As we face a presidential election this year in the U.S., we're again confronted with the issues which plague our society. During the current administration, we've seen the collapse of the housing market and the decline of car sales. We've seen thousands lose their jobs and then their homes through no fault of their own. We've watched helplessly as banks and mortgage lenders have gone under through their practices of making bad loans. We've witnessed CEO incomes skyrocket while the average person's has declined or stayed level at best. Prices are soaring everywhere. We've lived well beyond our means.
I'm over 60 years old now, and I'm literally shocked when I go into a grocery store to do my weekly shopping. Things don't cost cents now -- they cost dollars! When I was young, bananas sold for ten cents a pound; 59 cents per pound is the current price. Eggs used to be 29 cents a dozen. A loaf of bread was also 29 cents. Milk was less than a dollar a gallon. I remember gasoline being 24 cents a gallon, and that was in the days when someone pumped it for you, checked your oil, and washed your car windows for free! Disposal diapers were invented around the time my daughter was born, but I used cloth diapers, rinsed them in the toilet, soaked them in a bleach solution, washed them and then hung them to dry in the sun. Now they're practically unheard of. Tennis shoes were basic foot wear, not the fancy brandname shoes of today. I don't even remember "designer clothes" being prevalent in school. Those who came from well-to-do families simply had more and nicer clothes.
As the years have passed, prices have soared while incomes have not kept up with the cost of goods. Yet we think we must have it all -- right now! Newly-married couples purchase homes that require two incomes to meet the mortgage, and in doing so, they mortgage any free money they could have with which to help others. They lock themselves into a lifestyle that keeps the woman from being an at-home mother when the kids arrive. They must have two nice cars in the driveway and a house full of new furniture to make the statement that they are doing well. Everyone has been chasing money, and the collapse of the economy is proof that God's Word is true. People cannot serve, or pursue, two masters; pursuing God and pursuing money can't be done (Matthew 6:24). When everyone is out for themselves, to line their pockets, to make their lives more comfortable, and to take luxurious vacations while other people try to figure out how they're going to feed their kids that day, we enlarge the gap between the have's and have-not's and sin against our Creator. We have become people who no longer distinguish between "needs" and "wants." We've become a people who place more value on our income level than on the people who don't have an income. We sit in our well-appointed homes and consider not the plight of others who simply have been born in the "wrong" country.
When we hoard money for ourselves while others die from lack of food and/or water, we are sinning. It's as simple as that. I'm not saying that having nice things and going on vacations is wrong, but I am saying we need to give away as much as we can to help those in need. When the offering plate is passed at church, do you tithe? Or do you throw in a $5 or $10 bill and feel good about your generosity? I firmly believe that if people who call themselves Christian would tithe their incomes, the church would have no financial concerns and would be able to be the hands of Christ to those who desperately need it a thousand times over.
Our pursuit of money has caused the financial crisis in this world, and when the main point of concern becomes the economy and not our moral fiber, we are heading down the path to destruction. God's Word is true -- always has been, is and always will be. We cannot pursue wealth at the expense of others and a relationship with Him.
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