Honestly, it sounds mercenary as heck for me to say this...but it comes from the depth of my heart: POVERTY IS A BITCH. It can lead to ill health, broken marriages, sick children, bad diseases of poverty, lack of medical attention which makes simple illnesses become worse, self-loathing, inferiority among one's neighbors, hopelessness and despair, starvation, the crumbling away of one's house, homelessness, friendlessness.

So I'm going to say that I think God may bless the poor and he may love the poor but he doesn't want the poor to remain poor. He doesn't want us so rich that we get destroyed by our wealth, of course. And he doesn't want us to be so rich we forget what it is like to lack...but I truly believe the gospel was preached to the poor so that they could have abundant life on earth as well as in heaven. They will be done on earth as it is in heaven. There! I've said it. -C