I don't like Robin Hood!

2 Corinthians 8

 ⁸ I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. ⁹ For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.
 ¹⁰ And here is my judgment about what is best for you in this matter. Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. ¹¹ Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. ¹² For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.





Robin Hood had it all wrong. Well, at least, he's misunderstood. It's totally against our society to force the rich to give to the poor. (I am by no means rich. Although I am probably considered in the Upper end of the middle class, I'm not rich!)  If the rich get richer illegally or corruptly, we should take it from them, just like Robin Hood. But, the largest portion of our RICH people achieved it through their own hard work or the hard work of their family. They or their families have pursued the wealth and have achieved it. Should they share it? Yes, definitely!


So how do we get a "Rich" person to share the wealth.  That's where 2 Corinthians 8 comes in to view.  The key to giving is attitude. Willingness, eager willingness are the key to living a christian life. God certainly expects you to share your blessings. He WANTS you to give abundantly. But, he doesn't want to force you. He wants you to be eager to give. He wants you to be joyous about giving the gift. If a gift is given unwillingly, it's not really a gift. In order for America to continue to be the land of opportunity, we can't force people to share their wealth. Americans must become EAGERLY WILLING to give. We shouldn't be trying to legislate giving. We shouldn't try to penalize success and hard work. We need to work on changing the hearts of the giver.  We need to change the hearts of men so they can not give enough. The greatest way to change someones heart is through the saving grace of Jesus Christ. If we want a society that shares the wealth, Christ must be at the center. 

I have a lot of stuff!

Psalm 49 (New International Version, ©2011)

 ¹² People, despite their wealth, do not endure;
   they are like the beasts that perish.
 ¹³ This is the fate of those who trust in themselves,
   and of their followers, who approve their sayings.^[d]
14 They are like sheep and are destined to die;
   death will be their shepherd
   (but the upright will prevail over them in the morning).
Their forms will decay in the grave,
   far from their princely mansions.
¹⁵ But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead;
   he will surely take me to himself.
¹⁶ Do not be overawed when others grow rich,
   when the splendor of their houses increases;
¹⁷ for they will take nothing with them when they die,
   their splendor will not descend with them.
¹⁸ Though while they live they count themselves blessed—
   and people praise you when you prosper—
¹⁹ they will join those who have gone before them,
   who will never again see the light of life.
 ²⁰ People who have wealth but lack understanding
   are like the beasts that perish.

In Garrett, Indiana I am one of the Rich. When it comes to the average person in my town, I have more than most. I have a lot of stuff. It may be hard for you to believe as an Educator I can be considered Rich. There are many people in this world who make more money than I do and have more things. But, all "riches" are relative to what they are compared to.

As a member of the "Garrett Elite" please do not be overawed by my wealth. As with all of us, I can't take a bit of it with me when I leave this Earth. When we die, our options are the same. We are either going to live in eternity at the feet of Jesus or we die a horrible death, sentenced to life apart from God. It doesn't matter what I have on Earth or what I leave behind. We will all be perfectly equal as we worship the King of Kings. If you are going to envy anything I have, envy the eternal life I have been promised. I have nothing in my possession and I have done nothing that will endure except my commitment to Jesus Christ. God doesn't look at the stuff in my house. God looks at the stuff of my Heart!

I have truly been blessed on this Earth. I don't deserve it. I did nothing of myself to acquire this wealth. It is all a gift of God. I praise him for all he has given and I promise not to think to highly of myself lest I forget my savior. It is he who gave the greatest possession I have ever had. He granted me Eternal life as a sacrifice of his own.

The Rich and Famous!

