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Tough Economy, but God has a plan

BY DARYL WILLIAMS

Day by day, it seems as if the economy is on a roller coaster and we are all along for the ride.

The past few months have been an unprecedented time in the world's economic landscape. In 2008 we have witnessed the plummeting of home values, massive volatility in the stock market and the freezing of global credit markets. In addition, we have also seen pillar
institutions of our financial services industry acquired, merged, and in some cases outright closed.

The problems have been so wide- spread that governments from around the world have chosen to intervene, in some cases making direct investments into ailing companies to
prevent failure.

As Christians we are not untouched by the gyrations of the economy. We face the same stresses and concerns about economic security that everyone else faces.

What makes us different as Christians is not that we are impervious to economic swings but rather how we react when those swings inevitably come along. The first response of a Christian in these tough economic times has to be, not to panic. As Christians we must always remember that God has a plan, even when we can't see it.

In the Old Testament God sends word through the prophet Jeremiah to the people of Israel while they are in exile: "Surely I know the plans that I have for you, plans for your welfare and not for your harm, to give you a future with hope." The plans of God are not just for the exiled people of Israel but for every believer. Each one of us must rest assured that God has a plan that is unique and specific to each of us. Therefore, we have to replace panic with hope.

It is also important not to worry. Worry is one of the most effective tools that Satan has to use against believers. Worry serves the purpose of taking our eyes off the most important things in life. By worrying the believer can be deceived into thinking that the worst is upon them, and that they must work to fix it.

The Bible values work, but Jesus himself warns us against worry. "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink or about your body, what you will wear. Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all the things will be given to you as well."

Fundamentally, believers must remember what our ultimate source is. In the eighth chapter of Deuteronomy we are admonished to "Remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the power to get wealth, so that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your ancestors, as he is doing today."

God's promise to provide for his people is an everlasting one. God is not dependent on the economy to provide for his people but rather we are dependent on God being true to God's word. God has promised that "he will supply all of our needs according to his riches and glory." It is in the tough economic times that we must rely on and hold fast to the promises of God.

To stay afloat in tough economic times, we must do our part as well. Our part is to remain faithful in our giving to the church. The church is the willing, working army of God's compassion in the world. In tough economic times, the world needs the church and its ministries more than ever.

As people are facing harder economic times, they depend on the church even more. Community food pantries, common clothing closets and other ministries of giving and service become all the more important as more and more people begin to feel the economic pinch. Ministries local and abroad still need our support in tough times. While others are pulling back funds, in many cases it will only be the church that is still ministering to people's needs. It is incumbent on believers to still be faithful givers in tough times.

In precarious economic times, our best strategy is counter intuitive - give your way out. In the book of Isaiah, God tells us that "His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts," so what is right to God may seem counter intuitive to us. Giving is the best cure for tough economic times. Continuing to be a faithful giver of time, talent and money to the church is a show of faithfulness that God has promised to bless.

Paul admonishes us in 2 Corinthians 9:6-8: "The one who sows sparingly will reap sparingly, and the one who sows abundantly will reap abundantly." Each of you must give as you have made up in your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything you may share abundantly in every good work.

While times may look gloomy, we are a blessed people. God has always taken care of God's people. Despite harsh economic times, God always sees us through. The Bible promises us that God will never leave us or forsake us. Tight economies come and go, but God stands forever high and almighty. The key for us is, don't panic, don't worry, remember who your source is, and stay faithful.

The Rev. Daryl Williams is director of the conference United Methodist Foundation, Investments and Planned Giving.

An unlimited line of credit

BY BARRY HIDEY

We are facing what many consider to be the greatest financial crisis of our generation. It has shaken many of our daily lives and our confidence in the future. But it also gives us an opportunity to return to the source of all that is strong, our foundation and strength.

Jesus said, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his or her life?"

