Poverty makes man humble.

[Classik]

I miss my chemistry lecturer. He likes jokes alot and takes pleasure in saying funny things.:D Chemistry teachers are always funny.

During one of our lectures with him, he told us why the poor are always humble. (I remeber the saying (not by the lecturer): "poverty drives people into worshipping God. Not my saying, people's)

Back to my lecturer's statement:
When you look at it critically it seems the man is right, though some are naturally humble. (We have a professor in our church who washes the toilet for the others. There are times when we do crusades, and after breakfast or lunch you see people, pastors happily washing dishes)

The lecturer said, " the reason most poor people busy themselves doing dirty work publicly, e.g (tidying up a church, offices, neighborhood, serving other etc) is that they want to be noticed." They want something in return. "And if a poor man is not humble (or at least pretends to be)," the lecturer said, "what is he then?"


Then they are not humble - they appear to be, I would say.

He said, "True humbleness exists when you see a 'wealthy and rich' man doing all those dirty work). So, you can only know a true humble man/woman when he/she does that in spite of being very rich.

 

[Denique Coelum]

Interesting! It's something I'd never really thought of before.

I suppose that, in the world (amongst unbelievers), one couldn't be sure of the motives of someone who was 'voluntarily' doing dirty work or making some sacrifice. However, I think we could be surer of things amongst believers. We could be more certain that there is no ulterior motive, so to speak.

I suppose we get something of that in Scripture. In the sense of financial sacrifice, we have the widow showing her devotion to God and dependence on him for sustenance:

"And he looked up and saw the rich casting their gifts into the treasury; but he saw also a certain poor widow casting therein two mites. And he said, Verily I say unto you, that this poor widow has cast in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have cast into the gifts of God; but she out of her need has cast in all the living which she had." Luke 21 v 1-4.

But that's probably not what you have in mind! I think we get the idea of serving in obscurity in Scripture, in such as the Nethinim spoken of in the Old Testament, notable in the account of the recovery in Ezra. Washing toilets and dishes would be the sort of tasks, figuratively, the Nethinim would've undertaken.

I came across some helpful ministry recently on the subject, which I'll quote a portion of:

"A Nethinim is one who serves in obscurity, perhaps in a menial capacity; one willing to do any little out-of-the-way service at any time to make way for what is spiritual amongst the saints. Even the dusting of the chairs or sweeping the room for the brethren is a Nethinim service."​

Features of Recovery - Notes of an Address by A.E. Myles​

So, I think, when it comes to the service of God, it can be supposed that a person, however rich or poor, is accepting a humble role as part of their devotion to God, taking up the vital Nethinim service.

This is probably a diversion from what you originally had in mind, but I hope it has at least some bearing on the original subject.

 

[Classik]

Interesting! It's something I'd never really thought of before.

I suppose that, in the world (amongst unbelievers), one couldn't be sure of the motives of someone who was 'voluntarily' doing dirty work or making some sacrifice.

You are right ...though there are some unbelievers who willing serve the others without looking for something in reurn. But, I'd say the majority are doing it out of eyeservice.

 

[Classik]

However, I think we could be surer of things amongst believers. We could be more certain that there is no ulterior motive, so to speak.

I suppose we get something of that in Scripture. In the sense of financial sacrifice, we have the widow showing her devotion to God and dependence on him for sustenance:

"And he looked up and saw the rich casting their gifts into the treasury; but he saw also a certain poor widow casting therein two mites. And he said, Verily I say unto you, that this poor widow has cast in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have cast into the gifts of God; but she out of her need has cast in all the living which she had." Luke 21 v 1-4.

Fascinating!

 

[Classik]

The rest of your post is beautifully represented.