I have a question, what do you do with your money? Unequivocally, I am richer than 95+% of the people in the world. In America, I'm probably in the top 40%. I listened to an awesome speech about the wealth and power America has, and I know I'm AVERAGE, so that includes me. What is my responsibility to the world? Look at King Solomon, built a palace that required its own zip code. Then you have a couple who are struck down because they didn't share their wealth. From a Christian perspective, I think 2 Timothy wraps it up for me... "God gave you things to enjoy" How much joy should you have? If you spend $1000 on a new TV, you could have also floated a Bolivian for a year (ref. Mat 26:6-13). I know it's a guilt trip, but if it didn't make you feel that way, would you be a communal part of humanity or just here for yourself? Consider this, if "you" were living off of air dropped rice and wheat and get super excited about the prospect of catching a fish or killing a wild animal for meat, wouldn't "you" be pissed if you took a tour of your house? What did you do to make that money? Let's put it this way, you are AVERAGE. Yes, you may excel at sales, health care, management, etc., but as I said last week, it's just a gift and consequence that you're here instead of "there".
So, I have three questions for you to help me wrestle with this idea and that from the last few entries.
1) Where's the line?
For example, is it non-sense to refuse to eat that extra 1000 calories that could support a young child somewhere? I mean that in the broad sense, that is, if you didn't buy as much food, the prices would come down and they would be cheaper to send to places without such easy access to food. Maybe if we all did that, world hunger would at least have some of the pangs taken away. If you think that's too abstract, ask yourself is it too much to turn off the water when you're brushing your teeth, though it may only save a few gallons? Probably not for the latter, but they both save you money and should have a similar world impact. Obviously, since you cut a couple calories or turned the spigot off for a bit isn't going to single handedly change the global economy, but the situation is like voting... it only works when the masses participate.
Let's consider the other end of the spectrum; similar to the biblical examples given. Imagine you received a billion dollars via any means, (e.g., investing, real estate, multiple lotteries) and built yourself a 64,000 square foot summer home which cost $250 million. Now, say you felt like Mr. Buffet one day and gave away $750 million to charities. Was that a good moral decision?
Now for the middle, where most of us are (average for US). What's your responsibility? Do you shirk every level of gifting and leave it to the Buffet's, or feel guilty by not going all in. Do you use the mystical 10% as "I'm doing my part"? But you know as well as I do that giving 10% on a $125k income is much easier that doing the same on a $35k income due to the minimum cost of living.
2) Is the line different for different people? If it is laid on some people's heart to live meagerly and give everything above destitution and others to live in middle to upper middle class opulence and give some nominal easy-to-do dollar amount, can both be acceptable behavior? What if those two people share the same bank account?
3) Lastly, and in the same thread, is it okay to strive for more? If you work to have a bigger home, nicer car, more land, fatter retirement account, how much should you work? How far is too far, how little is too little?
Is the line the same for everyone? Does God make us specifically different so we have to deal with each other and create cosmic balance? Is there really suppose to be one way we should all be? Should we instead be complacent in our little niche however God directs us, but how does that fit with a bleeding heart toward the have-nots?
This is where the last few blogs have led to, be sure to pipe up.
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10 comments:
Well, obviously you know where I fit in on this, but for those of you who don't...
I think there is no finite line to the matter. God gives some people the ability to make money because he knows they will do great things with it, others are just obnoxious and opulant but they may not have a biblical barometer. Maybe they are there to drive Christians to balance things.
I do think that we are supposed to take care of our family and neighbors first...now in the grand sceme of things our family and neighbors need far less care than third world countries, but a great friend once said "you are no use to God where you are not"-FW. So I think we should be present and helpful where we are.
Now heres the crux of things, I'm not satisfied, I want more. I think that's okay, I can see things from the outside in. I know I'm blessed, but I do want a bit more. Now I want to be a bigger help to the kingdom as well. I want to build churches in Africa, help the homeless, feed the poor, etc. I do believe that as long as I make sure to ask God if he already has plans for my money before I spend it, I'll be doing good.
I think a heart for God's will is the biggest thing. No matter how much money you have you should be willing to give away whatever God asks you too.
The tragedy is that most Americans make an absure amount of money, but are so far in debt that they just "can't" give away any...it's sickening to watch. I'm fine with buying a new car or tv, but do it with cash so that if six months from now God says give that man $500 you don't respond "I can't Lord my car payment is due" I think that would make a bigger dent in the problem than turning off the water or eating less.
Good stuff Micah! Regardless of where people land, I think it is important to at least wrestle with the topic and have the conversation.
To me there's a difference between thoughtfully pursuing wealth and posessions and blindly pursuing wealth and possessions.
On the "All Americans are rich" thing- I believe it is absolutely true and not as clean and neat as we'd like it to be. A couple of things bother me here. First, in situations where basic needs are met- I believe that many of the "poor" around the world are often far more happy, healthy and content than most Americans who would be considered rich on the global scale. Second, financial needs vary based on where you live. You simply CAN'T live on $2K a year in USAmerica, but you CAN in (far too?) many parts of the world.
Recently I was talking with a friend about this who lives in Eastern TN. He makes $20K a year and can't imagine why anyone would need more. Of course, his $20K a year wouldn't provide much for his family of 3 in Lexington. He probably wouldn't find the same safe, quiet 2 bedroom apartment with green space that he has in TN for $400 a month here. In one sense, financial "needs" are relative.
