Being Wealthy

I have never really considered myself to be wealthy. By American standards, I'm not particularly so. I admit that I'm also not truly poor. I have food on my table consistently and can replace my old clothes with new ones as needed. But I also don't have ability or the means to spend money freely on unnecessary things. I don't remodel my home because I'm tired of the old style and I don't have to have the latest techno gadget. Nor could I afford it even if I wanted it.

On Sunday our home group was discussing 1 Timothy 6:6-11 and 17-19. Someone commented that most of us tend to read these verses and think of others whom we know, people whom we considered to be really wealthy. These verses are directed at those people, not at us. Most of us, at least Americans, don't really think of ourselves as wealthy. We're just average people, just getting by, right? I would include myself in that category. As I said, I don't consider myself wealthy.

But the truth is that we need to read these verses with ourselves in mind, for we are the wealthy of the earth. If you are reading this blog, it means you have access to the internet, which already puts you among the elite of the globe. (Yes, I realize that internet access is rapidly expanding, but it still remains a luxury of those who have some measure of wealth in order to afford that access.) We Americans, along with all other Western and economically-advanced nations, are wealthy, even those of us who don't think we are. So when we read a verse that says "Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud..." we need to think first and foremost of ourselves.

"But," you may protest, "I'm really not that wealthy." Compared to the majority of the world's people you are. I have friends around the world who struggle to get by on $200-300 a month and consider themselves fortunate if they can make that much. For the math challenged, that comes to $2400-3600 ANNUALLY. Most Americans make more than that in a month. Admittedly the cost of living differs from one place to another, but I can assure you that it is tough to live on $200 a month anywhere. And there are certainly people making much less than that--a lot of them. (For lots of details on this, check out this website.)

So stop and think about what Paul writes to Timothy and then think about your own use of the wealth God has given you. Ultimately we are accountable to him for the wealth he has given us. I for one want to strive increasingly to live according to Paul's admonition in verse 18, that I would use my money to do good, to be generous to those in need and to readily share with others. I want to stop trying to excuse myself on the basis that "I'm not wealthy" because, in fact, I really am.

Reflections on Philippians 2:4

I've been reading through Philippians the last couple months, taking it slowly so that I can reflect on each section. The past week I've been meditating on the first few verses of chapter two. I came to verse four, which in the NLT reads: "Don't think only about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and what they are doing." This verse prompted a lot of thinking.

First of all it challenged me to examine my own behavior. Do I think about the needs of those around me? Do I consider what is happening in their lives and how I might show the love of God through some act of service or a well-spoken word? Although I see progress in this area, I have to admit that I still have a long way to go in this area. I all-too-easily focus on my own affairs and get caught up in my own agenda. In doing so I miss opportunities to serve those around me. I miss hearing God's voice directing me to pay attention to the needs of others. So for me the challenge is to learn to actively look at the lives of those around me and to take concern for their needs and affairs, as this verse exhorts us.

Reflecting further though, I began to wonder whether there are any limits on this exhortation. Should we be interested in the affairs of everyone around us? Do we need to be responding to every need that presents itself or that we are aware of? This seems to me to be an unrealistic expectation. I know of people who say yes to nearly every request made of them, for various reasons. These people, while well-intentioned, often end up being overwhelmed, frazzled and eventually burned out. That doesn't strike me as a healthy lifestyle either and while it may seem spiritually commendable, it isn't sustainable.

So what does God ask of us? He obviously wants us to think of the needs of others as well as our own needs. He wants us to respond in love to the needs of those around us. My present understanding of this recognizes that we must use spiritual wisdom to know where the boundaries are. While being aware of and concerned for the needs of others, it may not always be that I am the one God would have meet those needs. Just because something is a good thing to do doesn't mean that I'm the one that should do it. On the other hand I obviously cannot and should not be self-absorbed, spending all my time, energy and other resources only on myself. To discern how God wants me to respond to a given situation, I need to be in communication with him. I also need to be aware of what is happening in the lives of those around me. If I am not paying attention, I may miss an opportunity where God wants to use me. If I am not walking closely with God, I will not hear his voice directing me. Both elements are necessary. If both are in place, then I can live consistently with God's desire that I look out both for my own needs and those of others.

An Inefficient God

We Americans love efficiency. I love efficiency. Few things can frustrate me like having to deal with a severely inefficient situation--and this happens frequently in my life! God must be teaching me something. But lately I've been pondering whether God concerns himself with efficiency nearly as much as we do. The simple answer is, he doesn't. If we look at Scripture we see God acting in ways that are clearly inefficient. An efficient God wouldn't make his prophet spend 40 years tending sheep in the desert. That's not a very efficient leadership program. He wouldn't entrust the spreading of his message to a bunch of unskilled fisherman and other ordinary laborers. No, if God were an American, we'd have a slick organization with a great PR department and a well-thought-out 5-year plan for reaching the masses. There would be a great leadership development program with guaranteed results in no time at all. That's what an efficient God would do. The world would hear his message in record time.

Well, thankfully we don't have an American God. But I wonder whether our American/Western Christian organizations and churches often end up adopting the cultural value of efficiency and treating it as a biblical value. Now I don't think there is anything wrong with trying to use our resources, including our time and money, wisely. I think God wants us to exercise good stewardship. But if we expect the same standards of efficiency in the work of building his kingdom that we expect from businesses and corporations, I think we are going down the wrong path and will be sorely disappointed. God's kingdom simply doesn't seem to work that way. Does God want results? I imagine that he does. Does he measure his success by the speed and efficiency at which he achieves those results? Based on Scripture it appears he doesn't.

