It seems to be the topic everyone is talking about; the topic that everyone has an opinion on. Over these last couple of weeks, our nation has debated over whether to do a stimulus plan for the economy or not. They’ve debated how much we should do and what should be included. Should it include increased spending or decreased taxation? They’ve debated on the effect of the outcome and the consequences of such a plan. They’ve debated on what has caused this crisis and who’s at fault. They’ve considered who should be helped and who shouldn’t be based on who they think caused this crisis.
It’s tiring listening to the conversations going on; the opinions that are broadcast to the masses. So, here’s my opinion, my two cents. Get to the root of the problem and focus only on that!
Here’s the thing I don’t hear much about. Our economy is much like a see-saw kids play on. There’s a balance to it and if the kids weigh the same you could actually have the see-saw stay level. But what happens when one is heavier? They drop to the ground and would have to give a push off the ground to be able to keep moving. If they get off and just let go as they do, the other end drops to the ground and the child on that end can get seriously hurt.
The same can be said of our economy. An 800 pound guerilla got off the see-saw. Home values dropped dramatically; in Arizona some places have dropped more than 50%, most of that is in debt (aka someone else’s money). I’m not an economist and I may be oversimplifying the situation. In my opinion, when that much money has been pulled out of the economy in a relatively short period of time, people will get hurt and they won’t jump back in very quickly; it will take time to rebalance and trust who’s on the other end of the see-saw. In the mean time, there is substantially less money circulating in the economy causing fewer jobs and lower pay.
There are a few ways to off set that cycle whether it’s families, businesses, or government; currently we’re focusing on the government doing it. The entity that can produce more money (i.e. the government) can either spend their way out (increase government debt putting money into the economy now to be paid back later), increase the money flow (print more money which lowers the value of that currency which leads to inflation) or they can reduce taxes (leave more money in the economy and reduce government spending to match). Keep in mind, there still is a balance and each one has a consequence. And with each one of these, we’re trying to fix our money problems with money.
I personally don’t think our government should be fixing the problem in our economy by spending money or printing money. In doing so, they are simply getting on the see-saw. They shouldn’t be on it but govern the way it’s played on to maintain some sort of balance and fairness and to maintain the core values of the founding fathers of our nation. Had it been governed properly before, I don’t believe they would need to get on now.
But we still haven’t got to the root of the problem that we should be focusing on. You can’t buy your way out of a problem, whether it’s our economy, our relationships with others, marriages, etc. Only submitting to God’s plan will fix the problem. God has given us His Word to solve this crisis.
He tells us in Deuteronomy 8:17-20 -
You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today. If you ever forget the LORD your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. Like the nations the LORD destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the LORD your God.
It is God that gives us the ability to produce wealth when we seek Him. When our nation starts to seek God and His ways, then our nation will be healed and revived; we’ll have new inventions and discoveries develop wealth in our nation that will benefit others first. In the process of discovery and development of new inventions, we’ll increase our national production and cure our financial problems. When we return to our roots and be a nation under God called to be lenders not borrowers, we’ll reduce our personal and national debts and increase our influence in the world.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
Battle Against Complacency
“Complacency is a tool formed in the pit of hell, used by the enemy to render us ineffective for the Kingdom of God.” ~ Tracy Keck
Several years ago, I had the incredible opportunity to attend Pastors and Leaders School, hosted by Phoenix First Assembly, a wonderful church in Phoenix that does outreach to poverty-ridden and crime-filled areas. It offers help and hope through ministry to gangs, prostitutes, substance abusers, runaway youth, the homeless, prisoners, etc, with phenomenal results. While there, I saw what a difference Christ makes in the lives of those who really encounter him. I saw living examples of the Scripture one who’s been forgiven much loves much (Luke 7:47). And I left there with an awareness of how crippling complacency can be. The above quote is one that was included in my testimony to my church, about my experience.
Since then, I have kept that statement near to my heart, to remind me to be vigilant against the lull of complacency. I have seen how I can apply it in many situations. We Christians can be good people who really make a difference in this world, if we choose to look beyond ourselves and our current situation. Not everyone is meant to be on the front lines of a cause (though certainly some of us are), but we can support others who are, through our gifts of money and prayer. Once again, this hit home to me, just this weekend.
We went to a prayer meeting at our church on Saturday evening. When we got there, we discovered it was to be a bit different than normal. They began by showing a video of people who face terrible persecution for being followers of Christ in Iran. I have to be honest here, I had no idea there were even Christians in Iran, and I certainly didn’t have a soft heart toward Iran. After all, the Muslim extremists there have made their feelings and intentions toward both the U.S. and Israel pretty clear. But there are Christians there. And in the face of intense persecution and martyrdom, the Christian movement there is growing in both numbers and strength. (Of course Iran is only one of the many nations where Christians face persecution.)
Through this sad but hopeful, eye-opening video, I remembered once again, that we American Christians are blessed. And in some ways, I think our blessing is also a curse. We have freedoms and liberties that many only dream of. We have tons of churches to choose from and hop between. Most of us have multiple Bibles that we might read, but then again we might not if our favorite TV show is on, or we have something else to do. Because we have so much freedom and so many options, I think we mostly tend to take them for granted, and can even be contemptuous about them. Because our churches and Bibles are so readily available to us, we simply don’t use and treasure them the way we should.
This is not true in countries that do not enjoy religious freedom. If you choose to have a Bible in a country where you could be killed simply for having it, you’re probably going to read it faithfully and treasure it as one of your most precious and important possessions. If you could be abducted, thrown into jail and tortured for merely going to a Christian church, you’re probably not going to be inclined to leave it just because Sister So-and-So hurt your feelings. If you speak out for Christ and righteousness in a regime that is intolerant of it and you face most certain execution, it is highly likely that you are living for far more than yourself.
