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What Is The
Proper Use Of Funds?
by Doug Perry, www.FellowshipOfTheMartyrs.com
Click here for
printable PDF version
(Luke 12:13-21,
Luke 14:8-14, James 5:1-6, I Timothy 6, I Corinthians 4:6-21, 2
Corinthians 8:1-15, 2 Corinthians 9:6-15, and more!)
If you have ten
credit cards maxed out and you want to pay them off, you start by
paying off the ones with the largest interest rate first, right? Then
you move up the chain to the ones that don't hurt as bad until you
get them all paid off. If you have one at 0% interest, you don't mess
with it at all, if you don't have to.
God's math works
the same way. The plan for us should be to go help those in the most
need first (permanent, eternal need and tragic, immediate physical
needs). In America the average person gets an offer or
opportunity to hear about the Gospel over 500 times per year. In many
countries, a person may have a 10 minute window ONCE in their whole
life to hear the Good News. Over a billion people have never even
once heard the name of Jesus spoken in their presence. Every year
millions die without Christ. In America, no one can say they never
had a chance.
In terms of
poverty, the poor in the U.S. live like kings compared to the
devastatingly poor in Delhi and Burma and Haiti and a thousand other
places. They would love to trade places with our poor! No one can
statistically argue otherwise with any honesty. Especially if you've
seen it first-hand. Where would you rather be a girl and be an
orphan? China, Burma, Iran, India? Or Canada, USA, England?
So whether it's
their eternal soul or their physical body, logic says that first and
foremost you care for the worst off - and then (in order) you help
the Very Poor, the Somewhat Poor, the Poor, the Slightly
Uncomfortable - and you NEVER spend a dime if you don't have to on
the Got-More-Than-Anyone-Could-Ever-Really-Need-But-I'm-Still-Dissatisfied!
Then those reached
can be an example of success and maybe they can even help as we move
up to reach those in the next category. There are lots of
devastatingly, oppresively poor churches that are sending out
missionaries and being obedient with what little they have. Are
we as good an example? At the rate they're going, it won't be
long before China is sending their missionaries to the West.
Jesus had the
largest heart for the most impoverished. He took the most care and
attention with those rejected by the rest of the world. The Christian
church in America has often done the exact opposite. In Revelations 2
and 3, Jesus speaks to the seven churches. He gives them an
encouragement and then a rebuke -- except the poor churches of Smyrna
and Philadelphia who were obedient despite limited resources.
For them there is only blessing and no word of judgement. The
worst judgement is against the rich church of Laodecia in Revelations
3. At the final call, which kind of church will Jesus judge
yours to have been?
If we are to lust
after and covet something, it should be reward in Heaven where it
can't rust or be eaten by moths or stolen by man. As for me, I
want to see who is building the largest pile of Heavenly reward and
then I want to buy stock in them. I want to be a part of whatever
they're doing and help any way I can.
We're often told
there are just two options; make lots of money and be controlled by
it -or- make a tiny bit of money and learn to live simply. But
there is another choice - make lots of money and live simply and then
invest all the excess into the Kingdom. If God has blessed you
with skills and assets and talents, use them. He's going to
expect a report on how well you invested it so as to maximize your
return in Heavenly treasure.
I mean, everything
you have is all HIS right? When you said He was "Lord"
you meant it, right?
Copyright Doug
Perry 2005.
Use freely
- but without charge and without changes. Link to:
www.FellowshipOfTheMartyrs.com |
