Rich and poor have this in common:  The LORD is the Maker of them all (Proverbs 22:2).

I don't know if it's a bi-product of Western consumerism or what -- but we regularly seem to place a moral value on a person's economic situation.  Rich, poor, middle-class:  we all act as if these stations in life say something about what kind of person someone is.  If you're "rich" you're blessed, but if you're "too rich" than you're a greedy corporate machine.  If you're "poor," you probably did something to deserve it -- thus basically cursed -- but then again, there's also an idea out there that people who follow Christ really should be poor and in fact (as my friend Noel so aptly stated it) being poor "is more godly than to live in the burbs and drive your new Honda Accord to church."  It's so confusing!

Because of all this confusion, it can be very refreshing to step back and realize that people are defined more by their personhood than by their economic circumstances.  As it says in Proverbs 22:2, "Rich and poor have this in common:  The LORD is the Maker of them all."

The fact is that a person's economic situation has absolutely nothing to do with his or her position before God.  The factors are purely coincidental.  I recently read a very useful article at the Resurgence, which outlined some of the errors in both prosperity theology and poverty theology.  But even more than its summary of these basic theological concepts, I appreciated the article's listing of the four different ways treasures can be stewarded:

1. Righteous rich stewards – Biblical examples of righteous rich stewards include Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job (both before and after his life tragedy and season of poverty), Joseph of Arimathea (who gave Jesus his personal tomb), Lydia (who funded much of Paul’s ministry), and Dorcas (who often helped the poor).
2. Righteous poor stewards – Biblical examples of righteous poor stewards include Ruth and Naomi, Jesus Christ, the widow who gave her mite, the Macedonian church, and Paul, who often knew want and hunger.
3. Unrighteous rich stewards – Biblical examples of unrighteous rich stewards include Laban, Esau, Nabal, Haman, the rich young ruler, and Judas Iscariot.
4. Unrighteous poor stewards – Biblical examples of unrighteous poor stewards include the sluggard and the fool, who are repeatedly renounced throughout the book of Proverbs.

To me, this all goes to show that it really doesn't matter how much (or how little) money you have.  You can be righteous with much or with little; you can be unrighteous with much or with little.  At the end of the day, your "net worth" does not determine your worth as a person.  What determines your worth as a person is the fact that the LORD has made you.