There are more than 800 references to money in the Bible and most of them relate to trickle-down economics. God is the author and creator of trickle-down economics. He expects it. He demands it.
Lesson #1. We are owned by evil. We know this is true because we will all die one day. We were created to exist forever.
You know the story of how Adam landed us in the dilemma we're in— first sin, then death, and no one exempt from either sin or death. (Romans 5:12)
Lesson #2. All life is of equal worth. A rich woman is as valuable to God as a poor man is.
The rich are not to give more than a half shekel and the poor are not to give less when you make the offering to the LORD to atone for your lives. (Exodus 30:15)
Lesson #3. God can buy your life back.
God paid a high price for you (1 Corinthians 7a)
Lesson #4. When you are bought back the price spent on you is expected to trickle down.
You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. (Galatians 5:13)
When our lives are bought back from death we are suppose to let the Grace given to us trickle down. At least that is what the Gospel expects to happen. If is doesn't perhaps you missed the fact that you don't have enough money to ward of death.
Last night a group of folks lived this out and it was beautiful;
Our team consisted of two dads and their four kids ranging in ages from 11-18, one grandfather and his 16 year old grandson and a husband and wife. The participated in New Hope Anglican Church's bi-weekly "Loving our Community" furniture delivery and ended up in what has been determined by local police to be Waterbury's highest crime housing complex. We had come to bring an apartment full of furniture to a teenage mom and her 8 month old son who had just left the Salvation Army Shelter. This was their first home.
It took awhile to find her building as it was dark and the barracks-like numbers were hidden in the dark. Thankfully the man and woman I walked up to and asked for help were the security guards for the complex. They directed us to the building but we still had no unit number. As we walked up to the building we ran into a young dad struggling to carry his toddler and bags up the walk. We offered to help but he refused until one of the team opened the door for him. Suddenly he said "I think the second unit from the end just got moved into".
We knocked on the door and found mom and baby. She had to place to sit, no table, no bed. Her 8 month old son was in his pack-n-play with one small toy and nothing else besides an awful cough. Mom was able to tell us he was born with a heart murmur and is always sick. Sometimes he turns blue.
Our team brought in a bed, bedding, sheets, dishes, pans, a couch, table, chairs, end tables, lamps, diaper, wipes and baby soap and shampoo. She nor her son were never baptized nor been in a church but I asked if I could put oil on his head and ask God to heal him. She said yes so I prayed for God's mercy to fall on the little boy. One high school freshman played with him after while another went upstairs and made up mom's new bed. A grandfather and grandson brought in a dresser, a dad and son put together the mirror. A grade school kid brought in the kitchen stuff. A husband and wife who were the mom's age when they had their first kid loved up on the little boy. We prayed for them and I went to the kitchen and took one of her new pans, filled it with tap water, blessed it and walked through every room of her house with her asking God to come and stay with them, to keep them safe, to give them food, and to sleep well and be healthy.
All these people who helped last night knew they were bought from Death by God and that the price was his only boy. (Mark 4:1-20)
The Grace of God trickled all the way down from heaven to the projects because he is Love. It began as a drop of blood from a crown of thorns and will turn into a flood to heal the nations. We just got caught up in the flood.
Posts
