Tag: poverty

Let’s Get Rich

thearrowpreacher1 Comment

Let’s Get Rich:

I have spent the vast majority of my life a poor individual. Not that my character is poor, no, I mean my wallet. Growing up I didn’t know what it meant to have money. I remember one Thanksgiving a giant basket of food was dropped on our doorstep just a few days before the holiday. Why us? I wondered. I knew we were always hurting for money though because, I received free lunch in school. I knew there were three categories, full pay, discount, and free, and I knew it was based on your family’s income. I can also recall Christmas’s where I know my grandpa foot the bill for my presents. I knew money was tight when the food stamps ran out because, there was little or no money left for food. I knew mac and cheese, chicken, because it was cheap, and hot dogs. Oh, and one cannot forget the cereal dinners. I’m not angry about it, because no matter what, or who it came from, God always provided, and I never went hungry. Yes, there were times a meal came from a neighbor, or two, but while I noticed, I never felt like I was going to go without food. Summers were a little more challenging, but I spent a lot of time away from home, so of course lunch time rolls or dinner rolls around, and I ate with friends then too. Again, God always provided. I didn’t always get the newest toy I wanted, and I rarely had new clothes, but I was clothed. Even when other kids were cruel because of what I wore, at least I had clothing. Even if I didn’t feel that at the time. Bullying can be tough for a child. 

When I moved out from home, and I moved in with my grandpa, meals changed. The type of house I lived in changed, and eventually I wound up with a car, that grandpa paid for. I got myself a job when I was old enough. I had spending money. I learned early that those with money, ought to be generous towards those who don’t. While in school, I was often the guy people turned too for a few dollars for the soda machine, or a snack from the vending machines. Even gas from time to time. When I was in the military, I had no bills, and no expenses, minus a few dollars for haircuts, or pens or markers needed in basic training. Needless to say, the money from my paycheck was all going to savings. I wasn’t rich by any means, but when my aunt had a major stroke midway through training, I had the funds to help out. I sent money that was used to support for my cousins during that time. At some point early in my career, I sent somewhere around $5k home to a friend to buy a car. A little while later, I sent around $2K to help another friend with college payments. Why do I say all this? It isn’t for my own pat on the back, or even for the recognition. It’s about something much deeper, and much more important. 

Today, I’m sure many people were worried about the end times. I’ve seen post after post about preparing for the end. It honestly reminded me of Y2K, and 2012. I spent the day outside with family peering up at the beauty of God’s creation, and his perfect plan for the universe. An astronomical event, of this kind being rare, was something I dared not miss. Not once did I think the end times were coming. No, I just wanted to enjoy the sight, and marvel at God’s creation. While I was doing this, I know thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, or millions of people were indeed worried about what this rare eclipse could mean. Is this the end of the world, or the beginning of the end? IS this a sign from God? I’m not trying to poke fun of anyone, but for those who don’t know the word, it’s easy to let fear guide your actions and thoughts.

How are these two things related? Thank you for asking. Ultimately it comes down to God’s word. While there are millions of people giving every bit of money they have, albeit not much, to churches in the hopes of sewing a seed, and God doubling or more their investment, they are putting their hope in money to change their lives. In the same breath millions of people believe in Jesus, but also superstitions, and mystical energies (Not the Holy Spirit), and put their hope in everything but God. In reality, both are equally as dangerous to one’s own soul. One cannot be a slave to two masters. One cannot serve God and also superstition and astrology. One cannot serve God while serving their desire for riches and prosperity. Scripture is very clear on these points. If we are more worried about our bank accounts than serving God, we might need a spiritual checkup. If we are more worried about what our zodiac sign says this month, we might need a spiritual checkup. I cannot help but wish to be rich in my life. It’s a longing I cannot explain, and a desire that rests above all else. It isn’t for money though, but rather rich in the spirit. I desire to be rich in the fruits of the spirit. 

Galatians 5:22-23

“22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” 

Love: Agape- Divine love, Christs love to man, 

Joy: Joy- delight

Peace: spiritual peace, 

Longsuffering: Patience in troubles and difficulties

Kindness: goodness, excellence, uprightness, goodness of heart. 

Goodness: A sterner word for kindlier. 

Faithfulness: In active sense of faith, belief, trust, confidence, religious faith in God or Christ. 

Glentleness: meekness: Having power but refraining from using it. 

