What would happen if I took the Bible seriously? I mean seriously, would my life look different than it does today?
How can I read verses like the following and not take them seriously:
“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Luke 12:32-34
"Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed." Psalms 82.3
"He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done." Proverbs 19.17
"If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered." Proverbs 21.13
"A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor." Proverbs 22.9
"The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern." Proverbs 29.7
"learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow." Isaiah 1.17
"He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6.8
I don't know. I am not trying to beat anybody up here (except myself), but this concept is all over the Scriptures (and "the Dangerous Act of Worship.")
I have recently purchased 2 other books and am halfway through the first. "living with less - the upside of downsizing your life" is killing me! The next one is "the tough sayings of Jesus"...i am ready for God to do something here, but it is frightening...
I am also very quickly learning that what God is doing in me CANNOT cause me to expect He is doing in everyone else around me. Thus, I deal and judge only myself as it pertains to these things, not others! It is so easy to become arrogant, prideful and judgmental. In other words, I can be prideful when I have so many cools things, lots of money, gadgets, etc...But I can also be prideful when I care more for the poor and needy than others...Maybe that's why Paul talks about contentment so much?
Man, I have such a looooong way to go...
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God's really growing a passion in me for the poor and the needy through all of this. My problem is just how to get involved. I really struggle with learning to live with less and trusting God vs. being stupid and simply throwing caution to the wind. The fact is, I can't just quit my job like some of these and move into inner-city neighborhoods. But I want to do soemthing that forces me out of my routine of going to school, work, home, dinner, sleep, etc. Is caring for the poor and the oppressed an attitude that expresses itself from time to time when a need is seen? Or is it going out and earnestly SEEKING OUT these poor and oppressed?
author, mark tabb, (and the author of Phillipians) says it starts with humility...tabb then says we look at those things that most occupy our time, energy, and resources...
that's where i am...from there - i am still in process, because I feel God has entrusted me with several things that occupy my time, energy, and resources that are non negotiable and things that could (and maybe even should) occupy more of that - wife, children, lost friends, and found friends (whom i would consider "poor" in spirit, even bills, car/home repairs, etc, though those are arguably less important and somewhat relative, nonetheless very real consumers of resources)...
if that leaves little resources- can i be content with that?
i think so...
but what of the other things that consume those resources that have little to no eternal significance (television, leisure, exercise, reading/learning without action/change, etc - notice i said LITTLE to no significance)...
great song along this discussion by monks&meagle called "the 21st time".
oops i meant monk & neagle.
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