The Wealth of Nations?

Right now I am researching some projects to help try to eradicate poverty. After having seen poverty first hand, I am deeply confused by it but nonetheless passionate about it. You see, while impoverished nations have way less in the way of materialism, they oftentimes lead richer lives. This brings me to my first big set of questions.

1. Can we alleviate poverty and create wealth with out losing the true riches of this life?
2. If so, how do we help them create sustainable life, while continuing to encourage the richness of community, love and relationships?
3. Furthermore, if that is successful how do we bring that back to the western world?

These are big guiding questions underlying the why. Wouldn't it be a shame to create wealth in a country and watch them lose something bigger. (Now you must also understand that I am operating under the premise that western worlds have seen a decline in spirituality, community and deep relationships. I am also claiming that those are far more important than material wealth).

Next comes the question of how. If you believe that you can create wealth without sacrificing the aforementioned, how does that happen. Does it happen with by the big success of a few or by the minor successes of the masses? If it is by the few brilliant entrepreneurial minds who then create jobs, is micro-finance the going to accomplish that? Furthermore is debt even a sustainable way to do it? Our whole country is questioning that right now.

Our world has been trying to eradicate poverty for a long long time. I am not sure there is an end all be all solution but yet were called to care for them. I guess this just means we will have to go deeper.

Our thoughts...On God

Romans says that the carnal mind is at war with God. It is an enemy with God. Paul was talking to believers. He tucks it in right between no condemnation and everlasting love that e cna't be separated from, but nevertheless its in there. He follows that up renewing the mind a few chapters later as well as in other epistles. Furthermore, the apostles (Paul included) warn many times against impure and unsound doctrines. This seems like a big deal to God.

In many Christian circles today there is the claim that we need to worry more about encountering God than we do proper theology. 2 Timothy 3:7 says 5-7 says, "having a form of Godliness but denying its power...always learning and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth." Jesus condemned the Pharisees for knowing the scriptures and missing Him. The thinking goes that He is more concerned with us finding Him than he is about proper thoughts about Him. Perhaps thats true, but I disagree with the mutual exclusivity in that line of thinking.

A.W. Tozer states that "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." I think he was on to something. Our thoughts about something or more importantly about someone create lenses that we see them through. If we believe someone is a liar for example, we will be much less trusting of them. We naturally guard our thoughts and opinions from gossipers for fear of what will spread like wildfires. Our thoughts and lenses guide our encounters. It is the same with Jesus. We can't fully know Him, embrace Him or trust Him without the proper thoughts of Him.

Have you ever met someone who was praying against Gods will and then they wonder why He didn't answer. Don't get me wrong, my thoughts and attitudes towards God aren't perfect, but they aren't an excuse to not pursue proper thoughts and theology either.

The bottom line is our theology is important because in influences our encounters.

A Supernatural God

“I despaired at the thought that my life might pass me by with out God moving greatly on my behalf.” - Jim Cymbala
I have been meditating on this quote for a few days and it has been rocking my world. When I first came across the quote I thought it was a little selfish. I mean, isn’t that what those 'miracle chasers' do? They travel all around just to see something supernatural, yet are never transformed. Someone in the Bible even tried to buy the power of impartation from the apostles (Acts 8). This quote stuck with me however, and as I began to let it sink in I realized this is what the apostles asked for and God was happy grant it. Not for our glory but rather His.

In acts Chapter 4, Peter and John have just been released from prison for healing a cripple and preaching the resurrection of Christ. They got together with the other saints and this was their prayer:

“Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus."

And this is what happened:

"After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.”

They had already spoken boldly. They had already healed and then they asked for more. God not only granted their request to move powerfully through them. He showed His great pleasure by shaking the ground they were on and filling them once again with more of the Holy Spirit. They understood that they needed this. A great commission had to be backed up by great empowering.

The supernatural is not something that God reluctantly does. It is not something He was happy to do for a little while but stopped when He finished those 66 great books we call the Bible. The supernatural is who God is. I don’t believe you can separate that from Him anymore than you can separate Love from Him. Not only that, he oftentimes expresses his love through powerful acts. God loves to show himself powerful on behalf of his beloved children.

2 Chronicles 16:9 states:

“For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.”

The Lord is calling us to step into situations that bring Him glory through power. I long to look back on my life and state with confidence that the Lord moved greatly on my behalf because He wants that.