In this book excerpt, Kerry Koller teaches readers how to be provident and resourceful Christians and how to live in a way that prepares them for changes in the economy. He explores scriptural principles regarding money and possessions and warnings about the pursuit of wealth. Godâs provision for us sustains us and allows us to support his work.
THREE
A Scriptural Perspective
BEING PROVIDENT AND RESOURCEFUL is one thing; being a provident and resourceful Christian is another. The provident and resourceful Christian allows his entire attitude to be formed by Godâs word through scripture and church teaching. Five principles, drawn from scripture, form the foundation of a Christian mentality about money and finances. These principles are essential to Christians forming their response to the challenges of todayâs world.
1. The form of this world is passing away.
2. The economic systems of this world are one of Godâs ways to provide for his creatures.
3. Godâs provision has a twofold purpose, to give us enough resources to support his work and to provide for our sustenance. He calls us to put his work first.
4. We should always live in a way that prepares us for economic change.
5. As we prepare for the future, we want to take seriously the scriptural warnings about the dangers that accompany the pursuit or possession of wealth.
In this chapter we will focus on the first of these principles.
The first thing to realize is that there are real dangers in focusing on financial matters. We can become so concerned about material things and earthly goods that we lose sight of the goal. We need to have Godâs perspective in order to avoid developing a wrong perspective. For this we look to scripture. In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul tells us that âthe form of this world is passing awayâ (1 Cor 7:31).
When we deal with money, possessions, economics, and the like, it is important to develop a perspective that is not limited to the usual framework of human time. The psalmist sees time as God wants us to see it.
Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting thou art God.
Thou turnest man back to the dust, and sayest, âTurn back, O children of men!â For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night.
Thou dost sweep men away; they are like a dream, like grass which is renewed in the morning: in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers.
For we are consumed by thy anger; by thy wrath we are overwhelmed. Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.
For all our days pass away under thy wrath, our years come to an end like a sigh. The years of our life are threescore and ten, or even by reason of strength fourscore; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.
Who considers the power of thy anger, and thy wrath according to the fear of thee? So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. (Ps. 90:1â12)
Our perception of time changes as we progress from infancy through adolescence, into maturity and old age. Children think in terms of what is most immediate to themâthe needs and events of the day, even of the minute. Tell a young child that Christmas is six months away, and he will not be able to understand the length of time involved. The next day he might ask, âIs it Christmas now?â Later in life, perhaps as a teenager, he will be able to think in terms of longer spans of time. âNext summer I will try to get a job in the factory.â âWhen I graduate from high school I want to go to college.â In fact, one of the signs of adulthood and maturity is the ability to think in terms of the span of oneâs life. At each stage of life, our awareness of time broadens. We begin to regulate our immediate needs and desires in relation to our long-term needs and desires.
I recall my father telling me, âIt may seem like the days drag now, but wait until youâre my age and youâll see that things go by very quickly.â As our perspective on time changes, our perspective on life changes also. As a young man, a friend of mine once attended the funeral of a man in his sixties. Most of those who attended the services were elderly people. They talked about their lives in ten- and twenty-year segments. My friend, in his mid-twenties at the time, felt odd as they talked about segments of their lives which were equal in span to his entire life. Their viewpoints were broader and larger than his; they had experienced more of life and their perspectives differed in many ways from his.
As we grow in age and maturity, our perspective on life changes from short-term to long-term. We begin to think differently about what we find valuable and what we find worthless. We begin to see things in light of the entire process of our lives. We realize that we wonât live forever. Often, it is this realization of our impending death that first prompts us to take that careful, slow, long-term look at life. We read in the Psalms, âThe years of our life are threescore and ten, or even by reason of strength fourscore; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly awayâ (Ps 90:10).
It is natural to see our lives like dust blown across the silent desert, to see death as the impassable barrier. But we also read, âSo teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdomâ (Ps 90:12). Only the man with a heart of wisdom can see beyond a view of death that takes no assessment of eternity. For him, life extends into eternity, and his decisions are made in terms of this larger perspective.
Yet, in a certain sense, even the level of spiritual wisdom which allows us to see beyond our own death is incomplete. This coming of Christ has given new urgency to this ancient mystery of the passing of time. It is no longer sufficient simply to act with wisdom in view of our personal death. Rather, we must act wisely in light of an even larger perspective, one that takes into account the end of time itself. Our individual deathâthe end of time for each of usâis assumed under a larger happening, a part of Godâs plan that is rapidly coming to fulfillment: âThe appointed time has grown very short. . . . For the form of this world is passing awayâ (1 Cor 7:29, 31). History will come to a close at a certain point, and the spiritual man must guide his decisions so that he takes into account not only his personal death, but also the death of the universe, the climax and culmination of Godâs creative action.
