have a bag with holes…consider your ways

Title: Money Bag with Holes? Consider Your Ways.

Author: Rev. Wesley Shaw, PhD.

The prophet Haggai declared, “He that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. Thus saith the Lord of hosts; consider your ways.” (Haggai 1:6-7)

The prophet uses the metaphor of the bag with holes to illustrate those whose provisional money always seems to fall short of being adequate. He instructs us to consider our ways. The Hebrew word for way is “derek,” a road, course of life, mode of action, custom, journey or manner. The Hebrew word describing the hole is “naqab,” whose multi faceted meaning is to puncture, to perforate with violence, to curse, or libel.

We gain a deeper sense of meaning in verse nine, which says, “Why? saith the Lord of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.”

This violent curse, perforation, or puncture in our provisional bag is a result of our default in supporting the house of God. It is as if when we know and profess the word of God and His way that we choose our own selfish way, a libelous way, a way of curses and not blessings.

The old aphorism states that a person’s heart is where his money is and money will follow his interest. If we love the Lord and His house, our money will follow our interest. We will become kingdom minded, walking in obedience to His word, and entering into the covenantal blessings that are inherent in his promises. As we pay our tithe, He will honor His word and open the windows of heaven pouring out blessings that we cannot contain.

However, in order to pay the tithe there must be a radical plan of discipline wherein we set aside ten per cent for God and live on only ninety percent. The Majority of Americans have shown that they are incapable of doing this. The American Payroll Association’s finding indicates that sixty five percent of Americans need their next pay check just to meet their living expenses. Author Curt Anderson in his new book, “Reset: How This Crisis Can Restore Our Values and Renew America,” presents a manifesto of American renewal.This manifesto would substitute the factory floor for the gambling hall, resetting ourselves to the old fashioned values of hard work and savings. Even as this book is being released, the savings in America in April, May, and June of 2009 reached a ten year high of five percent. For those who do not have the discipline to tithe, save, or invest, Susan Kaplan, a financial planner in Massachusetts says, “Take self discipline out of the equation by participating in automatic enrollment plans.”However, Jesus said, “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed.” (John 8:31) When following his word, we must strive to be steadfast and disciplined in all areas of our life. The desire of Kurt Anderson to reset ourselves and return to old fashioned values of hard work and saving is commendable. One old fashioned value found in an ancient paradigm of the Jewish people is the ten-ten-eighty formula. This includes ten per cent to God, ten per cent to savings and investments, and eighty per cent to live on.This disciplined lifestyle and other similar models have been instrumental in helping the Jewish people to become successful where ever they have gone. It is the will of God that we would have provisional bags without holes, bags that are blessed and not cursed. The greatest reset for the people of God, however, will be when we move into the ultimate arena of financial blessings which He has promised when we become the head and not the tail, the lender and not the borrower. (Deut. 28:12-13)

Anderson, Kurt, “Reset, How This Crisis Can Restore Our Values and Renew America”

