ABOUT THE ECONOMY . . .

Hebrews 13:5-6

"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."  So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"

Nobody can completely ignore what has happened in our national economy.  It affects our lives in almost every way and it makes us consider almost everything differently.  If you ask me, it is hard to find the hope in this change!  People's carefully managed savings have melted away and things they used to take for granted have morphed into sources of anxiety and trepidation.  It has changed the way we think about how we spend our time, our talent, and our treasure.  It is in times like this that governmental control tends to increase and personal freedom tends to decrease.  It is also in times like this that some people, for the first time, realize that the source of true stability is God.  It is our God in whom we must trust, because He alone can be depended upon to never leave and never forsake.

When I took economics in high school we spent quite a bit of time talking about micro and macro economics.  Macroeconomics deals with the performance, structure, and behavior of national and regional economies.  Microeconomics deals with how individuals, households, and small businesses make decisions to allocate resources in markets where goods or services are bought and sold.  But you know what?  Since my days in high school economics class I have discovered something important.  I learned that my teacher left out the most important branch of economic study; he left out theoeconomics.  Theoeconomics deals with God's supernatural rule and providence.  Let's think about that for a moment . . .

In 1 Chronicles David declares: "Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength.”  How’s that for economic theory!

The bottom line is that God is our helper and Christians don't need to be afraid.  It is His plan that is being worked out and that plan serves two purposes: first, to provide God with the means to show a visible difference between those who are "in Christ" and those who are "of the world."  And second, to provide a way for God to cause His church to re-focus its priorities. 

And what should our attitude be?  We should be fearless, hopeful, faithful, generous, content, grateful, and prayerful.

--- Pastor Keith Andrews