Self-Control: Mastery, control over one’s self. 

Each of these is the Biblical definition of the original word in Greek. The ‘be full of the spirit’, is to be full of the fruit of the spirit. One does not simply wake up one day and boom, there it is, you’re a super Christian now. No, my friends, it takes work, and effort to be full of these things. As I said, I wish to be rich in these things. I was always blessed with a caring heart, sometimes too much so for my own good. Meaning, it led me to disaster more times than I could count. Perhaps, I lacked wisdom in my youth, to decern a good friend, from a bad one, or a lack of protecting my heart. Either way, I often gave sacrificially not for my own benefit, but because I felt led to help where I could. When I was in need as a child, I often had people going out of their way to help me, so in my heart, I felt I needed to do the same. My prayer today, is that someday, I am blessed with the funds to get back to where I was in my younger days as a man, before the dark days came. 

A few bad choices led me down the road of destruction, and so far in my life, God has not restored what I have lost. He has however never stopped blessing me. While I do live paycheck to paycheck, and I do struggle to make ends meet, and even struggle putting food on the table sometimes, He’s never not shown up. Somehow, some way, God always provides. Does He not take care of the birds of the air, or the grass in the field, how much more does he love you. Let tomorrow worry for itself, for today has enough problems. (Matthew 6:26-27) What we really need to be focused on, is the love of God, and knowing Him. We need to be focused on growing that relationship, and being rich in love, and mercy, grace, and forgiveness, and the fruits of the spirit. If we spent more time focused on those things, rather than trying to line our pockets with riches, that we’re likely to use for sinful idols, we may actually find ourselves better off. 

Nowhere in scripture does it say you’ll be rich if you follow Christ. In fact, scripture warns about the love of money. 1 Timothy 6:10 “10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” It warns about where you put your heart. Matthew 6:21 21 “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” It warns about the idols we collect. Isaiah 45:20B “They have no knowledge, Who carry the wood of their carved image, And pray to a god that cannot save.” If God blesses you, that is entirely God’s prerogative. If he doesn’t, that’s also his prerogative. Scripture doesn’t say God wants you to prosper now, meaning never have trials, and be not be poor. And God’s plan for your life, is for you to worship Him, to give him glory, and thanks for what you’ve been given. Knowing what is meant for you, or the nation of Israel, is vital to properly exegesis of scripture. You are not in the Bible, and while we can glean, and take things out that apply to us, we need to know the difference in how everything applies. Let me give you an example. 

If you read Exodus, and you see how God gives Israel manna from Heaven, does that mean God will do the exact same thing for you? No, of course not, but what it does mean, is, as the people of Israel were forced to trust and rely on God for provision, so shall you. Trusting in God’s plan, no matter if it means we go through a storm, or not, that He will see us through it. Do not expect to get rich as a Christian since, in reality, we don’t see in scripture Christians who were rich. We do see those helping the church sacrificially. We see in the NT scripture says to give sacrificially, never in the NT does it say give a 10th, or a tithe. We are called to give yes, but based on one’s own heart and ability. Nowhere in scripture does it mean if you give 100 Denari, then you’ll get 250 in return somehow. If you’re focused on the seeds of wealth being sewn, and not the seeds of the Gospel into hearts of the unbeliever, you may be following a false, fake, counterfeit gospel. 

My prayer is for myself to continue to grow in the Holy Spirit. I wish to grow closer to God, and have a deeper understanding of his word and wishes for my life. I pray my gifts be put to use in the service of his kingdom. I wish to return to a position in my life where I can be just as generous as the days of old. I do pray that someday I no longer live in a tent, but till that day comes, I am happy for the canvas roof over my head, the warm bed to sleep in at night, a family who loves me, and food upon my table. I have worked hard in my life and my body is broken at an early age. I will no longer make large sums of money, and as a disabled veteran, not even making social security, I don’t even make a 1/3 of what’s required in today’s economy for a house, (where I live). I struggle with finances, let alone make what the new nationwide average says I need to live comfortably. But even though I never expect to make lots of money, I know God will somehow make a way for me to not be in the tent forever. One thing I know about God is, He blesses the faithful. Sometimes blessings don’t always look like what we may hope for, or expect, but they are always there. 