Carl Sagan, the astronomer, developed an interesting calendar in which all history is compressed into one year. He made January 1 the time in prehistory that some scientists call the âbig bang,â when all the created matter might have exploded outward from the center of the universe. January 1 of the following year is the present. Sagan then fits the major events for which scientists have evidence into this yearâs span. The day on which our galaxy coalesces is around May 1. The planet earth solidifies around September. It is not until the first day of December that an atmosphere with a significant amount of oxygen begins to form. Halfway through that month our fellow creatures begin to appear. On Christmas Eve the first dinosaurs appear. On New Yearâs Eve, around 10:30 p.m., Adam and Eve walk the face of the earth. Four minutes before midnight, the most recent period of glaciation begins. One second before midnight, Columbus discovers America. All recorded history occupies only the final ten seconds of the calendar year.
This image helps us to understand that God is âfrom everlasting to everlasting.â The life of an individual, compared with the life of the universe, is like a snap of the fingers. Like a wildflower, which withers when it is cut, the life of a human being is a small thing on the scale of the whole of creation. The Lord existed before creation; he will exist after creation comes to its climax. It is simply a matter of realism for us to consider the fragility of our life on earth. Here, but for a moment, the major part of our existence will occur after our individual death, when we come into eternity.
The New Testament often suggests that our personal realization of the nearness of death and the debt which each of us must pay to death is an opportunity to form a new perspective on life. When we first confront the fact that we must die, it changes us. As God reveals to us personallyâeither through scripture or through experiential contact with deathâthat there is a final end to all things, his purpose is to influence our behavior. âThe form of this world is passing awayâ looks like a simple statement of fact. In reality it is a principle which God expects us to use to moderate our style of life.
And he said to them, âTake heed, and beware of all covetousness; for a manâs life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.â And he told them a parable, saying, âThe land of a rich man brought forth plentifully; and he thought to himself, âWhat shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?â And he said, âI will do this: I will pull down my barns, and build larger ones; and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.â But God said to him, âFool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?â So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.â (Lk 12:15â21)
Our death is not a distant experience which has no bearing on daily behavior.
The wise man realizes that he is going to die and lives his life accordingly. He is especially careful regarding the proper use of this worldâs treasures with regard to the needs of his fellow men.
There was a rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, full of sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich manâs table; moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abrahamâs bosom. The rich man also died and was buried; and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus in his bosom. And he called out, âFather Abraham, have mercy upon me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in anguish in this flame.â But Abraham said, âSon, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.â (Lk 16:19â26)
The use of the goods of this world is regulated by the justice of God. Those who have kept for themselves an excess of this worldâs goods will be punished in the life to come. On the other side of death, Godâs standard will be invoked. Sitting in judgment, he will redress the inequities and injustices of this world.
The rich man and the poor man alike will find that whatever possessions they have acquired, whatever they own, will fail them on the night their souls are required of them. That time will come for every one of us, and no amount of possessions will gain us access to the bosom of Abraham. It may get us into a prestigious country club, but it wonât get us into the only club that counts, where a lifetime membership means eternity. Indeed, for many, the pursuit of earthly treasures is an obstacle, preventing them from finding eternal treasure.
There is wisdom to be acquired from meditating on and understanding what it means that we are here only for a short time. One thing we can learn is to distinguish the means from the end. All of us have only one end ultimately, the end for which we were made. We may choose our own goals of various sorts, but we were made by someone else. We are his. We belong to him and he has an end for each of usâto live with him forever. This is our end, toward which all our efforts must be directed.
God has put other created things in our care, and we have to view these as means for attaining our end. The fellow who thought, Iâve got enough laid up for myself in my barns, so Iâm going to eat, drink, and be merry, had a very short-term perspective. He could not see much farther than a few years ahead. A short-term perspective leads to an approach to life in which we focus on thingsâacquiring, enjoying, and thinking of ways to protect our possessions. Our decisions will all be geared toward how they will enhance our material well-being and our pleasure.
A long-term perspective, however, tells us that we will be judged not by what we have possessed, but by how we have used our possessions. Did we use them as a means for attaining our end? Two scripture passages are especially helpful in seeing this.
