The Stock Market’s Recession; the Economy of God’s Advance
I like hanging on to the tension. I’ve been learning all I can about it; the different perspectives Christians can take on the use of money and why it matters. Its easy to jump over the fence and get as far to one side as possible.
“Christians should all be poor, that’s how Jesus lived his life,”
and
“Christians should make and free as much money up as possible to use for purposes that embody Jesus’ life.”
We see examples of both views all through Scripture and all throughout the last 2,000 years. I’m beginning to think that Jesus doesn’t have a means for you to follow, but he does have an end in mind.
“There were no needy found among them.”
A simple statement found at the end of Acts 2, but it holds so much mystery. Was there a common treasury set up? Or was it an open pocket community that simply heard the needs of the people and met them as needs presented themselves? They seemed to share all their possessions, but did they share each other’s debts too?
Can we ignore the fact that Jesus calls us to rely on each other in a radical way? It seems that God’s provides for his family through his family. That means that some who are financially weak will be taken care by those who can make a lot more. It allows some to devote themselves to teaching, missions, and more.
In America, we are taught to hord as much as we can. Jesus seems to think that managing the storehouses of wealth is something you can do to ignore the fact that your life won’t last forever. Make wealth – that’s fine – but then give it away! We’d never have heard of the Good Samaritan if he hadn’t had the money to take care of the hospital bills the beaten man was racking up.
So make money. Make lots of it if that’s your calling. Then give it to your Family, give it to the desperately poor. Give without pretense. Give till it hurts. If your calling is to be poor, then don’t be too proud to ask from your brothers and sisters who are rich. It’s up to you to keep the cycle of blessing from getting clogged. Whatever your calling, don’t live in resentment or judgment of your brother’s call.
This is the world of economics God has established. Live without need, live without excess. Live simply, love profoundly. Let the Economy of God prove his news is good to the rest of the world.
