I’m watching a live prayer gathering our pastor is a part of for today’s National Day of Prayer. The first guest was Vice President Mike Pence. A pretty comforting sight to see him helping to lead this country during these times. Observing his behavior during the last three years it is obvious that he believes in Christ and is a welcome presence next to our President.
Today, we talked about the financial class I have been leading the last couple months. The class is Navigating Your Finances God’s Way and is hosted by our church and Compass1.org. The best part of the class for me has been the sharing of individual experiences that God has led each of us through. Doing it online has been new and highlights the benefits of seeing people in person, especially amongst the virus isolation around us.
One of the recent conversations in the class was the conflict when seeing how the wicked prosper around us. The liars, the cheaters, the murders, those who put themselves before God often succeed according to the terms of the world. Some feel it is easier to get rich when you break the rules.
(Picking this up may months later.)
As you grow and learn more about history and government, you will see that the bold rule over the timid. This is applicable to a pack of wolves, a pride of lions, a group of apes, and to what I would term an uncivilized group of humans. Being civilized in this context has nothing to do with technology or knowledge, but more the culture grasping the need for protection of the rights of the group (and the timid) from the selfishness of the bold. A bold lion will push the timid lion out of the way and eat all it can and not care if the timid lion starves. A bold human will steal from a timid human because it knows no consequences will result. A bold lion who tries to push aside another bold lion will receive a fight and maybe death. The same goes for humans on an individual level. Being civilized requires thinking beyond one’s self.
A description of the early church had the landowners selling land to provide for the needy. These particular landowners put the needs of others above their wants and desires. The focus of this group was not on helping the needy anywhere, but focusing on the needs of those with shared beliefs. They didn’t do this based on race, nationality, sex, or any of the million ways people create division amongst themselves, but they di this based on a mutual believe in something greater.
One of the experiences we shared last year was visiting an old English Castle. This castle was an example of a group pulling together their resources to protect them from others. This group was to become (most likely) the least favorite of many different people groups around the world for centuries to follow. They shared a belief in something greater than themselves that became the dominant force in history for a then new aspect of Globalization that is in some respect similar to what is happening today. The biggest difference between the early church and this group is the particular something greater they believed in.
The author of our rules was not necessarily discussing religion when he spoke about believing in something greater, but there is a huge difference between believing in a something greater based on a human theory as opposed to based on what Christ has laid out for us. Something greater based on a human theory; a nation, a state, a government system, a religious system; all fail due to the sin nature of the individuals involved. The problem with communism is not the idea of everyone sharing, it is the fact of leaders sharing an unequal proportion. Leaders fail because they sin in attempts to fulfill the lusts of the flesh in some form or fashion.
I would rephrase the rule to not only “Believe in something Greater than yourself” but to “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and submit to His Lordship in your Life.” It doesn’t roll off the tongue as well, but it does not shy away from what should really be done and focus on the one thing in this world that is guaranteed to make an eternal impact. Live your life, every minute, as if Jesus had personally died on the cross for you and He has tasks for you on this earth to perform in His name and in His power. If we limit ourselves to what we can accomplish, we become as timid lions starving. Face the world as a roaring lion knowing that Christ has got your back.