In this passage Jesus reminds us that we need to go back to those Kingdom values that we see lived out throughout the Sermon on the Mount. We need to reclaim our faith and trust. To do this, we must restore our faith in ourselves, in others and in God.

Worry has a way of changing each one of us. It shakes our confidence and makes us question our
abilities. We try to shape the bottom line and forget to turn to God.

Four years ago, I attended a leadership summit at the Willow Creek Church in Illinois where Tim Sanders talked about scarcity, which is the opposite of
living out the Kingdom values.

At the heart of our fear and uncertainty, we tell ourselves that we don't have enough. We focus on scarcity, taking our lead from CNBC and not from Matthew 6.

Scarcity tells us that there is not enough to go around; so we don't have enough to share with anybody else. Scarcity means that we define ourselves based on what we lack, not on what we have.

Kingdom mentality is quite the opposite. Jesus tells us that we shall have life and have it abundantly.

But how do we let go of our scarcity thinking and embrace God's abundance?

We need to begin by changing our thinking. Too often we define ourselves by what we lack and in doing so miss the abundance of God that is all around us.

Along with living in a spirit of God's abundance, we need to abandon fear and replace it with faith and endurance.

When we abandon our fear, it becomes easier to practice abundance. In the Kingdom mentality, it is always better to give than to receive. But giving requires us to let go of things and trust that God will provide.

We need to believe that God, and the church as the family of God, will be there for us. Doing so means living out the Gospel, in rich times and in lean ones, each and every day.

This commentary is excerpted from an Oct. 12 sermon on Matthew 6:25-34 by the Rev. Barry Hidey. For an audio version of the sermon, visit http://www.baumc.com/audio/oct-dec2008/.message10-12-08-56K.wma.

Adventure: Claiming abundance in the face of scarcity

1 Peter 4:10 NRSV

Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.

At a recent worship service at Bel Air UMC, the Rev. Barry Hidey asked everyone present to reach into their wallets and pull out something that said, "In God We Trust."

"Is there a question mark there on your bill?" he asked. "Over the past few weeks, our confidence has been shaken because it's often in money, rather than God, we tend to trust."

Asking members to "trust in the abundance of God," Hidey had them raise the bills in their hands. "I want us to celebrate what we have and then I'm going to ask you to let go of what you have and drop it where you stand," he said.

The people responded, then prayed.

More than $1,300 was dropped that morning and went to benefit relief efforts for victims of Hurricane Ike.

In God we trust

Renewing faith Amid the distress

BY RABBI JOSHUA MARTIN SIEGEL

The current economic downturn has created much anxiety. How can religious and spiritual teaching help people cope with this situation and learn from it?

A religious-spiritual perspective is that "all things happen for a reason," which gives a sense of a larger destiny that transcends immediate circumstances.

All things are seen from the "aspect of entirety." The first question to ask in this time of economic difficulty is why did this happen, and what is it trying to teach us from the aspect of its deeper causes and meanings.

A response to this question could be, this is happening to teach us not to define ourselves by our current economic status or self-centered accomplishments.

While from most religious perspectives there is nothing wrong with living a degree of economic security, to define oneself by one's economic status or capacity to acquire and spend money is clearly against the teachings of all religious or spiritual disciplines.

In western religion we are taught that "we are created in God's image." This means that we are good as we are and do not need social status or "things" to be able to be valued or loved.

If we can truly accept ourselves as having "divine potential," we can move away from a self definition based on status or material accomplishments. Therefore, economic dislocation can be an opportunity to seek for our essential eternal selves and so become more authentic than we were before.

It allows us to see whatever wealth or accomplishments we have as gifts from God to be shared with others, to be more charitable and live kinder lives. This is another gift from a time of economic difficulty.

In short, if properly understood the present economic distress can be seen as an opportunity to renew our essential spirituality and return to a religious-based life.

Economic stress is not a failure, rather for many an opportunity to rediscover and live again our essential life purpose: to become more like God our creator and live a life based on God's teachings.