He said also to the man who had invited him, âWhen you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return, and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.â (Lk 14:12â13)
As for the rich in this world, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on uncertain riches but on God who richly furnishes us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good deeds, liberal and generous, thus laying up for themselves a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life which is life indeed. (1 Tm 6:17â19)
Donât think of repayment within a short period of time, like a year or two years, or even fifty years. Instead, use your material possessions according to Godâs plan, and be repaid on the long term, at the resurrection of the just. Receive now a treasure in heaven that does not fail.
FOUR
God Provides for All His Creatures
THE SECOND PRINCIPLE is that the economic system of the world is one of the ways in which God makes provision for all his creatures. Psalm 104 shows the Lord provides for all of usâthe worms, the dinosaurs, and mankindâin marvelous and complex ways.
Thou makest springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills, they give drink to every beast of the field; the wild asses quench their thirst. By them the birds of the air have their habitation; they sing among the branches. From thy lofty abode thou waterest the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy work. Thou dost cause grass to grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate, that he might bring forth food from the earth, and wine to gladden the heart of man. (Ps 104:10â15)
God takes care of all his creatures, not just his own people. âLove your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjustâ (Mt 5:44â45). The evil have farms, and God sends his sun and rain to nourish their crops just as he does to the crops of the just.
If we look at how God has distributed the resources of this earth, the various climatological conditions, and the talents of men, we see that his creation suggests a system of cooperation and trade meant to be beneficial to all. One part of the world is rich in iron ore, another in coal. Through trade, both can make steel. You can send wheat from the United States to another part of the world and come back with tin, coffee, and oil. Mutual cooperation among the peoples of the earth should result in a way of distributing natural resources according to Godâs plan.
This cooperative effort which economic interdependence brings about is also important because it furthers Godâs goal of developing brotherhood in the entire human race. Cooperation brings people together in towns, villages, and cities, where they begin to share their lives. It forms the basis of human culture and the great tapestry of human history. In this world order God works out all that he has in mind for mankind.
This affects Christians in two ways. First, we are involved in the world economy because it is the way God provides for our needs. Our participation can help in the provision for all, because of our sensitivity to Godâs plan. God entrusts the administration of this overall distribution plan largely to human authorities, and he holds them accountable for meeting the material needs of people. The inequitable distribution of material resources is due to sin in the world, to greed and the abuse of authority. God set the world up to work right: there is enough of everything for everyone to be taken care of.
Second, we are primarily obliged to be good citizens diligently engaged in productive work, helping the whole system to operate properly. We should also participate in the political life of our community in order to promote the good of all by influencing society toward Godâs purposes. We also further Godâs plan by ministering to the poor and by giving alms.
These are good reasons to stay involved in the world around us and its economic system, but we should not be naive about our involvement in the world. Although Jesus has overcome sin, the world is still vulnerable to the power of the evil one. When we become involved in the world we run real risks of being cheated, of being corrupted, of being persecuted.
There are, as we all know, wicked persons, rich and powerful, who will take advantage of good men and women for their own sinful gain. âIs it not the rich men among you who haul you into court? Is it not the rich who blaspheme the name of Jesus?â (Jas 2:6â7). Getting cheated out of our money would not be so terrible, except that it is actually Godâs money, given to us to be used for his purposes. The real crime is that Godâs money is stolen, diverted from his purposes, and used for sinful purposes. We cannot lay all the blame at the feet of the rich, of course. We know that âall have sinned and fallen short of the glory of Godâ (Rom 3:23). Just as there are wicked men who are rich and powerful, there are wicked men who are poor, not necessarily because of the wickedness of the rich, but because of their own wickedness: laziness, irresponsibility, self-indulgence, immorality. The wicked who are poor have their own schemes for diverting Godâs money from his purposes into their pockets.
Jesus tells us that we run another risk by being part of the world. âIf you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates youâ (Jn 15:19). Some men and women will persecute us simply because weâre Christians. If economic conditions worsen, persecution can be expected to increase. Are Christians going to be able to turn for help to those who hate and persecute them now? Itâs not likely. Will economic difficulties improve our chances of keeping legitimate tax exemptions? Probably not. Will church-affiliated schools be looked upon more kindly? Probably less kindly. In difficult times our hope is not in the world but in the name of the Lord and in one another.
Even with all the risks, God, who loves us very much, tells us to remain involved in the world and its structures.
