Charity, Economics, and the Bible

The following post is in collaboration with Mark Ross at The Original Republican.  Enjoy.  And comment below if you'd like.

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Being an American, and having grown up in our predominantly Capitalist country, I have never really had the occasion to ponder economics as it related to my faith. I had always worked, gone to church, and, for the most part, like millions of other Americans, have taken for granted the economic system that we have grown up with.

 It wasn't until a few years ago that I began hearing some fellow Americans citing Biblical verses in a manner that was tacitly, if not explicitly, promoting Socialism and Communism. For a Christian person, like myself, who has always cherished the freedoms we have had in this country, and felt blessed for the standard of living that we have had in this country, it is beyond disconcerting.

 Over the last year or so, I have had some informal conversations with some fellow Christian friends, in regards to this subject; but, for some reason, over the last few months, I have felt compelled to make an attempt to try to truly understand God's true intentions, as written in The Bible, in regards to how Christians should be conducting themselves, economically, charitably etc.

 Recently, I began discussing economics with my fellow Christian friend Kori, as it related to our faith. In the past, myself and Kori have collaborated on the subject of Christianity and Marriage, which, with her permission, ended up as an insightful post on this site; and, to which we were fortunate enough to have many great comments. Since she did such a wonderful job at researching Scripture, and Biblical history, in regards to that subject, I was inclined to ask her to collaborate, once again, with me, on this subject.

 With Kori's permission, I would like to share her recent e-mail correspondence to me:

Psalm 30, the Kori version

My Beth Moore Bible study encouraged me to take Psalm 30 and express my own version of it.  Here goes:

Psalm 30

I will exalt You, Lord,

because You have radically rescued me

and have not allowed

abortion to ruin me forever.

Lord my God, I cried to You for help,

and You heard me, and loved much.

Lord, You brought me so far;

You spared me from

my own hell, sorrow, and numb existence.

Sing to the Lord, you His faithful ones, 

and praise His holy name.

For His disappointment lasts only a moment,

but His favor, a lifetime.

Weeping may spend the night, 

but there is joy in the morning.

When I was secure, I said,

"I don't need anyone.

I'm strong in my own will.

I won't fall."

Lord, when You showed Your favor,

You made me overwhelmingly relieved

and unexplainably at peace;

when You were displeased with me

I was terrified.

Lord, I called to You;

I sought favor from my Lord;

"What gain is there in my brokenness

and mindless existence?

Lord, listen and be gracious to me;

Lord, be my helper."

You turned my grief, guilt, and shame

 into dancing, hope, and revelation.

You removed my sin and unquenchable sadness

and clothed me with

peace, truth, healing

so that I can sing to You and not be silent.

Lord my God, I will praise You forever.

(italics mine)

disobedient and contrary

Reading of the resurrection of Lazarus today and the various responses to this incredible miracle:

Many Jews believed, but pharisees and the chief priests were fearful and sought to undermine the miracle, to subvert the reality of what had occurred.  They sought to kill Jesus and Lazarus.  An effort to remove any sign of the truth.  (John 11, esp. vs.45-48, 53; and John 12:10-11)

And so it is today.  News organizations omit Christian influence and events.  History revisionists omit from school textbooks anything referring to God in our founding documents.  There is nothing new under the sun. (Ecc. 1:9)

So, even when God proves Himself real, some people will still refuse to believe and actively defy the truth.  Some make it their life's mission to hate God, God's people, and to discredit Him in anyway they can be hiding the truth.  Why?

"I was found by those who did not seek Me; I was made manifest to those who did not ask for Me."
"All day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and contrary people." ~Romans 10:20-21

...because there are disobedient and contrary people.  Boy!  Did this open my eyes this morning!  Sometimes, I am just shocked at people and how totally foolish they can be when the truth is staring them in the face and breathing down their neck...and yet, it seems out of pure stubbornness, they refuse to believe what is blatantly obvious.  But, here it is: people will purpose in their hearts to be disobedient and contrary, unteachable, stubborn, hard-hearted.  And for what purpose: pride.  To what end: eternal torment.    It seems the understatement of eternity, but "pride comes before a fall."  And oh, how they will fall.  As Pharaoh hardened his heart and set his eternal course, so do these disobedient and contrary people.  The course is wide and many there are who find it...leading to death.

"And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.  For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed." ~John 3:19-20

At the risk of embodying the-pot-calling-the-kettle-"black," this causes me to consider where I am apt to be contrary.  I am the queen of stubborn.  I'm also the queen of say-it-straight like a mack truck.  (yikes.)  And I have to consciously (sometimes even after the fact...like now, as I write this section a day after posting) determine to not fight to have my own way, my own opinion, my own stance... to the death.  Some things are uncompromising, like God's Word, the sanctity of human life, etc.  But I can easily be contrary to people who disagree with me just for the sake of my own pride.  I must humble myself and genuinely attempt to see an issue from an opposing point-of-view.  This is something I have to purpose myself to do since it absolutely does not come naturally.  So, mercy isn't exactly my spiritual gift.  Sorry to those of you who have been the recipients of my lack of mercy.  Rest assured, many in the church have this gracious gift and they are much nicer than I.  So, I admit, I must look in the mirror on this one and make sure that I am not being contrary for the sake of being contrary, but seek the truth wherever it leads.  Because the truth sets us free ....even if it's different from what we originally assumed.

loss of man's favor = REJOICING!

"...And Jacob saw that Laban did not regard him with favor as he had before...
The Lord said...I will be with you. (ESV)
...I see your father's countenance that it is not favorable toward me as it was before; but the God of my father has been with me. (NKJV)..."

~Genesis 31:1-7

Loss of favor with men does not mean loss of favor with God.  

Hallelujah for that!

"Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake." ~Matthew 5:11 

I know I'm being particular,
but I sorta hope my "leap for joy" looks like this one.

"Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast our your name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake.  Rejoice in that day and leap for joy!  For indeed your reward is great in heaven, For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets." ~Luke 6:22-23

(For a gal who loves people, and loves people to love her; this is a really potent and necessary truth.  Help me to rejoice in these seasons, Lord!)