March 4 - Give to the Poor

Luke 12:32-34

The world is full of people with fears.

Some of us fear pain. So we collect means of safety and security.

Some of us fear insignificance. So we collect opportunities for meaningful contribution to the world.

Some of us fear worthlessness.  So we collect achievements and accolades.

Any threat to our collections is, in essence, a threat to our existence.

These things we collect are not evil in and of themselves. And yet, everything on earth fades, rusts, and decays. There is nothing on earth we can collect that will give everlasting security, meaning, or worth to us, and when we count on them to do so, we will do anything possible to hold on to them—often at the expense of other souls dearly loved by God.

How beautiful these words from Jesus as he reassures us not to be afraid, “for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom”! Where God rules and reigns, there is meaning, there is peace, there is justice, there is flourishing, and there is wholeness.

In God’s kingdom we are safe, we are ascribed worth & meaning, and we are loved. This means that we are free to give away our little collections without giving way to our fears, because every fear is stilled in God’s presence, and our greater inheritance of a kingdom of goodness, justice, peace, and wholeness was secured by the blood of the cross.

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

A Statistical Analysis of Greed

READ: 1 Timothy 6:3-10

I’ve seen many Christian discussions of greed derailed by a prevailing tendency among us to define the rich as only those who have more money than ourselves, thereby absolving everyone but Jeff Bezos of this terrible sin of greed. 

Perhaps a more rational approach to defining greed would be a statistical analysis of how much wealth we have hoarded for ourselves compared to national medians, so I present the following chart which divides US households into five equal segments and presents the median net worth of each. (Net worth is the sum of home equity, savings, investments, etc; not annual income). Let’s define the segments as follows: really poor (red), poor (green), average (purple), rich (blue), really rich (orange). Find yourself on the chart.

Ok, now find where you would like to be on the chart.

If you would like to be in the orange or blue bar, you have a problem with greed. You wish to have significantly more wealth than the average American, perhaps even feel you need significantly more wealth than the average American. Your self-worth might be tied at least in part to your wealth, and you are in danger, according to Paul, of falling into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.

Take it from me. I came to Christ as someone living in the orange bar and thirsting for greater wealth than what was even on the chart. The Lord confronted me with my sin by taking a lot of my wealth away, which at first seemed a curse but eventually proved a blessing as God developed in me the sense of godliness with contentment that Paul calls great gain.

Do you have food and clothing? Do you have the Spirit of God? If yes, then you have all you need.

*Chart taken from the U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation, 2008 Panel, Wave 10 - released in 2013 and dated as 2011