Monday, September 29 may go down in American history as the new “black Monday”. When congress failed to approve the White House plan to infuse the American banking system with 700 billion dollars, the stock market crashed over 777 points between lunch and closing time. The money was intended to buy up the bad loans and debts these financial institutions had incurred which have brought the American economy to the threshold of collapse. From the person on the street to the person in the highest office in the land, comes the question, “ Who’s to blame?” For decades faithful pastors in America’s churches have sounded the warnings of corporate greed, corrupt business dealings, the wasteful materialistic life-style of the American people, a flagrant disregard for God’s Word for obedience to Him and faithful biblical stewardship. Watchful observers have seen this financial problem escalate over the past 20 years or more and warned of a financial crash. I remember Larry Burkett, (now deceased), then leader of the Christian ministry, “Money Matters” writing and speaking of the dangers unrestrained materialism was going to cause our nation. Perhaps you have heard the old saying, “Give a person enough rope and he will hang himself”. Could it be that God simply gave Americans the materialistic rope they craved, and we hung ourselves?
I think the blame of America’s financial catastrophe lies firmly at the door step of every American who bought into the lie that they could live on credit, live above their means, borrow more than they could afford, and thumb their noses at God’s Word concerning faith and stewardship. The talking heads in Washington are pondering what to do to salvage the American economy, but whatever they put in place will be only a temporary patch. The root of the problem does not lie in the towers of Wall Street, but in the spiritual lives of every person on Main Street. What we are seeing is not the result of a financial problem, but the outworking of a spiritual problem that believes we can manage our own lives and do quite well without God or the wisdom of His Word. Some times God’s most piercing judgment comes not from swooping death angels from on high, but from him simply allowing the house of cards we have built by our own devising to collapse around our own ears.
Though the financial world has changed, here are some things that have not changed: 1. The principle of trusting God. Tithing and giving is trusting God with my finances. It is an act of faith that I believe God and put my trust in Him rather than my own strength, wisdom and plans. When I give back to God, I am showing my trust is not in my money, but in my God. I am taking my trust out of my hands, out of the world’s control, and placing my confidence in God. Luke 12:16-21 records Jesus telling of what happened to a man who had a “sock it away”, materialistic mentality. 2. The principle of blessing. We sing the hymn, “Make Me A Channel Of Blessing”. This is a good hymn, but in the last analysis, God’s blessings are not about us, it is about Him. Everything about the Christian life is focused on glorifying God so others can be drawn to a relationship to Him in Jesus.
God blesses us so we can be instruments of His grace to bless others. This is not a time to horde, but to give. All ministry is based on God’s people trusting God enough to give. 3. The principle of provision. Luke reminds us, Give and it will be given unto you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For the same measure that you give, it will be measured back to you (Lk. 6:38). God has promised to provide for us if we follow His will. So few people really believe God in this. There is this nagging, yet misguided notion that we can provide for ourselves a safety net to insulate us from the unexpected twists in life. This does not mean we should not have savings and retirement accounts, but it does mean we should not become so focused on these things that biblical stewardship is neglected in the process. If we are more concerned about padding our bank accounts, and having “more things to enjoy life” and neglect biblical stewardship, we have cheated both God and ourselves because we have mishandled what God has given us. When we show ourselves trustworthy in using the resources God has given us, then he promises to provide for us. When we take our eyes off Christ, and off the needs of the gospel to focus on ourselves, our luxury, then life becomes about “me, my desires, my entertainment, my comfort, my pleasurable life-style.” God cannot bless self-focused people, and that is what Americans have become, and that is why America is in the financial crisis of today. Should all America suddenly turn to the Lord, our financial crisis would still be with us. We do have to face the consequences of our wrongs. Yet the Lord would slowly begin to pull our nation out of the chaos and we will be a stronger people for it.
Blessings, Pastor Jesse