Luke 1:52-54 (New International Version, ©2010)

⁵² He has brought down rulers from their thrones
   but has lifted up the humble. ⁵³ He has filled the hungry with good things
   but has sent the rich away empty. ⁵⁴ He has helped his servant Israel,
   remembering to be merciful


Power corrupts.  I think we have seen a lot of that in this country lately. We have seen greedy CEO's and Banks create major disruptions in this country. We have seen powerful politicians abuse power, make poor decisions in their social and political lives, then ultimately loose their influence. It is a common theme throughout history all over the world. Many of these men and women don't make any connection with their loss of power and God. But, God has a way of dealing with rulers and powerful people. Sometimes I wish he were more open about bringing these people down off their thrones, but the result is the same.
God has his hand in world events. He takes care of the weak and humble. He holds the rich and arrogant responsible for their actions. I know that their are good CEO's out there. I know that not all bankers, lawyers or politicians are evil. Some of them are very humble people, but we sure do see a lot that are not.   We see many that start out as humble servants and end up consumed with power and selfishness.

The Christmas story is about lifting up the humble. Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth, Zechariah, they are all humble servants of the lord. They have lived lives that were just focused on God and living life. They had no power except the power given them by the creator of the universe. The Christmas story is also about the rich and powerful being brought low. There's no better example than God's choice of who to deliver and raise the Son of God. The most important task of raising the Christ Child wasn't given to the rich and famous, it was trusted with a lowly carpenter and his wife. He wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he probably used a wooden spoon.

We should all take heart in this. I will never be rich and powerful, but God loves me and loves me just as much or more than those people. He wants nothing but the best for all of us. But, he knows the corruption behind money and power. He can't stand being second place. He deserves to be first!

Dear Lord, Thank You for caring for all of us. Thank you for giving the lowly and the humble a love which never ends. We are truly humbled by your love for us. We don't deserve it but accept it with gratitude. Please lord help us to always remain your servants, to love you regardless of our position in life!

I'm sorry if your rich!

James 5 (The Message)

 ^1-3 And a final word to you arrogant rich: Take some lessons in lament. You'll need buckets for the tears when the crash comes upon you. Your money is corrupt and your fine clothes stink. Your greedy luxuries are a cancer in your gut, destroying your life from within. You thought you were piling up wealth. What you've piled up is judgment. ^4-6All the workers you've exploited and cheated cry out for judgment. The groans of the workers you used and abused are a roar in the ears of the Master Avenger. You've looted the earth and lived it up. But all you'll have to show for it is a fatter than usual corpse. In fact, what you've done is condemn and murder perfectly good persons, who stand there and take it.

Ok, I want to apologize if you are rich. Really, that term is relative. Everyone that has more money than you is probably considered rich in your own mind. I am certainly richer than most people in Garrett or Dekalb County. When you consider  unemployment at close to 10% and the statistics about jobs in our county, I am wealthier than most. Not all rich people are arrogant. These verses aren't for you. However, it seems to me that when you compare wealthy vs non-wealthy, I know more arrogant wealthy people. It seems like a disproportionately arrogant group of people.

I would also say our country has more than it's fair share of arrogant rich people. I hope my Garrett friends aren't offended.  There aren't to many wealthy people in Garrett. I say that with great affection for the people in my town. I really think my small town in northern Indiana is full of down to earth real people. We don't have a lot of people wearing the finest suits down Randolph Street. I haven't heard of local employers abusing their workers or robbing people blind. That's probably why I love Garrett. I think God prefers it that way too. 

Whether it's with CMA or hanging out with my Garrett friends. I love hanging out with middle or "lower" class hard working people. To say their lower class isn't a demeaning comment. It's a fact of economics. I consider these people much "Higher" class than the alternative when it comes to relationships. I say their real because they don't try to impress and they have priorities straight. They are people who would sacrifice their own life for a friend. Sure they'll tell you what they think in a blink of an eye with no restraint. But, again, I prefer that over people who are fake. The old saying "what goes around comes around" is always true when it comes to relationship with God. It really doesn't matter how rich you are. It doesn't matter about your clothing, your income, the car you drive, or the toys you own (including Harley's). When it comes to gaining eternally life we all have the same path. We all have to release everything we are and everything we own to the master who created it all.  We have to treat others as we would be treated and we have to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind. If we don't our wealth won't save us. We will be condemned to eternal suffering. Our priorities will need to change from loving what we have to the loving God and placing him first in our life!