The wonderful and amazing part of all this, is that God is moving mightily in persecuted regions. I’ve heard it said that a church that is not afraid of martyrdom and persecution knows what it is to live for Christ. When people understand the reality of dying for something they live for, death loses its hold on them. When the body of Christ sees the most powerful moves of God, following the tragic loss of its leaders and members to martyrdom, how can they not be encouraged by the Comforter Himself?
It is easy for us to be complacent about the body of Christ, here in America. After all, our problems here really aren’t all that significant. But if we look beyond ourselves and beyond our borders, we can see clearly what our brothers and sisters in Christ face just for following Him. We may think there is nothing we can do, so we just do nothing. But there is something we can do. We can refuse to live in complacency. There are organizations we can support with our finances and our prayers. And most importantly, we can pray for those who are being persecuted. Prayer really can make a difference.
If you would like to join in praying for the persecuted church, but don’t really know where to begin, there is a great organization that can help. The Voice of the Martyrs has a monthly newsletter, with stories of those around the world who suffer persecution. Simply visit the site and sign up for the newsletter and it will be delivered to your home free of charge. You may also donate, if you feel inclined. Is it informative? I think so. Will it break your heart? I hope so. In addition, if you would like more information specific to Iran and the Muslim world, please check out Elam Ministries. They are bringing the Light to a very dark part of the world.
And remember, “Complacency is a tool formed in the pit of hell, used by the enemy to render us ineffective for the Kingdom of God.” Battle against complacency and win with compassion.
Several years ago, I had the incredible opportunity to attend Pastors and Leaders School, hosted by Phoenix First Assembly, a wonderful church in Phoenix that does outreach to poverty-ridden and crime-filled areas. It offers help and hope through ministry to gangs, prostitutes, substance abusers, runaway youth, the homeless, prisoners, etc, with phenomenal results. While there, I saw what a difference Christ makes in the lives of those who really encounter him. I saw living examples of the Scripture one who’s been forgiven much loves much (Luke 7:47). And I left there with an awareness of how crippling complacency can be. The above quote is one that was included in my testimony to my church, about my experience.
Since then, I have kept that statement near to my heart, to remind me to be vigilant against the lull of complacency. I have seen how I can apply it in many situations. We Christians can be good people who really make a difference in this world, if we choose to look beyond ourselves and our current situation. Not everyone is meant to be on the front lines of a cause (though certainly some of us are), but we can support others who are, through our gifts of money and prayer. Once again, this hit home to me, just this weekend.
We went to a prayer meeting at our church on Saturday evening. When we got there, we discovered it was to be a bit different than normal. They began by showing a video of people who face terrible persecution for being followers of Christ in Iran. I have to be honest here, I had no idea there were even Christians in Iran, and I certainly didn’t have a soft heart toward Iran. After all, the Muslim extremists there have made their feelings and intentions toward both the U.S. and Israel pretty clear. But there are Christians there. And in the face of intense persecution and martyrdom, the Christian movement there is growing in both numbers and strength. (Of course Iran is only one of the many nations where Christians face persecution.)
Through this sad but hopeful, eye-opening video, I remembered once again, that we American Christians are blessed. And in some ways, I think our blessing is also a curse. We have freedoms and liberties that many only dream of. We have tons of churches to choose from and hop between. Most of us have multiple Bibles that we might read, but then again we might not if our favorite TV show is on, or we have something else to do. Because we have so much freedom and so many options, I think we mostly tend to take them for granted, and can even be contemptuous about them. Because our churches and Bibles are so readily available to us, we simply don’t use and treasure them the way we should.
This is not true in countries that do not enjoy religious freedom. If you choose to have a Bible in a country where you could be killed simply for having it, you’re probably going to read it faithfully and treasure it as one of your most precious and important possessions. If you could be abducted, thrown into jail and tortured for merely going to a Christian church, you’re probably not going to be inclined to leave it just because Sister So-and-So hurt your feelings. If you speak out for Christ and righteousness in a regime that is intolerant of it and you face most certain execution, it is highly likely that you are living for far more than yourself.
The wonderful and amazing part of all this, is that God is moving mightily in persecuted regions. I’ve heard it said that a church that is not afraid of martyrdom and persecution knows what it is to live for Christ. When people understand the reality of dying for something they live for, death loses its hold on them. When the body of Christ sees the most powerful moves of God, following the tragic loss of its leaders and members to martyrdom, how can they not be encouraged by the Comforter Himself?
It is easy for us to be complacent about the body of Christ, here in America. After all, our problems here really aren’t all that significant. But if we look beyond ourselves and beyond our borders, we can see clearly what our brothers and sisters in Christ face just for following Him. We may think there is nothing we can do, so we just do nothing. But there is something we can do. We can refuse to live in complacency. There are organizations we can support with our finances and our prayers. And most importantly, we can pray for those who are being persecuted. Prayer really can make a difference.
If you would like to join in praying for the persecuted church, but don’t really know where to begin, there is a great organization that can help. The Voice of the Martyrs has a monthly newsletter, with stories of those around the world who suffer persecution. Simply visit the site and sign up for the newsletter and it will be delivered to your home free of charge. You may also donate, if you feel inclined. Is it informative? I think so. Will it break your heart? I hope so. In addition, if you would like more information specific to Iran and the Muslim world, please check out Elam Ministries. They are bringing the Light to a very dark part of the world.
And remember, “Complacency is a tool formed in the pit of hell, used by the enemy to render us ineffective for the Kingdom of God.” Battle against complacency and win with compassion.
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