Vince Deagler

anyone out there following the news lately?  in a rare moment of unity for our culture, it seems like everyone agrees that we are living in desperate times.  the markets are way down, foreclosures continue, unemployment is rising, we are facing unreal deficits, and i don’t know about you, i’m getting tired of the whole bailout mania that has infected us.  i don’t know how it can get much worse.  but in all of this, i have some degree of hope.  let me explain why.

we are studying ephesians on sunday morning.  as paul launches into the second half of his letter, the practical section, he focuses on the believers lifestyle…how we are to live as followers of jesus.  now here’s what i’m thinking.  it is obvious that our circumstances change.  just 2 years ago we were in the midst of a housing boom, the economy was cooking, markets were up, unemployment down, financially it was a time of prosperity.  very different today.  there is no doubt circumstances change.  but, how to live doesn’t.  if you know how to live, you can handle life whether times are good or times are bad.  and if anyone should know how to live, it should be us, the followers of jesus.  and i think this is true on a number of different levels.  let me mention just a few.

first of all following jesus should give you some clarity on what is really important in life.  i can’t answer that for you, but you need to look into your heart and ask what is really important to you.  unfortunately, for way too many people, what was…maybe what is important to them is all the stuff available to them in our prosperous culture.  they bought into the idea that image is everything.  i don’t believe that…but many did.  i think they are the ones hurting the most right now.  with the economic downturn, people have been forced to cut back on just about everything.  for me…the coffee i have at home is as good as starbucks, my golf clubs were purchased from ebay, a movie on tv is as good as a theatre, since my wife is a great cook (and i do mean great) eating at home is just fine with me, a car is a simple device to get me from point a to point b and has nothing to do with my identity or self image, jeans are jeans not status symbols, a home is a place to live not a social barometer, etc.  i guess i was influenced by my childhood of growing up in a single parent family and learning to make do with what i had.  as an old amish proverb says “use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without”.  my point in saying this is what i think is important, isn’t all that stuff that too many people can’t live without.  i can and do live without it.  so in tough times i guess i’m insulated.  now don’t get me wrong, my 401k, my ira, my financial plans for the future have taken a big hit.  i don’t even look at them anymore because i don’t want to be reminded of how much they have declined.  but that’s not what my life revolves around any more than stuff.  a long time ago i figured out what was really important was loving god and loving my neighbor.  and in tough times like right now i can still do that, in fact because times are so tough i have a greater opportunity to love my neighbor.

most people who aren’t personally committed to christ are oblivious to him in good times.  i understand that.  when we have everything we could want or need, who needs god.  but when times get tough.  when we see our lives (at least what we perceive our lives to be) slipping from our grasp, all of a sudden there is an openness to god.  i guess it is in those tough times we begin to sense we don’t have all the answers, we don’t have everything under control, we need some help.  we now live in that day.  and it gives me a greater opportunity to love my neighbor who is much more likely to be responsive to the help jesus has to offer simply because times are tough.  as it says in one of the scenes from “top gun” it is a target rich environment.

but if we are to be in a position to help, we better know how to live.  otherwise we will be in the same boat as everyone else.  so let me close by sharing a few thoughts on personal finances.  ed dobson, a pastor from michigan ???, has suggested there are 3 ways we can choose to live when it comes to personal finances.  there is slavery.  basically anyone who chooses to live beyond their means, on credit, in debt, ends up a slave.  at the end of each month they have lost all freedom when it comes to handling  their resources.  they have no choices left.  they must pay their creditors…those that now totally control them.  they are slaves. 

there is selfishness.  a little better than slavery, but not much.  the only real difference is a slave lives beyond their means on credit, while the selfish live to the very max of their capability.  they want/need more.  they are consumers who believe the one with the most toys wins.  instead of following christs call to deny self they have chosen to indulge self.  they can afford this lifestyle, but it is this lifestyle that reveals what is important to them.  because everything they have is consumed and spent in self centered ways, there is nothing left to actually love their neighbor in tangible ways.

so how are we to live???  in a word, as stewards.  a steward intentionally lives beneath their means, so they can take the difference and use it to live as god intended.  they are in a position as stewards to support gods work, live charitably, practice generosity and compassion.  and if you have never been hands on in really loving your neighbor in this way, you don’t know what your missing.  there is a sense of well-being that comes from a day well lived, a deed well done, a need met that i can’t fully describe.  it is something you have to experience on your own, but you won’t be able to experience it fully if you’re choosing to live as a slave or selfishly.

so we arrive back where we started.  sure times are tough.  they will probably get worse before they get better.  but tough times don’t change what’s important in life, and it doesn’t change the right way to live.  as followers of jesus we should have a head start in dealing with the difficulties we face as a culture.  and that means we can reach out to those around us with the same love with which christ reached out to us.  is there any better way to show you love god???  and is there any better way to find real happiness in a turbulent world???  give it a try, you’ll be glad you did.