Rest Was God's Idea, Too

“Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” (Exodus 20:9-11) 

Sabbath is a gift from God. He set the example by resting on the first Sabbath. Even the land is to enjoy rest as every seventh year the land was to lay untended. Every seventh year, slaves were set free. This brought the gift of hope to an otherwise desperate situation. After seven cycles of seven year Sabbaths, a Jubilee would be declared and all land was to be returned to its ancestral owners. These acts countered the tendency of a small number of people to accumulate wealth at the expense of others.

 “Time is money,” is the popular rally call today but, in primitive cultures, three hours a day was all that is needed to grow and gather enough food for three days. During the Stone Age, the average work week was 15 hours. Men would hunt and the women gather and, then, paint on cave walls and tell stories around the fire. 

The Industrial revolution increased the hours required to work. Factories started at a certain time and the workers had to be at their posts. Factory owners wanted more wealth and, often, exploited workers with low wages, long hours and dangerous conditions. They exploited resources by taking as much out of the ground, as fast as they could; dumping their poisons in the ground and water. Labor laws and unions have created a more equitable work environment but have not changed the human heart. 

The booming economy following WWII, created an atmosphere of consumerism that was needed if growth was to continue. We worked harder to buy more toys, while advertisers cheered us on. We buy on credit and wind up working to pay off our debt. It's almost as if we have sold ourselves to slavery. “I owe, owe. It's off yo work I go.” 

Consumerism damages our planet and our physical, spiritual and emotional health. It has been said, “There is enough for human need but never enough for human greed.” 

Sabbath is the antidote to consumerism and the key to sustainability. It controls greed driven growth and gives the land a chance to recover. It enhances physical, mental, and spiritual health by allowing us to be unproductive and enjoy the moment that we are in.

Resisting Mammon

 

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Matthew 6:24)

Jesus' greatest competitor for our devotion is Mammon. More than merely money, Mammon is the personification of wealth; “the almighty dollar.” It is one of the principalities and powers about which Paul warns us. (Ephesians 6:12)

Mammon is the force behind greed, economic exploitation and injustice, uncontrolled debt and many other personal and social evils. Mammon is the God of Wall Street and global economics. Mammon is the driving force behind the decision-making process of many people. Mammon teaches that money is a sign of God’s blessing and poverty a sign of His displeasure.

Followers of Christ make economic decisions based on biblical principles. Placing God first in your life will have an impact on both your giving and how you spend the rest of your money. It will impact your work life, too.

Economists, politicians and individuals will say that the church should stay out of economics. It's complicated and has a life of its own. Jesus answer to the economists, politicians and businessmen who were exploiting the people was to knock over the money-changers' tables in the Temple court. In fact, the Bible speaks more about economics than any other topic. Jesus spoke about money more frequently than any other subject except the Kingdom of God.

If God is not in control of your finances then Mammon is. Jesus said you cannot serve both. This goes all the way back to the first commandment: “You shall have no other gods before me.”

Being wealthy is not evil. Abraham, Job and Solomon were wealthy. So were Nicodemus, Barnabas and Lydia. Jesus told stories that championed the clever use of money. At the same time he gave warnings such as, “…it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19:24)

Jesus identified money as a root problem in both the rich young ruler and the rich man in the Lazarus story even though it seems that both earned their wealth honestly. The successful farmer who was going to build bigger barns gained his wealth through honest industry but Jesus called him a fool. (Luke 12:16-21)

Mammon is not content unless it takes over all other priorities. Even the very rich still want more. “For the love of money is a source of all kinds of evil. Some have been so eager to have it that they have wandered away from the faith and have broken their hearts with many sorrows” (1 Timothy 6:10).

You can resist Mammon's influence by following biblical principles including tithing, refusing to exploit others for financial gain, and considering the impact of your purchases on your finances. Practical measures include taking a financial management class based on biblical values and gaining a clear understanding on how money makes you feel.

Money under God's control leads to generosity and peace.

Even our poor are rich

Poverty and prosperity are relative terms. For example if you own a car, you are among the wealthiest people in the world. At the same time if you feel the need to impress others with your material wealth, you will never have enough.

I once observed villagers in Ecuador who lived in bamboo huts. They were lacking in material wealth but seemed to be happy. They had families and friends, the children played games and the adults worked. I realized just how easy it is to be happy if we don’t become obsessed with getting more.

I have a friend who lives off a monthly disability check and lives in a Section 8 subsidized apartment. All his needs are met at a very modest level. He enthusiastically volunteers his time for a variety of ministries. He understands that God has put him in a unique position to be a missionary to his apartment building and his neighborhood. He does not view himself as poor but, rather, called to a sacrificial way of life.

When we learn to simplify our lives and live within our means, a world of possibilities is opened up for us.

Another friend found herself alone and impoverished when her husband left her following a crippling accident. Unable to work she went about learning how to prosper in her poverty. She spent many hours at the library enjoying the air conditioning and learning how to fend for herself.

She went to a local grocer and said that she would give him a quarter everyday for all the spoiled produce. She would salvage the edible portions and make a stew. Later, she made a deal with an elderly man in her apartment building, to cook his meals if he would pay for the groceries. They then shared the meal.

She never felt sorry for herself nor envied what others had. She was content where she was and grateful when her prospects improved. She looked back on those days as character building not misfortune.

Certainly to have is usually better than to have not but the chronically dissatisfied and, especially, the greedy will never be content. “A greedy man stirs up dissension, but he who trusts in the LORD will prosper.” Proverbs 28:25

“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” Philippians 4:12