I write this because I sense a growing trend to exalt results, preferably quick results, as the measure of ministry success. Ministries that don't "produce" within the time frame expected by their supporters will lose that support. But those supporters need to understand that in the realm of the spiritual, things move at a different pace. It doesn't mean that God isn't at work. But think about how God often describes the work of his kingdom. He uses metaphors of planting seeds and letting them grow. Maybe we have grown too distant from the land for these metaphors to have any resonance with us. But we would do well to remember what they indicate. God's work takes time and by our standards often seems terribly inefficient. So go ahead and keep tabs on how your favorite ministries use their resources. But realize that results take time, maybe even more time than you and I will have on this earth. That's okay. God's not in a hurry, so we don't need to be either.

My Eyes Have Been Opened

I was browsing the internet the other day when this article caught my eye. The editor certainly chose a title that would capture my interest. I read the article and was rather appalled by the assertion of the author. I do not think that making money is inherently sinful, but this author essentially concludes that personal success and happiness is the ultimate moral value. The runs counter to the entire teaching of Scripture, as the author duly notes.

I linked this article to my Facebook page which prompted a colleague of mine to direct me to a second article. He noted that the author of the original article is president of the Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights, which reveals an enormous amount about his philosophy--if you are familiar with Ayn Rand. I was not, but this second article greatly enlightened me and at the same time frightened me.

I won't attempt to summarize the second article. My readers would do well to read it for themselves. I say it frightened me because I was completely unaware of the extent to which Rand's individualistic philosophy had infiltrated not only American culture but American church culture. The author's citation of Ravi Zacharias cuts right to the heart of the issue:

"Wealth and enterprise have so woven themselves around the message of Jesus that popular models of Christianity appear as nothing more than self and greed at the center, with strands of Christian thought at the periphery."

Prior to reading this article I would have described myself as inclining toward libertarianism. After reading it I would hesitate to associate myself with the underlying philosophy he describes. I still am sceptical of the role of government, but I see the point in his critique of unbridled libertarianism. It certainly isn't reflective of the message of Jesus. So I stand confronted by the harsh reality that much of my thinking has been strongly influenced by values that are contrary to the values of Christ, without my having even realized this. That's a painful recognition, but at the same time I'm glad I've had my eyes opened and my thinking challenged. I would never have thought of myself as being influenced by Ayn Rand, but now that I see how I have been, I want to correct my course. Otherwise I might as well sign my name on the new moral code espoused by Yaron Brook and the Ayn Randians of the world.

WWJD

While in a discussion with some co-workers today someone threw out the ubiquitous "WWJD?" question in response to our conversation. This led one colleague and on onto an interesting tangent. Jesus never endorses the consumption of coffee, tea or other stimulant beverages. Yet he did turn water into wine and didn't seem to discourage its consumption. So maybe we need to close all our church coffee shops and replace them with wine bars. Or maybe we need to recognize that WWJD? doesn't answer every situation we will face as believers... It can be helpful, but sometimes we have to apply the reasoning and logic skills God has given us.

Some Thoughts on Mercy

I've been away for a while, enjoying some time of rest. A week without internet and other electronic entertainments proved quite refreshing. I'm still getting back into the frame of mind for blogging, but I read this blog tonight and wanted to pass it along for others to read.

Resisting the Work of God

I recently had the opportunity to do something that I knew I should do, that would be beneficial both for me and others involved, and that would support my wife in her work in particular. But in my heart I was not eager to do this thing. I really hoped I could find a reason to excuse myself in the end. But such an excuse did not present itself and in the end out of a sense of duty as well as a desire to demonstrate love to my wife, I chose to go ahead with the event. At first I found it hard to participate wholeheartedly, because my whole heart was not in it. But as I relaxed and allowed myself to enter more fully into the situation I found increasing interest and joy in what was going on around me. After the event finished and we were driving home I felt real joy in my heart that I had the opportunity to be a part of this and I thanked God for placing me and my wife in this place at this time.

Later I examined myself to see if I could determine what was behind my initial reluctance to participate. I saw that I hesitated to go because doing so would take me outside of my comfort zone. It would place me in surroundings that might be uncomfortable and unfamiliar and the harsh truth is that I like my comfort zone very much. I like being in situations where I know what is happening and can exercise some control over events. I also like the creature comforts I have around me, limited though they may be. And I like the comfort of my routine. I resisted stepping outside of these "comforts" and allowing myself to be stretched. I also realized that entering the situation would strip me of all that makes me "someone" in the eyes of is world. All of my life experience and the skills I have would would mean little in that particular context. I had to become a humble learner and sit and listen to others who by the standards of the world had little to offer me. My pride rebelled against this. As the Spirit revealed these things to me I had to humbly ask God for His forgiveness for my stubbornness and my attachment to the things of this world, both the material things around me and my identity and reputation. I thank God that he persuaded me to accept the opportunity, for had I not I would have been impoverished in many ways, even though I may not have realized it at the time.

How often does God want to grow us by taking us out of our comfort zone? And how often do we miss these opportunities for growth by resisting this very thing? How often do we cling to our status, identity or creature comforts because they give us a sense of security? And yet God would strip us of all of these so that we could become humble learners, sometimes through those we might least think could teach us anything useful. I am reminded of a citation attributed to Martin Luther:

God's nature is such that he makes something out of nothing.
Therefore, whoever has not yet become nothing, of that person God cannot make anything.

It is not easy to allow myself to become nothing, but if that is what must happen in order for me to be of use to God, then may he enable me to accept this humiliation. May I become like Christ, taking the nature of a servant so that God might be exalted.