Being rich doesn’t mean having a lot of money, no, it means having an abundance of love. It means having more mercy from God, than I could ever deserve. Being rich is being blessed with loving friends and family. Being rich is being thankful for what you have, and counting your blessings one by one. Being rich is God providing your needs, even if He doesn’t provide your every want. Being rich is having physical ailments that leave you in chronic daily pain, but having so much love in your life, the pain can’t ruin your day. Let us want to get rich in God’s love and blessings in our lives. Not of earthly stuff that will quickly pass away, but in the things that really matter. 1 Timothy 6:9-11 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. WE MUST BE CAREFUL WITH WHAT WE FOCUS ON! The things we turn into idols, even if we don’t mean too, can draw us away from God. Matthew 6:19 19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; We cannot put a price on love, mercy, grace, joy, peace, gentleness, longsuffering, goodness, and self-control, the greatest of all is love. If you’ve got love, the rest will take care of itself, and knowing we are loved by Christ, and the Father will take care of us, money is less important. Sure, we all need money to survive, and sometimes it takes hard work, and dedication, and perseverance, but that just means we need to be active in changing our situation (when able). We must work as scripture says. We are to be gracious, and generous, when we can, but be abundant in the fruit of the spirit to all. Money should never be our focus, and certainly not our priority. God is the priority, and repenting of our sins, and putting our faith in Christ, not to rid us of the storm, but to be there with us in the midst of the storm. Let us get rich together, not of gold, and silver, diamonds, and gems, but let us get rich in the spirit of God. Go, and seek God first the Kingdom of God, in accordance to the scriptures. 

Peace and Love be upon you. 

For more, follow at: https://www.youtube.com/@thearrowpreacher6920/streams

And email me for prayer requests at thearrowpreacher@yahoo.com

THERE’S NO HOPE, EXCEPT FOR THE HOPE 

thearrowpreacher1 Comment

THERE’S NO HOPE, EXCEPT FOR THE HOPE: 

I don’t know about you, but I’ve taken a few moments to look around recently and it appears to me that the world is both literally and figuratively on fire. Places like tropical and beautiful Hawaii burning to the ground. We’ve seen nature disasters like we have not seen in generations, and some are calling for the complete change of how we live our lives. Lets move to electric cars, which have a huge environmental footprint from start to finish. Let me show you an example: How do we get the minerals and materials needed for the batteries for the cars? That’s right, big mining equipment, which has a large footprint, along with the damage to the earth and surrounding areas for places like colbolt mines. Not to mention the human toll for such mines, in places like Africa, where near slave labor is used to mine, the mines. Or how about the electrical grid in California which cannot maintain air conditioners in the summer, but want to put a million EV’s on the grid. Human cost of living, comes at a price, and when we look at the true argument, we know that all we would do is trade one for another, both equally disturbing. The point is, we are told our only hope is to change to EV’s or else we risk the destruction of our world. Here’s another example, plastic bags at the grocery store. Some places have banned those bags, but still have plastic coming out of their ears. When a paper straw comes in a plastic wrapper, or the soda, laundry soap, cookies, milk containers, and I could go on and on, tells me one thing, it isn’t truly the earth they care about. Again, let me explain. While I firmly agree we need to find more sustainable ways to take care of this planet, I would argue that everything has a cost, down to the paper and pencil used to write down your spelling test in the third grade. Between fossil fuel usage, to wood, and plastics, everything has a cost. We live in a dying world. This world has an expiration date, and, while we should do everything we can to mitigate the pollution and destruction of the planet, we need to know that we ultimately have no hope to ‘save’ this world. 

Revelation 6:8 8 So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.

When we look at Revelation, we see the destruction of our world. We see fire, and blood, pestilence, and locusts, death, and torment. We can sit here and blame humans for an awful lot, from environmental problems, which I will admit, we should change, to problems of the heart. Let’s take a moment to look at the heart. Are people generally good people? I suppose you need to look at what that means, what does it mean to be a good person? The first thing you need to do is understand the difference between what a good person looks like must have a comparison. We often look at ourselves and say ‘I’m a good person, I haven’t killed anyone, or cheated anyone.’ This is not an accurate picture of a good person. I will start off by saying there is no good person, or people. Good evaluates upon our own idea of what makes someone good or bad. The republican who believes in the life of an unborn baby, who doesn’t want abortion, is bad in the eyes of someone who supports abortion. Those who wish to have a socialist society, and to get rid of capitalism are bad from those who want capitalism. What side of the fence do you sit on? Let me tell you, truth is not a fluid idea. Truth, is truth, and scripture is the only truth. We cannot sit and judge others based on our own flawed views, instead we must view the world through the eyes of scripture. Jesus is the truth, and as such we must make our own personal choices through that lens, and none other. 