Random House, New York

in a valley…consider the lily

In A Valley…..Consider the Lily

The present economic conditions have been labeled by top financial analysts as the worst recession since the great depression. Foreclosures are at an all time high, with unemployment hovering at ten per cent and continued massive personal and corporate bankruptcies.Although there are varying opinions among the economists, the consensus is that based on leading indicators, such as, increased home sales and reduction in new applications for unemployment benefits that the economy is probably bottoming out. Most do not believe that recovery will be short and robust but gradual, possibly over several years.Many of us are struggling and worried about providing just the bare essentials. In Matt. 6:28-30 Jesus says, “why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?”The purpose of this metaphor is to strengthen our faith. Lilies are tenacious meaning to hold firm, be stubborn, and persistent, to tough it out. They have the incredible ability to survive wherever they are planted. Tenacity is effective also in the commercial world as well as God’s Kingdom.A poignant example occurred in the life of Thomas Edison. After twelve hundred unsuccessful experiments to create the light bulb, his assistants encouraged him to give up. He stated that they were twelve hundred successful ways of how not to create a light bulb. With tenacity he continued and was successful after approximately three hundred more experiments.Spiritually, Hebrews chapter eleven, describes great men and women of God, who walked in faith as they tenaciously believed God despite not receiving the promise. Secondly, lilies also have healing qualities. Some lesser known members of the lily family are onions, leaks, garlic, asparagus and aloe. These are some of the most therapeutic plants in agriculture. Garlic is known the world over as a premier health tonic, and aloe has been used for centuries as a healing balm for cuts and burns.God has placed in us similar healing qualities. Jesus said, “Ye are the salt of the earth.” (Matt 5:13) Salt is a cleaner, healer, and preserver. As His disciples, we have the capability of ministering healing to the lives of individuals we interact with, those that may be walking in a valley of despair. Lastly, lilies are beautiful.Lilies possess an outward beauty that sets them apart from all of the plants. In the same respect, God wants us to be set apart for Him keeping ourselves pure and holy in the beauty of holiness. Jesus said, “That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” (lilies) (Matt:6:29) While Solomon may have begun his life in holiness, faithful to God, the changing circumstances and his own deception in marrying hundreds of heathen wives, and worshipping their false and idolatrous gods changed him.Unlike the lily, Solomon did not remain true to who he was and how he was created by God. On the outside, he was rich, but inwardly his true beauty was destroyed. As we face changing circumstances and uncertain economic times, let our prayer be Lord help us to be steadfast and tenacious like the lily, with a strong determination to thrive wherever you have planted us. Strengthen us to be salt and light, bringing healing to our world and guide us on a path of holiness as we follow you.If we happen to fall into the valley of despair, we can look to Jesus who is the lily of the valley and the bright and morning star. He will sustain us in the valley in this present world and carry us into a bright new morning with Him forever.

who is in control the elephant or the rider ?

Title: Who’s In Control: The Elephant Or The Rider?

Author: Wesley G. Shaw: PhD

In their recent best seller, “Switch: How To Change Things When Change Is Hard,” behavior economists, Chip Heath and Dan Heath, make a unique presentation on the factors necessary to achieve positive change in a persons life. They begin their illustration with the metaphor of the elephant and the rider from the book, “The Happiness Hypothesis,” by Jonathan Heit.The elephant represents our emotional side while the rider is the rational side. Sitting on top of the elephant, the rider holds the reins and seems to be in control, however, his position is precarious at best. The elephant’s appetite is insatiable, and when ungoverned may express itself in compulsive unplanned behavior such as uncontrolled impulsive buying.According to “About.com,” advertising research, approximately 66 percent of all purchases are made in the store and 53 percent of those purchases are made on impulse. The Heaths maintain that for positive changes to occur in our financial and other behavior, we must develop a three part frame work.Firstly, direct the rider–there must be provision for a plan with crystal clear direction (budget in the case of finance). Secondly, motivate the elephant–the rider cannot forcefully get his way long term, the emotional side must be engaged in the plan (deferred gratification and reward). Thirdly, shape the path–you must make adjustments along the way to balance and harmonize the temperament needs of both the rider and the elephant (synergism of the rational and emotional sides).Of this dual phenomenon, the philosopher Plato said that, “In our heads we have a rational charioteer who has to rein in an unruly horse that barely yields to horse whip and goad combined.” Psychiatrist, Sigmund Freud, wrote about the selfish Id (base emotion) and the conscientious super ego (rational), with the Ego as the mediator between the two.More recently, behavioral economists have defined the two systems as the planner and the doer. The late Christian Psychiatrist, M. Scott Peck, Md., in his best seller, “The Road Less Traveled and Beyond,” observed that our thought processes are ten percent conscious and 90 percent unconscious.While the 10 percent is the rational side, the 90 percent unconscious is the deep emotional reservoir and memory bank of life experiences having inestimable impact on our behavior. Perhaps it is that unconscious area that the Bible speaks of as the heart and says that, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9 In Romans Chapter 7:22,25 the Apostle Paul speaks of this dual phenomenon as a continuing battle between the law of his mind (rational) and the law of his members (emotional) concluding that deliverance and victory over this struggle comes only through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. David in Ps. 119:11 said, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”Speaking of the heart in the Beatitudes, Matt.5:8, Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.” The blessedness comes not simply in knowing about the Lord but in seeing and knowing him on a personal level. Speaking of Himself, Jesus said that, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12).In defining the impact of His light on our total being He concludes, “If thy whole body (being) therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light” (Luke 11:36). When the light of His countenance permeates our whole being (both heart and mind) we will be at one in His spirit. At that point, neither the rider nor the elephant will be in control. Control will be in the hands of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Heath, Chip & Dan, Switch; How To Change Things When Change Is Hard, Broadway Books, New York, 2010

Peck, M. Scott, The Road Less Traveled and Beyond, Simon & Schuster, New York, 1998

Compassionate Conservative: An Oxymoron?

