 On a political note one can argue
the merits of a “Robin Hood” type of
government that will “take” from the
rich and “give” to the poor, but in
reality even the so-called “poor” in
America are wealthy by comparison to
billions of others in countries
around the world.
Nevertheless, our relativity in
America allows us to compare
ourselves with our neighbor. We can
look at our “things” and then look
at his “things” and compare what we
have with what he has. So we
surmise, relative to others we have
less than some and more than others.
We argue regarding who is wealthy
and who is not. Most Americans can
count themselves as “poor” when
compared to Corporate giants like
Bill Gates, George Soros or even a
professional ball player with a
one-hundred million dollar contract
over four or five years. But in
reality most Americans have enough.
Not as much as they want, but
usually enough.
My Dad used to tell me the story of
Standard Oil Baron, John D.
Rockefeller, who would toss a dime
to the paper boy on the street and
admonish him to “Save your dimes
boy, they make dollars.” For sure,
Mr. Rockefeller had plenty of dimes,
and dollars too. But as poor as we
were when I was growing up, without
a car, walking where we went;
Grandmother, Sister and me in the
same bedroom of a two-bedroom house,
with Mom, Dad and Sister in the
second bedroom, with Brother on a
cot in the dining room; but as I
remember, we still had enough.
The historical Bible gives us a
different vantage from our current
tax-and-overspend viewpoint. Solomon
wrote in Proverbs,
“Honor the LORD with your
possessions, and with the first
fruits of all your increase; so your
barns will be filled with plenty and
your vats will overflow with new
wine.” (Proverbs 3:9-10 NKJV)
When God breathed into Solomon’s
heart the inspiration to write these
words, the word “Honor” was written.
This is an imperative that actually
functions as a command. We can think
of this not just as words written by
Solomon, but the very word of God
that speaks to us in the form of a
command to Honor the LORD.
Why would we want to honor God
anyway? God is all-powerful,
all-loving and full of Grace. The
Bible records that God loves us so
much that He gave His one and only
Son, Jesus, so that anyone who
believes in Him will not perish, but
have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
So our response to God’s great love
for us is that we honor Him. Solomon
said in Proverbs that one way we
honor Him is with our possessions.
[to top of second column] |
In our society we have been taught that
we give money when we “go to church.” For sure a collection is taken
and our local congregations usually live according to some sort of
budget so that property can be maintained and bills can be paid. But
when we are standing in the full shadow of God’s Grace, we realize
that everything we have; including our own lives, belong to God the
Creator. To honor God with our possessions is to take stock of
everything we have and consecrate it to God with His blessing and
use it for our neighbor (fellow man) and then give God all the glory
and praise.
It really does not stop with that
either. When we work every day or accumulate money or possessions as
each month and year passes, the process of yielding ourselves to God
and honoring Him with our possessions is a constant thing. Solomon
used the word that is translated “first fruits” as a means for
informing us that giving merely of our possessions is not enough; we
are to honor God with the “best” of what we have, our “first”
earnings. We take from the top of our possessions, not from what we
have left over. By taking the first part of all we have and giving
it over to the honor of God by helping others who are truly in need,
we truly love our neighbors as we love ourselves.
Now, as is usually the case, God gives us a command to honor Him
with the very best of our possessions, and with it comes a promise
that He will do something too. In our society we grow callous with
so-called televangelists sometimes acting as carnival barkers trying
to lure us into sending them money to receive the blessings of God.
God calls us to a higher order, however. When God says to Honor Him
with our possessions it is not because he needs to add an addition
to His mansion in heaven, or make another payment on a celestial
Rolls Royce. It is because He wants us to yield to Him completely
and to willingly honor Him and worship Him so that He can bestow
upon us the richest blessings without measure. By yielding to Him
and allowing Him to work through us He feeds the hungry world
through us; He lifts the downtrodden through us, He shares His love
for the lost through us.
There is something that I think the “religious” world does not
understand. That is no amount of work we do will “earn” anything for
us from God. God has already given us everything we need; and in
Him, everything we desire. When we give our best possessions to
honor Him we are allowing Him to work His power through us in such a
way as to redistribute the wealth to those who are in need.
God’s promise to us is to replenish our wealth. When we yield
ourselves and our possessions to His honor, His miraculous power is
ignited and He regenerates our wealth not for us to accumulate, but
to replenish so we can continue to give.
If our nation would turn to the command that God has given us to
honor Him with our possessions so they can be used by Him through us
to help those in need, there would never be any need for the
President or anyone else to establish policies or make speeches
about our need to “Redistribute wealth in America.
[By JIM KILLEBREW]
Click here to respond to the editor about
this article.
|
