Entries Tagged 'Walk 57' ↓
October 23rd, 2008 — Radical Living, Walk 57
I am going to start this post by humbly asking for your forgiveness. I want to rehash a topic that has been talked about for years, but it is something that I have been thinking a lot about lately. With the current economic and political situation of the United States, it seems like as good a time as any to start thinking about it again.
I assume that you all have heard the phrase “God helps those who help themselves.” Many believe that this quote comes from the Bible, and, at first glance, it seems to be harmless. After all, Proverbs 6 warns against laziness by honoring the work ethic of the ant and in Matthew 25, Christ presents two parables that speak of the virtues of preparation and hard work. In truth, however, this phrase is not in the Bible at all; Benjamin Franklin coined the phrase in Poor Richard’s Almanac in 1735.
And, honestly, how much further from the truth of our Lord can a phrase be? God helps those who help themselves? No! Our Lord helps those who cannot help themselves! Jesus healed the lame man at the pool at Bethesda (John 5:1-8). He healed the paralytic man whose friends lowered him through the roof in Capernaum (Mark 2:1-5). And He healed you and I, desperate and wicked sinners who had no hope of ever spending eternity with our God and Creator. He gave His life so that we might be freed from the bondage of our sins and know the joy of being able to boldly approach the Father and be presented holy, faultless, and blameless before Him.
Unfortunately, that phrase has a tendency to creep into our everyday speech and it is rarely spoken in a loving manner. The homeless, the prostitutes, the addicts…they can all be written off because they are obviously not helping themselves. That is not how our Saviour sees them. Thankfully, that is not how our Saviour sees us. I challenge you to try to become more like Christ in this way: help the helpless just as Christ did for you.
How do you feel about the phrase “God helps those who helps themselves?” Is there a bit of truth to it? Is it completely true? I would love to hear your thoughts and comments.
October 15th, 2008 — Radical Living, Volunteering, Walk 57
He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the garbage pile in order to seat them among nobles… Psalm 113:7
Today is Blog Action Day 2008. Thousands of bloggers around the globe are focusing their attention on Poverty to raise awareness for the poor and downtrodden. The eradication of global poverty seems to be a gargantuan task, but there are little things that each of us can do to help out a little bit at a time.
“OK, OK,” you say, “hold up right there, dude. How can I (and heck, why should I) help with poverty when I’m on the verge myself? My stocks just crashed through the floor!” Well hang on there, cowboy; I’m about to tell ya.
I know that many of us are feeling the pressure of the economic downturn of the past couple of years. Gas is still (relatively) astronomically-priced, nobody can get a mortgage loan, and new jobs are seemingly a thing of the past. But believe me, God has blessed us tremendously and we have a responsibility to help those who are less fortunate. So, without any further ado, here are a couple of ways you and your friends can help combat poverty both in the United States and around the world:
So there you go, tons of ways you can help fight poverty by doing something little. Don’t sit back and wait to do something. Go now and spread the love of Christ through your actions.
He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses. Proverbs 28:27 (NIV)
October 9th, 2008 — Politics, Radical Living, Walk 57
OK, is anybody else sick of the political junk that the two parties have been spewing forth in an effort to earn our pen-stroke on a tiny piece of paper? If you are like me, you just jumped up and yelled “Yes!” at the top of your lungs. The red and blue propaganda has somehow fused together into an unintelligible pile of purple crap. If that sounds like you then pay attention; I’m about to break this down better than a pre-1991 rapper.
I hate to break this to everyone, but I don’t think that Jesus is a Republican or a Democrat. I’m not even sure he’s registered to vote in the United States, but I’ll check and get back with you later. “Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s” was not an endorsement…in fact, when I read that passage I hear a twinge of sarcasm in his voice. I seriously doubt that God is worried about who is going to be in the White House for the next 4 to 8 years. It’s not like we are going to throw God a curve ball and He will have to change His swing to make His plan happen. No, God will put into power whomever God wants in power.
Now, that is not to say that Christians do not have a responsibility in the election process, because we do. Our votes need to align with the teachings of Christ so that his kingdom may come to earth as it is in heaven. I know, I know, that’s a tough one. Vote Democrat and the Freedom of Choice Act gets signed. Vote Republican and the poor of the country have a good chance of getting marginalized and ignored. How are we supposed to make that kind of judgement call?!
We aren’t. God is. Just pray. I promise that if you truly seek the will of God during the next several weeks, He will direct your path to the polls.
This article is the first of several being written about a Christian’s responsibility during the election season. I would love to hear your thoughts and feelings about political matters.