In 2000, the then candidate for president, George W. Bush, used the label, “compassionate conservative,” to describe his personal approach to governance. He proposed it as an innovation as if it was somewhat contrary to the conservative tradition.The media immediately labeled the term an oxymoron and proceeded to vilify conservatives in general and the so called, “religious right,” in particular for what it deemed their collective lack of compassion and charity for the less fortunateIn his new book, “Who Really Cares,” Professor Arthur Brooks of Syracuse Universitydispels the media statements as completely inaccurate and unsubstantiated, revealing and validating the surprising truths about compassionate conservatism. Professor Brooks has been researching the data on charitable giving for about ten years. Raised in a liberal home, he attended liberal Ivy League schools. He assumed that the incoming data in his research would surely substantiate his liberal views on compassion.To the contrary, he found that although liberals spoke much about compassionate giving, their idea of charity was, in fact, government redistribution of income. This giving through forced taxes, he says, is not compassionate charitable giving. He says that the true flag to identify compassion is self sacrificial charitable giving, in which conservatives surpassed liberals on average with thirty percent more money ($1600.00 to $1227.00 per year average).Conservatives gave more not just for religious causes but also to secular charities like United Way and Red Cross and also gave more blood. Brook points out that this charitable giving added immensely to the well being of the nation in many and varied ways. The charitable acts such as giving and volunteering tended to strengthen social networks between people, providing employment possibilities, business opportunity, and access to financial capital.The research showed that the social networks were important to health, and the more people socialized with each other, the happier they were. Jesus spoke about the dynamic reciprocal aspect of giving when he said, “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give onto your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” (Luke 6:38)It wasn’t necessarily the size of the gift that impressed Jesus, as demonstrated in the story of the widow and the two mites. He said, “Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.” (Mark 12:43.44)Her gift represented total sacrificial giving of what she needed for her provision. While the subject of giving is extensively mentioned in the Bible, there is one act of giving that was so profound that Jesus said is would be mentioned as a memorial wherever the Gospel was preached. The gift was multifaceted including deep soul searching contrition and repentance, extravagant emotional expressions of love, extravagant praise and worship, and extravagant giving of material possessions (approx. $30,000 content value in alabaster box), and including the life of the giver.This act of giving recorded in Matt. 26:7 represented by the sinner woman and her alabaster box was memorialized possibly because it so parallels the extravagant giving of Jesus. During his life, Jesus gave extravagantly of his love and his healing virtue. On the cross he gave extravagantly of his blood and ultimately his life. The word of God says that in eternity the Lord will give extravagantly to his children.As heirs and joint heirs with Christ in everything that he possesses, those who have suffered with him, will also be gloried with him. (Romans 8:17) We also, in our life time have the opportunity, like the woman memorialized, to give extravagantly to our Lord.Our charitable giving can be expressed in compassionate extravagance; extravagant praise and worship, extravagant financial giving, extravagant love, extravagant ministry and service, extravagant testimony, extravagant life, etc. etc. etc.