I do not pray that thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that thou shouldst keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; thy word is truth. As thou didst send me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. (Jn 17:15â18)
Be subject for the Lordâs sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right. For it is Godâs will that by doing right you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. Live as free men, yet without using your freedom as a pretext for evil; but live as servants of God. Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. (1 Pt 2:13â17)
Another reason for Christiansâ involvement in the world is a strategic one. We want to bring the good news of salvation to all people, to deliver them from the kingdom of darkness, and to bring them into the kingdom of light, to build the kingdom of Christ on earth. âYou are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heavenâ (Mt 5:14â16). We must be involved with people if we are to reach them. They must be able, at least, to see our good works.
Because of the complex nature of the twentieth century, to be involved in the world means to rely heavily on its systems. We are in the thick of it, up to our eyebrows, and that is the position that God wants us to be in. However, we need to protect ourselves from being at a disadvantage if times worsen. Being provident in the face of this means working toward a position that will prudently combine economic independence, opportunities for effective evangelism, and opportunities for cooperating with Godâs overall plan for providing for mankindâs needs.
FIVE
Godâs Work Comes First
THE THIRD PRINCIPLE is that Godâs provision has a twofold purpose: first, to give us enough resources to enable us to support his work and, second, to provide for our sustenance. He calls us to put his work first.
The point is this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work. As it is written, âHe scatters abroad, he gives to the poor; his righteousness endures for ever.â He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your resources and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way for great generosity, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.â (2 Cor 9:6â11)
Paul is telling us that God provides us with money to live on and money to give away; we donât have to choose between the two. The Revised Standard Versionâs rendering of the final verse implies that God will enrich us in return for our generosity. A better way to understand the passage is to say that God will enrich us to enable us to give more generously. As God looks over the whole earth and what he wants to accomplish, he looks for men and women who will use money for his purposes. When he finds them he gives money to them.
Another implication of this principle is that in every paycheck, regardless of how small it may seem, there are two parts: one for our sustenance, the other for good works. Good works do not come out of our excess. What is left over after we provide for Godâs work will be sufficient for our needs. If youâve used your whole paycheck for yourself, God could legitimately take back the part that you should have used for him.
Recognizing the two purposes in Godâs provision, we also see a difference in their priorities. âBut seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as wellâ (Mt 6:33). We want first of all to put our funds into building Godâs dwelling place among men, and second into insulation for our own houses (see Hg 1:2â4).
But what happens when times get harder and itâs more difficult to support Godâs work? âI charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word, be urgent in season and out of seasonâ (2 Tm 4:1â2). When you think you can afford it and when you think you canât, when times are good and when times are badâno matter whatâbe engaged in preaching the word and supporting the apostolic work. We need to be engaged in Godâs work, regardless of the state of the economy. In fact, while we can afford it and while times are good, we want to set aside some of our resources for the days when it will be more difficult to fund Godâs work (1 Cor 16:1â3).
Should hard times come upon us, we are commanded to be ready to sacrifice our material well-being rather than to abandon Godâs work. Consider the Christians in Macedonia, whom Paul holds up as an example of generous giving.
We want you to know, brethren, about the grace of God which has been shown in the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of liberality on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own free will, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints. (2 Cor 8:1â4)
All they had in abundance was joy. But they gave according to their means and even beyond their means, even begging for the favor of giving. That is the kind of people we want to be, giving past the point of hurting, for the sake of Godâs work.
God assures us that, as we spend money now for his purposes, we will be repaid in the days to come. We can gladly endure suffering, hardship, and privation in these days, knowing Godâs promise.
What are the good works that scripture calls us to support financially? First, we are to support the work of the elders, especially those who rule well and those who work in preaching and teaching (see 1 Tm 5:17â18), along with those who do missionary work (see Phil 4:14â18). We should be giving regularly to our church, fellowship, or Christian community. The pastors of our churches and communities need to be supported so that they can continue the work God has given them. The church and its work, its mission and apostolate, need to be supported.
We are also enjoined to show hospitality to strangers and to support widows, orphans, and those who are poor through no fault of their own (see 1 Tm 5:3â9; Rom 15:26). Almsgiving is something that Jesus urges upon us; it has always been a part of the life of the Christian people. An elder in the early church encouraged his people to almsgiving and works of mercy with these words:
Almsgiving embraces under the single name of mercy many excellent works of devotion, so that the good intentions of all the faithful may be of equal value, even where their means are not. The love that we owe both God and man is always free from any obstacle that would prevent us from having a good intention. The angels sang: âGlory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth.â The person who shows love and compassion to those in any kind of affliction is blessed, not only with the virtue of good will but also with the gift of peace.
