This is a guest post by Tate Randall.
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This one is long, I apologize. I'm just real passionate about money. You'll see what I mean. I'm sorry for simply ranting on this so much. I want to know what you all think. I can't help but feel that I'm imposing my interpretations on you all. If you have the patience to read this, please let me know what you think, whether in a comment or in person.
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matt 6:19-21
“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Mammon.” Matt 6:24
“Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.” Luke 6: 30-31
“But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” Luke 6: 35-36
“Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourself that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Luke 12:33-34
“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” Malachi 3:10
In Deuteronomy 15, God tells his people about his system of economics. He asks that all debts be canceled every seven years. He goes on to tell the Jewish people that no matter how close it is to that seventh year, they are to always give to their neighbor and to never be tightfisted. He claims that he knows their heart and that if they purposefully lend out less than they are able, then they are convicted of sin. He sums up this system in one command, “Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land” (Deut. 15:11). The catch of this is that those borrowing are not to take advantage of this system either. For example, if it is close to the seventh year, you are not to take out a bunch of loans knowing that you will not have to pay them back, for that is sin as well. Can you imagine that?! Sounds pretty sweet to me.
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When I read the news about the economy and all the proposed budget cuts I can’t help but think, “What would Jesus cut?” Surely he would vote for the proposal that gives more help to the poor right? Perhaps. Here’s the problem I see. We don’t live in a Christian nation. The Jewish people were God’s one and only nation. They loved and feared God well, so this system probably worked decently. I desperately want to trust the Lord when He says that He will provide for me just like with the ravens and the lilies. I feel convicted. I mean, He is inviting us to test Him! He says, “I dare you! I dare you to give up all you have to see if you can handle the ridiculous amount of blessings it will bring.” I hope and pray that one day I have that much faith. Unfortunately, that hope and prayer is not shared by everyone. We, as the Body of Christ, cannot force others to follow these commands and distribute their wealth anymore than we can force them to be Christians. It’s just like how God can’t force anyone on this Earth to love Him. If He did, it would not be true love. It is this frustrating concept that has made me convinced that true change in people’s lives and true change in the world needs to bubble up from the bottom, not trickle down from the top.
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| The Simple Way - Photo Credit |
That is really my passion behind groups like The Simple Way in Philadelphia. They are trying to bring true love into people’s lives and hopefully into the community as a whole. The more people that are transformed God’s love, the more we will see the surrounding community be transformed as well. Wouldn’t it be truly awesome to see a city of people who distribute their wealth where it is needed and have open hands towards those in need not because a Federal or State law tells them too, but because they are filled with God-given compassion and love for everyone around them that doesn't allow them to NOT give! (1 John 3:17). One day, my friends. One day.
Guest post by Tate Randall.
Thanks for the food for thought. This is a complicated subject for many reasons. Thank you. Great post.