Why Does God Allow so Many of His Children to be Poor?

"Why does God allow so many of His children to be poor? He could make them all rich if He pleased; He could lay bags of gold at their doors; He could send them a large annual income or He could scatter an abundance of provision around their houses as He did with the quails and the manna. There is no necessity that they should be poor, except that He sees it to be best. 'The cattle upon a thousand hills are His' – He could supply them; but He does not choose to do so; He allows them to suffer in need, He allows them to pine in poverty and obscurity. Why is this? One reason is, to give us, who are favored with enough, an opportunity of showing our love to Jesus. We show our love to Christ when we sing and when we pray, but with the poor in the world we have the privilege of showing our love by ministering in alms-giving to prove that our love is not in word only but also in deed. If we truly love Christ, we shall care for those who are loved by Him. Let us then look upon it not as a duty, but as a privilege remembering the words of Jesus, 'in as much as you have done it unto the least of these My brethren, you have done it unto Me.'" [Charles Spurgeon]