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About Our Economic Crisis
Posted by
Bob Fetherlin
,
23 September 2008
·
752 views
The news again today was not encouraging. The price of crude oil is up, the stock market is down. The US Congress is wrestling with a massive bailout plan for the US financial industry, which is in deep trouble. Housing foreclosures are at unprecedented highs. It looks very distressing and feels downright overwhelming.
While I'm not wishing or wanting this, what if we lost everything? What if our investments and retirement accounts became worthless numbers on paper? What if the US financial system collapsed? What if our personal net worths were reduced down to zero?
This horrendous scenario would create chaos and conflict. But there would be one positive benefit that may not be easy for our greedy hearts to discern. Losing everything would take us back to what's most important in life. It would force us to either despair, or transition our trust from money to God. We'd sense pointedly our temporal, finite, vulnerable position in relation to a God who is eternal, without limits, and invincible. In spite of the pain and hardship all of this would entail, could it be a good experience for us? My answer is yes.
In the midst of rising prices, declining property values, and a overall sobering economic picture, what's most important? Where should I be investing? Even in these challenging days, I can invest my time, talent, and treasure in what will last forever. I can give sacrificially and boldly of my resources for the building of a Kingdom that will not fail, that will never pass away. This is the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ!
"What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?" -Jesus Christ, Matthew 16:26
While I'm not wishing or wanting this, what if we lost everything? What if our investments and retirement accounts became worthless numbers on paper? What if the US financial system collapsed? What if our personal net worths were reduced down to zero?
This horrendous scenario would create chaos and conflict. But there would be one positive benefit that may not be easy for our greedy hearts to discern. Losing everything would take us back to what's most important in life. It would force us to either despair, or transition our trust from money to God. We'd sense pointedly our temporal, finite, vulnerable position in relation to a God who is eternal, without limits, and invincible. In spite of the pain and hardship all of this would entail, could it be a good experience for us? My answer is yes.
In the midst of rising prices, declining property values, and a overall sobering economic picture, what's most important? Where should I be investing? Even in these challenging days, I can invest my time, talent, and treasure in what will last forever. I can give sacrificially and boldly of my resources for the building of a Kingdom that will not fail, that will never pass away. This is the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ!
"What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?" -Jesus Christ, Matthew 16:26