Finally- and sorry to ramble- I do believe that God gives some people wealth and calls us to both enjoy and distribute what we have. (Isn't it possible they are the same thing??!)
What grabs me most about the discussions of money and wealth in the NT is that they are seen as obstacles to faith and hurdles to be overcome in our journeys with God. It's the poor who are "blessed" and given "high positions" and the rich who may squeeze in through the eye of the needle.
So, why do I want money and things so strongly and think that I would be "lucky" to be rich????
Mrs. Needham, regarding helping where you are: I agree with FW about doing your best where you are at, but one thing technology has done is to bring those destitute in the farthest reaches of the globe within a few days of aid. Where can the US not provide aid? Look at the Tsunami... how long did it take before everyone in the US knew about it? A matter of hours. It wasn't long after that when dollars started flowing into the affected areas from all over the earth.
How about where we are? We are here, today, with our current money, we may not be able to build a church in Africa, but we can put a hot bowl of soup in an orphan's belly. Did you hear that saying, "The rich got there by saving it", how do you get rich by spending it all on the poor? The bible is counterintuitive to this saying, and I don't agree with it, but it does raise the question.
I really like your point about readiness to God's call. That's extremely insightful and something I'll carry with me. I definitely think you nailed the American's debt to a tee, and how that enslaves us to denying God's call. It's not too hard to go from there to see how that's one of the key ways evil holds back love.
Fred, thanks for the guidance. It sounds like right off the bat you leave the decision open, which lends to my question that God may lean on hearts differently because we are different people.
I agree it's not as cut and dry as more $$=happiness. I alluded to this with paraplegic happiness statistic. You do have a point about the ability to spread $2k in TN vs. Gabon. However, I think that's at the epicenter of the lack of a global economy. That is, $2k gets you as far here as, say, 2000 Yuan in China. However, the reason so much wealth is here is due to resources, infrastructure and technology. So, we have paved roads, the electrical grid, solid government, large military, world class educational system, etc. BUT ALSO access to Venezuelan chocolates, Australian milk, Saudi Arabian oil, Italian sun glasses, Columbian cocaine, and so forth. Not only do we have access, but we support these industries with nearly every non-institutional dollar.
This leads into your next point which shocked me to a degree. Since I do spend a lot of money on products from around the world, it is true that I'm supporting the poorer by pushing that money out. But what I think only a money expert could properly assess is why the separation between the rich and the poor. The only explanation is that the rich hoard, and the poor do not.
This latter point falls right into what you've interpreted from your NT readings. What acumen! Why do we feel "lucky" to have more $$? This leans toward saying, give it all up, and stay poor, that way it's easy to be close to God. What do you all think?
Good questions. I recently did a catering job at the local church. It was a fund raiser. The congragation had to donate to the charity that help the less fortunate and 100% of the money went to the programs that helped them. some people (very few and elderly) gave 35.00 a seat while others gave 10,000 to 250,000 a seat. my point is you do what you can without compromising the the welfare of you or your family.It is ok to be richer than midas. God will judge your humanity in the end.
These are great things to ponder on! For me, for the biggest part of my adult life, I have had to live on a strict budget. I made good financial decisions and my family has done without a lot of extras. There were times that we had to depend on God to just get us groceries. This was definitely one of my best times because of being able to hand it over to God as opposed to controlling it.
However, just recently, money seems to be being spent a lot more freely in my household. My grocery bill alone is 3 times what it was a few years ago. Even though I am not out buying frivilous things that I have never had a desire for, I feel awful. I could be doing so many better things with my money. I know that is God putting this on my heart.
I do feel the line is different for everyone. Just like the line is different for everyone in other things that we give for God - time, compassion, love, service, and so on. We just have to love the Lord with all our hearts and allow His will to be done through us - whether that means spending hours in service, constantly treating others with love, or giving thousands to others. We have to let our relationship with God be number 1 and rule everything that we do - no distractions!!!!
Thanks for the push!
Dad (Gary), thanks so much for the comments. You've just started in your walk, but have exceeded what I could have ever asked for or imagined. I'm heartened to be your son.
I think you've pointed out a great line that people should draw in the sand for spending money. That is, too much expense for gifting would be a detriment to your family. Now we just need a line somewhere on the high end and let people fall somewhere in the middle.
INTERPRETATION NOTE: When I said, "The bible is counterintuitive to this saying, and I don't agree with it, but it does raise the question." in my response to mrs. needham, I am saying I don't agree with the statement: "The rich got there by saving it." Refer to my earlier blogs regarding the consequences of "where you are".
Your Friend,
I think you're a testament to what Fred was talking about, i.e. money being cumbersome to a relationship with God.
As far as guidance, I think you're spot on. Some times, especially when you're disillusioned or distracted, you make the wrong decisions with your money. What I'm calling for is a border on how much to spend (the high bar on donations is set, see gary). So, as you walk, when do you know you've spent too much on yourself or saved too much? For you, it was a feeling that God laid on your heart. What about those times when His voice isn't clear? What about differences between what God lays on your heart and God lays on your spouse's/business partner's heart? We have already agreed that the line is probably different for different people. When the money is controlled by a plurality, it's impossible to spend at some average without making one in the party feel like they've disobeyed. Is it?
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