A Christian Response to the Recession

Everyday it seems like more people lose their jobs, the prices at the grocery store go up, and the number of foreclosed homes increases. Troubling economic times put everyone on edge. Even those who are unaffected find themselves making decisions based on what they perceive might be trouble in the future. We can watch the news and see how the rest of the world is reacting, but how should Christians respond during an economic recession? We can analyze our response to the recession in four categories: worry, possessions, duty to others, and planning for the future. I've used four familiar scriptures to help us understand how Christians should react when faced with troubling economic times.

Worry

Luke 12: 22-32

He said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you-you of little faith! And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, strive for his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."

God knows we need food and shelter. Jesus rightly points out in this passage that worrying doesn't do us any good. It won't extend our lives, put a roof over our heads or fill the cupboards with food. And yet, we all worry to some extent. How do we come to grips with the admonishment "do not worry about your life" and move forward when the world around us seems to be in a never-ending downward economic spiral?

I believe two things in this passage give us the guidance we need. First, we must recognize that we have great value in the eyes of God - more value than birds or plants or anything else on earth. When we understand just how precious we are to God we can relax and know that he will care for us. If you're a parent you have some understanding of this. You would do anything to make sure your child had everything he or she needed. God's capacity to love and care is far beyond our own and so is his ability to provide for our needs.

Second, we need to understand that a Christian's first priority is to God. Jesus says those who don't follow God spend their time worrying about and seeking after material goods. If we properly understand God's love for us, we seek God first. Our faith in God's love causes us to seek him and rely on him for everything we need. Jesus promises us that God wants and is happy to give us what we need. Even in the midst of a global recession, Christians should rely on this promise from God to provide for them.

Possessions

Luke 12:15

And he said to them, "Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions."

We shouldn't make the mistake of thinking God is going to reward our faithfulness with big houses, fancy cars or great wealth. In this passage Jesus cautions us against greed. God does care for us. He also demands our devotion above everything else. Our possessions do not define who we are. Christ defines who we are. Our possessions, or desire for possessions, should not determine how we live our lives. Christ should determine how we live our lives.

I would put forth that if recession reduces the size of our portfolios or the number of our possessions then we should consider it simply another fleeting aspect of this life. If our "life does not consist in the abundance of possessions," then it does not matter how much or how little we have. Our life with Christ is all that matters.

Duty to Others

James 2:15-17

If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill', and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

Our life with Christ is an outward-reaching life. James quite bluntly tells us that if we are not willing to reach out and help our fellow Christians then in reality our faith has little value. This important facet of the Christian life is ever more important in a tough economy. If James was writing this today he might say, "If you see the news stories on TV and think, 'Wow, I hope it works out for those people,' but you don't take any steps to help supply their food or housing needs, what good is that?"

Christians are the living embodiment of Christ on earth. As we love and are loved by God, we are driven to do his good will in this world. If God cares for his faithful and seeks to provide for them, then I believe other Christians are very often the means by which those provisions are made.

Planning for the Future

James 4:13-17

Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a town and spend a year there, doing business and making money.' Yet you do not even know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wishes, we will live and do this or that.' As it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, commits sin.

James isn't telling us not to make plans. The admonition is to conform our plans to God's will. We should work and plan to provide for ourselves and our families. It is foolish and reckless to think we can sit idle and God will pay our bills. James counsel us to say, "if the Lord wishes," we will do this or that. This is a prayerful approach to our planning. We consult God at every step. It's an approach that relieves us from worry by recognizing that all things come from God. It's an approach that puts possessions in their proper perspective by putting God in the center of our thoughts. It's an approach that gives consideration to the needs of others by allowing God to shape the nature and outcome of our plans.

The evening news may make the future look bleak and uncertain. However, seeking God in all of our plans ensures a future of peace and joy. Although the recession has caused many people to feel helpless and abandoned, Christians can find a better way through recession by placing all the burdens of life on God.

Resources

The New Revised Standard Version (Anglicized Edition), copyright 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. http://www.ncccusa.org/newbtu/btuhome.html