gambling

Gambling: Breaking the Chain of Financial Bondage

In past generations, public opinion in the United States was not favorable towards gambling. However, recent polls have shown that the majority of Americans now favorlegalized gambling. The argument that legalization would limit and control gambling while providing a windfall of finances for public education has proven fallacious. The net income after expense has proven minimal and illegal gambling has increased rather than diminished alongside legal gambling.Gamblers Anonymous states that there are now ten million compulsive gamblers in the United States. Gamblers Anonymous has shown itself unable to mitigate this growing gambling problem, as have most of the American churches. Some churches believe that the Bible does not give a clear message on Gambling. Other churches have in fact, used gambling in the form of raffles and Bingo to raise money.As we search the word of God, we can see clearly that the Bible is against gambling. While the specific word gambling is not mentioned in the Bible, He does say, “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.” Psalms 24:1. “For every beast of the forest is mine and the cattle upon a thousand hills.” Psalms 50:10. “The silver is mine and the gold is mine.” Haggai 2:8.In other words, everything belongs to Him and we are His stewards. His standard of righteous stewardship stands in opposition to gambling which is symptomatic of a compulsive satanic spirit. While compulsive gambling is recognized as a sickness, this same satanic spirit of greed is pervasive in the life of mainstream America. It is the spirit of “striking it rich” winning exponentially without effort of work and stewardship. The false illusion of this spirit is that if you strike it rich, your problems will be over. However, the bible says that money made this way will not last. Proverbs 28:22Satan works against financial stewardship because the child of god takes the unrighteous mammon out of Satan’s kingdom and presses it into the kingdom of God, where it has miraculous exponential impact. One example is the tithe. The Lord said in His word that the tithe would be the gateway to a miraculous opening of His kingdom pouring out blessings that could not be contained. Malachi 3:10.While righteous stewardship by the child of God can bring miraculous blessings, unrighteous stewardship can bring disastrous consequences. Unrighteous stewardship imbedded in this gambling spirit has resulted in the perilous state of the United States andworld economies. This unrighteous stewardship was present in government, Wall Street, banks, as well as the population at large. The easy money, Satanic gambling spirit was represented by no money down mortgages, interest only loans, and second mortgages written to the full value of the property and beyond.  The adjustable rate mortgages seemed to be a striking it rich windfall for banks and Wall Street until the housing market declined, mortgages defaulted and the system collapsed….all of those that gambled on easy money lost. Their actions have precipitated one of the deepest recessions since the great depression.Jesus considered stewardship so important that He asked, “If you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon who will commit to your trust the true riches?” Luke 16:10. He set righteous stewardship as a precursor for spiritual maturity. Simply put, you will either take control of money and material things in your life or they will control you.He said you cannot serve God and mammon. If we are bound by chains of indebtedness and financial bondage, we are servants of mammon and not God. The Bible says that “the borrower is servant to the lender.” Proverbs 22:7. Our society and World is debt driven and will attempt to draw us into their chains of financial bondage. It progresses from credit cards and installment debt, student and bank loans to car payments, home mortgages, second mortgages, add infinitum.If we are a good credit risk, they will loan us more than we should borrow sometimes more than we can pay back. Although, as a child of god we would never gamble at a casino, many of us have gambled with debt. So, what happens if we have gambled with indebtedness and find ourselves bound by chains of bondage, head over our heels in debt? As the unrighteous steward in Luke 16 was deemed righteous in developing a plan of debt reduction, we too must develop a plan to reduce and ultimately eliminate debt.We must develop a budget plan seeking to cut expenses while applying savings toward debt reduction. If the debt load seems impossible instead of going to a bankruptcy attorney, we should go to the creditors and work out a plan. For those that are under employed or unemployed, Jesus spoke about provision in Matt. Chapter 6, when He said, “Behold the fowls of the air.” Matt 6:26. The fowls obtain adequate provision because of three factors: great intuitive faith, strong work ethic, and God’s love. It is what we call “sparrow faith.” Sparrow faith says if you want a 40 hour a week job, you should look 40 hours per week.With these three factors working in our lives we will be able to obtain adequate provision. In the next verse Jesus tells us to, “Consider the lilies of the field.” Lilies have two major qualities: They are tough and they are tenacious. No matter in what soil they are planted, they thrive. These inherent qualities will help us to succeed and prosper in obtaining continuing provision and stepping up to our debt.There are times, however, in our lives when we have tried to do the right thing and circumstances beyond our control come and our financial world seems to collapse: what do we do then? In times like these, the Lord gives us the example of the ant, He says, “Go to the ant, thou sluggard consider her ways and be wise.” Prov. 6:6. In consideration, we see a tremendous steward, who when her colony is decimated and theprovisional savings are destroyed, goes to work with a renewed vigor and determination to rebuild what was lost. With that kind of work ethic, we can also rebuild our lives.The bottom line is that we must look to God and his word for deliverance from gambling and other types of financial bondage. He says, “Without me you can do nothing.” John 15:5.  our lives must grow and mature in all areas of faithfulness including finance. This maturity will exhibit itself in a desire to eliminate debt and develop righteous stewardship. We will be living epistles known and read of others who being bound by sin such as gambling seek to find their way to a loving god,one who is able to set them free.