Let us take a look at the current crime situation in this country. Washington DC, which has seen a dramatic rise in crime, as of March 29th, from the office of the US Attorney’s office, nearly 70% of all cases were not prosecuted from the DC office. Let’s take a look at Portland, San Francisco, Austin, Los Angeles, and more. Crime has risen by double digit percentages in the last year alone. We see these things happening and it would seem that many of the larger violent crimes have been committed by those with a rather lengthy rap sheet, and some may question, why were they allowed on the street to begin with. The simple answer is not simple at all, but scripture tells us there will come a time when ‘right is considered wrong, and wrong is considered right.’ And ‘the people of Israel had no judge, and did what was right in their own eyes.’ 

Between the weather, and crime, and the dismal look at politics and those in charge, war in the streets and around the globe, one may ask, or say, what hope do we have? The economy now making living near impossible, as families are going deeper into debt, living paycheck to paycheck, or worse, losing everything, makes people feel hopeless for tomorrow.

Romans 3:21-24 21 “But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,”

When all fall short of the Glory of God, many may look to that and wonder why they try, if no matter what they do, they fall short. The point is why we need a savior, why the life, death, and resurrection of Christ is so important. We cannot do this on our own. 

Romans 3:10-12

10 As it is written:

“There is none righteous, no, not one;

11 There is none who understands;

There is none who seeks after God.

12 They have all turned aside;

They have together become unprofitable;

There is none who does good, no, not one.”

Many look at the world today in surprise. ‘How could we have come to this?’ As for me, I am not surprised. Some people think I am jaded, but I disagree, I feel it’s an understanding of the sin nature, that gives me this perspective. When we look at scripture, and it tells us that no one is righteous, no one is truly good, we cannot look at people as good. Common grace might mean we don’t eat each other, but ultimately, our sin is our nature, meaning, that corrupt, selfish, conceited selves, are our default system. Without God’s grace we are totally depraved. The world in of itself is not going to ‘get better’. The world will continue to burn. The US. Will continue to burn. God does not need to bring forth His judgment to cast judgment. There are two kinds of judgment, one is, direct judgment as seen with the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The other is the removal of God’s grace, as seen when Israel is destroyed by Babylon. Sin, left unchecked will destroy a country. In reality, as long as we as a people are sinful, and we continue to freely sin, and support sin, and put sin up on a platform, we can expect the worst. When we do these things, the Lord may give us over to our sins. How can I say this? Simply put, it’s happened before. 

Romans 1:18-32

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.

28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

As a nation that once held God as their priority, now after just a few generations, have pushed God aside for many different ideas. Climate change, money, new age, even atheist’s, all have their idols, their own gods, and these things have replaced God in the hearts and minds of people here, and elsewhere in the world. War, false religions, science, protests, the rise in criminality, allowing mental health disorders to make policy, and so many more symptoms will present themselves as God’s grace is pulled away. Has God given us over to our own debased, or reprobate mind? I believe He has. So, what does this mean? There is no hope for those in this country, or in the world, that does not seek God’s face. Those who continue to double down, or triple down on their rejection of God will continue to see things get worse as His judgment continues. Years ago I wrote a post called “When God Puts The Hammer Down” https://thearrowpreacher.com/2018/08/25/when-god-puts-the-hammer-down/

In this post I wrote “We cannot expect to live our lives without consequence anyway we want to. We have to assume that judgment will come when we get to the point where God doesn’t believe there is a way to save us.” While this was written by a younger man, a man who has now grown a great deal in his faith, so has a greater understanding of God’s word. I still believe God’s judgment will come, but in the manner in which it does, may not be so theatrical. When Sodom fell, God saved Lot. There may be those saved by His hand as we see by some of the other prophets as Israel was taken over by foreign entities. For those who do not seek his face, God may see fit to give you over to your own lusts, and desires, and ideals. We cannot look through the world lens towards scripture, but look at the world through the lens of scripture. When you make a decision is it based on scripture? When you look at your politics, do you do so through the lens of scripture? When you make a decision on politics, on ideals, on life, do you do so through the eyes of scripture? We have an obligation as Christians, to take seriously the things and people we support. We must be considerate of policies, of ideals, of laws, and even how we handle mental health issues within this country. Corinthians 10:31 “31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” We cannot support things like the “pride” flag, and also call ourselves Christians. Scripture is clear on what that represents, and what God thinks of such things. Our sinful creature mindset, is not Holy, is not righteous, and we must refer to God’s word, since His word is the only truth. 