The works of mercy are innumerable. Their very variety brings this advantage to those who are true Christians, that in the matter of almsgiving not only the rich and affluent but also those of average means and the poor are able to play their part. Those who are unequal in their capacity to give can be equal in the love within their hearts.
Almsgiving is not simply âdo-goodism.â It is part of the work of God, and it is spiritual. A man I know who spent some time in India said that everywhere he went things were very bad. Not only was there great poverty, sickness, and suffering, but there seemed to be a great spiritual depression across the land. It affected him so much that, although he was in a country which he would probably never be able to visit again, he simply could not bring himself to take pictures. He did not want to remember any of it. He was able, though, to visit the place where Mother Teresa and her associates were ministering to the poor and sick. He found that there people were smiling. He was confronting a new spiritual reality. God was ministering to the poor through his people, bringing his own Spirit into the situation.
SIX
Prepared for Change
THE FOURTH PRINCIPLE is that we should always live in a way that prepares us for economic change. Scripture and the experience of mankind unite to tell us that economic conditions do change. âIn the time of plenty think of the time of hunger; in the days of wealth think of poverty and need. From morning to evening conditions change, and all things move swiftly before the Lordâ (Sir 18:25â26). Throughout history, circumstances of varying degrees of gravity have brought about significant economic changes for the worse. Seasonal changes, inflationary trends, shifts in trade patterns, depression, famine, plague, warâthings quickly go from good to bad. Most of us grew up expecting things to change, certainly, but only for the good! The gross national product is supposed to increase; salaries are supposed to go up; the consumer price index is supposed to go down. Our approach to the future is often unrealistic, and, consequently, irresponsible.
Currently we live in a time of plenty, which by many economic indexes surpasses any age preceding it. But scripture warns us that it is in just such times as these that we should recall times of hunger, times of poverty, times of need. Moreover, there are signs everywhere that the times could grow increasingly worse from an economic point of view. Just how much worse and for how long we do not know. But scripture tells us that we should take precautionary measures. âA prudent man sees danger and hides himself; but the simple go on, and suffer for itâ (Prv 22:3).
To live providently means to set aside a portion of todayâs plenty for tomorrowâs need. To live resourcefully means to develop the skills and capabilities for producing and maintaining a larger proportion of the goods that are essential to our lives. âIn the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand [do your farmwork during the morning, but when you come home produce something else, engage in another trade]; for you do not know which will prosperâ (Eccl 11:6). As we look toward the future, we are to be flexible, resourceful, able to do more than one thing to take care of our needs. Proverbs 31:13â25 provides us with the example of a provident and resourceful woman. She is flexible and knows a variety of skills to meet changing times. If we approach our economic future providently and resourcefully, we, like the woman in Proverbs 31, will be âclothed in strength and dignity.â We, too, will be in a position to âlaugh at the time to come.â
Right about now you might find yourself becoming a little uneasy with this approach. What about living by faith? Doesnât scripture forbid the laying up of treasures? Isnât this actually relying more on manâs efforts than on Godâs?
These are all good questions. Many well-intentioned, devout, and intelligent Christians have looked at the same texts and come up with different answers to them. These are also difficult questions. However, my interpretation is not a new one. That a person has a responsibility to care for himself, that he can possess material goods, and can own more than he needs at the present moment, has been held by the majority of Christian teachers throughout the centuries (for example, Thomas Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, the social encyclicals of the Catholic Church, etc.). At the same time, this teaching acknowledges our complete dependence upon God and points out the dangers inherent in the possession and use of material goods.
This brings us to the fifth principle: As we prepare for the future, we must heed scriptureâs warnings about the temptations that can besiege the man intent on pursuing and possessing wealth. These temptations include temptations to excessive solicitude (anxiety) for temporal goods, covetousness, idolatry, dishonesty, and showing partiality to the rich. I will consider them in that order.
The first is anxiety.
Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O men of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, âWhat shall we eat?â âWhat shall we drink?â or âWhat shall we wear?â For the Gentiles seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.
Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the dayâs own trouble be sufficient for the day. (Mt 6:25â34)
In 1 Corinthians 7:32â35, Paul says to the unmarried men that he wishes they did not have to be anxious about providing for a wife and family. Of course he never implies that it is wrong for a married man to be concerned. A responsible husband and father must be concerned but he should not be overly concerned. A virtue can become, by excess, a vice.
