Reevaluating Wealth

As you know, I am writing a paper on Christianity, Service, and the Third World. I have arrived at part 2 of my paper where I am addressing Christians and their view of wealth.

...c'est complique!


I have heard many opinions on this. I know many people who believe that their salvation is directly proportionate to their financial gains. I know some people who will see their tangible loss as a spanking from God. I know some people who only speak about their latest aquirement in wealth and how they intend on making themselves better off in the future...
...and these are credited to God...not that they shouldn't be! The Bible says every good and perfect gift comes from above.

...I have just chosen to not define my salvation by the goodness and perfection the good Lord wills my way when I am "faithful" (when am I ever? when my spirit is willing my flesh is freakin WEAK!). UGH.

When I was 12 my mother and I had a convo revolving around wealth and money. I remember telling her that I didn't want to be rich because money separates people. As much of a lie that is, I still stick to the general idea and attitude that I had when I was having that convo with mother. I am willing to live the rest of my life having only my basic needs met. Yes, I have hopes and dreams tha will need cash, but I don't want that to be the root of my endeavors. I want my money to be a funnel through which I can be a blessing (oh yea, love isn't love til you give it away. Michael W. Smith says so.). I see so many peple who are equipped to be blessings to others, but because they refuse to empathise with the pain of another person they distance themselves from being a blessing to them and possibly eliminating the burden that person is carrying. You better believe that when someone is telling me how they are hurting, I don't want to have so much that I can't feel that pain. I know you're probably thinking "money doesn't do all that...it totally depends on the person and how SAVED they are" and all that other bull. King Lemuel had all of that, and Proverbs 30 was still written. What do you say to that?

I would love to have beaucoup of money so I could buy people homes and cars and groceries and send their children to private schools and colleges and send my mentors on cruises, etc. I want to take kids in the ghetto to places like Italy and France and Malaysia and Thailand and China and New Zealand and show them there's more to what they know; they can aspire to be something! I want to be a blessing to people and not have them refering to the car I drive or the home I live in as a conduit of my doing so. I believe Christ set this ultimate example, and that's why He was so freakin impacting on the people! He healed people, ate dinner with people, cast demons out, walked on water, lectured on grass in a DESERT, fed 5000 people that same day, and the people wandered in amazement because he was just a CARPENTER.


I want to be like Jesus. Let's see how that works.


Also, I want to distance myself from "things" because I don't want the status of my Christianity to be measured by my life's stages of ups and downs; gains and losses. If I lose some, PRAISE JESUS! If I gain some, PRAISE JESUS! Whenever I lose something I want to check myself and then ask God what it is I need to learn, where I am to go, how am I to behave, who do I need to talk to... Every low point is not a spanking. Sometimes it's God's protection, His intimate time with just you and Him apart from the distractions of the many "things" you may put between yourself and His salvation. Sometimes you're dropped down low because it's about time you met some people that need to hear a story from you of God's faithfulness despite what you own. And the thing is, if we allow ourselves to love THINGS so much, when we reach these low places we will spend our time mourning what we "lost" and not looking around and seeing God's greater picture; all the treasures He has for us to gain.


That's it.
Store Up Treasures in Heaven,
Chimene

Chimene