For those who do not see Christ, and do not know Him, and in turn, those whom He does not know, there is no hope for you. The world will continue down a path, and that path ends with the trumpets and seals. It’s never too late for you, till it’s too late. There will come a time when judgment comes and you were given all the time to turn to God. For those who know God, whom Jesus knows you, you have hope. 

John 16:33 33 “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

We may watch as the world turns, the world burns around us, but our job is clear, continue to show the love of Christ. Continue to stand upon the Word, and spread and share the love of Christ, but also the warning given by Christ. There is judgment to those who actively live in their sins. There is an effect to the cause of those who turn away from God, who spite God, who blaspheme, there is a price to be paid. As one of my favorite Marvel quotes said, “The bill comes due.” (Dr. Strange) For those who follow Christ our sentence is commuted, and for those who don’t, the sentence is Hell. We are all guilty of sin, of cosmic treason against a Holy God. And for all of us, the verdict of guilty is rendered. Scripture tells us there is no excuse for not seeing God. Romans 1:20-21 “20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” The difference is whether you know and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, for the repentant sinner. “General Revelation is the foundation of all condemnation… IF God judges, he judges justly with equity, because man is without excuse.” (John MacArthur) I am not saying the country cannot be saved, but it will need to turn back to God in order for that to happen. I am not saying it’s too late, but current trajectory tells me, we may be in trouble. As far as Christians are concerned the fight isn’t over till it’s over. No matter the fire and brimstone around us, we must stand on the word and continue the “Great Commission”. We must continue to spread the love and Gospel of Jesus Christ. We must also stand on that word, and that means we vote based on the Word, our policies base on the Word, our ideals and beliefs stand upon the Word. What is socially accepted or acceptable is not the word, and just because the world says something is okay, doesn’t make it so. How we view crime, and abortion, race, poverty, immigration, war, world leaders, ideologies, how we vote, religions, etc. All matter. We must know scripture in order to know what God says on any given subject. If we do not know and study scripture, we cannot expect to hold representatives accountable to God’s word. We cannot expect policy to be made in line with Scripture, if we ourselves do not know scripture. We cannot expect citizens of a city to be held at bay by peace officers, when crime is allowed to flourish under the flag of inclusivity, equality, equity, and mental health issues. 

For those who do not know God, there is no hope to be had, but for those who know Christ, know our hope is not of this world, but the one who overcame death, the one who paid the price for us, Jesus Christ, our hope is in Heaven, a life after this life. How we proceed matters, and how we view the world through scripture matters. IF we remain in our sins, we have no excuse on the day of judgment. For those who turn their backs on God, or who never faced Him to begin with, for them, the sentence is written. It isn’t too late to turn to God, repent of sins, and know that John 14:6 “ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” 

As for Christians, keep fighting the good fight. Run with endurance, and take heart, Heaven awaits you. Keep sharing the hope of Jesus Christ with the world. Do so in lovingkindness. Do not be conformed to the world, but resist with the Armor of God. Live a life to show yourself apart from the world, and bare good fruit for Christ. Where you shop, where you frequent, who you spend your time with, what you do in your free time, who you vote for, all matters. Do not alter scripture to fit your narrative, instead let Scripture create your narrative. Pray for your representatives that they find Christ, even when they may act as an enemy combatant. Remember the opinion of a Christian doesn’t matter in the realm of scripture. God’s word is the ultimate authority, so treat it as such. Do not put your hope in people, for they will sin their way to disappointment. Hope for the best concerning people, but expect the sin nature. This means always be in prayer for people you interact with. Be in prayer for those making decisions on a larger scale that affects others, city leaders, large business owners, school teachers, even the politicians. Find comfort knowing that God the Abba Father is sitting on the throne, in charge over all, and if he knows your name, and you know his, that your future is one not of gnashing of teeth in eternal torment, but a glorious mansion in Heaven where you will worship the Father for all eternity. Find comfort in the hope and good news of Jesus Christ.