âFor everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heavenâ (Eccl 3:1). This passage can throw light on what Jesus means when he says: âDo not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the dayâs own trouble be sufficient for the dayâ (Mt 6:34). In summer you plan ahead for fall, and rightly so; but if you start planning for the fall in mid-winter, you are going too far. If you start planning today the things you should be planning tomorrow, you are being overly solicitous, overly concerned. As an admonition against this the Lord reminds us of our Fatherâs declared and demonstrated intent to provide for us (Mt 6:30â33).
The second danger is equally clear.
And he said to them, âTake heed, and beward [sic] of all covetousness; for a manâs life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.â And he told them a parable, saying, âThe land of a rich man brought forth plentifully; and he thought to himself, âWhat shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?â And he said, âI will do this; I will pull down my barns, and build larger ones; and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.â But God said to him, âFool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?â So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.â (Lk 12:15â21)
The key to understanding the last verse is the firstââbeware of all covetousness.â Covetousness, the excessive love of possessions, is being condemned, not the laying up of provisions. In Godâs economy, riches are to be used, not held.
A man âlays up treasure for himselfâ if he acquires and obtains it simply because he likes possessing it. A man is rich toward God if he acquires and holds it for the right time in order to use it for Godâs purposes.
âHe who contributes, [let him contribute] in liberalityâ (Rom 12:8). âIn liberalityâ means openhandedly, freely, but also intelligently, not prodigally. A wise man does not give everything away just as soon as it comes into his hands. Being prodigal might seem better than being covetous, because you are not holding on to things, but what is really required is liberality, giving things away when they will do the most good.
As we make provision for the future, we should do so according to three criteria: sufficiency, contentment, and proportion. Applying the criteria [sic] of sufficiency helps us to guage whether we are providing too much or too little. What is needed is an amount adequate to the task, but no more. Obviously the person who is responsible for a large family will have to put away more goods than a single person responsible only for himself. What is important is not that one is a larger amount than the other, but that both are sufficient.
Contentment is the wisdom to balance our needs against our desires. St. Paul urges us to be contented with what we need rather than to desire things beyond our need (1 Tm 6:6â8). Often our desires far outstrip our needs, and we find ourselves discontented. Contentment comes from living simply, within our means.
Proportion, the last criteria, is the wisdom to live on a realistic economic level with regard to the times. Because times change, we might need more money simply to eat decently at one time than another. Sometimes we will need more for housing than we do at other times. What we have should be in proportion to the times and in proportion to what we need in order to discharge our responsibilities to the Lord, to our families, and to society.
These three criteria will act as a safeguard against covetousness. The third danger is idolatry.
No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. (Mt 6:24)
Fear or panic may tempt us to turn away from the one true God, and turn idolatrously to mammon for protection and deliverance. One antidote to this danger is to get our loyalties straight so that fear and panic wonât affect us. We must declare ourselves loyal only to God, and renounce any shred of idolatry within us. Another antidote is to make adequate provision, which wards off panic.
Sometimes it is difficult for us to see others getting rich dishonestly and not be tempted to do the same. Dishonesty is the fourth danger we face.
But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had well nigh slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.â (Ps 73:2)
The psalmist admits that he came very close to stumbling. If you think you stand firm, take heed. You will be tempted to be dishonest in all sorts of ways. Be on guard.
The fifth warning also cuts close to the bone.
My brethren, show no partiality as you hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man with gold rings and in fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, âHave a seat here, please,â while you say to the poor man, âStand there,â or, âSit at my feet,â have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? (Jas 2:1â4)
If times get worse, we may be tempted to show partiality toward the rich among our brothers. Motivated by desire for gain or security, we might think, âIf Iâm nice to him, heâll take care of me. Why be nice to that other fellow? He canât help me.â Scripture warns us against this temptation, precisely because it is one to which we can fall prey.
As I said at the beginning, the one unchanging fact of life is the fact of change itself. We are surrounded by tremendously rapid changes, yet we often act as if the economic future will not change, at least not for the worse. Being provident and resourceful means being realistic about the future and being prepared for what might come. As we prepare ourselves, we must be on the watch for anxiety, covetousness, idolatry, dishonesty, and partiality toward the rich. These are all real dangers for each one of us, but we should not shrink from our responsibilities simply because of the dangers.
From The Resourceful Christian, A Guide to Surviving Lean Times by Kerry J. Koller
Published by Servant Books, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1982