Stewardship and Paying it Forward

What are your beliefs about the money in your possession?

When I lost my faith, this past time, I still believed that the money in my possession was not mine. I was vague about who it belonged to, because I had no belief or disbelief in any specific deity, but I knew it belonged to something bigger than me, and that some things only came into my possession so that I could transfer them to their rightful owner.

What I had never believed, before or after I lost my faith, was that others had the same responsibility to let resources flow through them. Their money was their money. Period.

Another thing that I never believed was that to refuse help, and remain in a weaker state that was less able to do my father's work, might be a sin.

When I took help from charities, I thought I had to become whatever they wanted their beneficiaries to be, or not take the help at all. It was very black and white to me, and I was afraid to apply to charities if I felt like there was anything about my situation that was not exactly how they wanted it before and after taking that gift. I believed that they owned more than the gift; I believed that they owned ME if I accepted it.

I had zero belief that if my siblings had ideas about the money in their possession that were in opposition to what our father wanted done with that money, then I was responsible to do our father's will not my siblings' will.

I came very very close to refusing Benjamin's gift of a wagon. I was afraid to take it. I started thinking of all the things that I then owed him and other people here, and my brain just kept branching out with fears of being trapped and powerless. But when I clicked on the link and saw immediately how it would make me more powerful, I had to stop and breathe. And for the first time, I realized that the money of others belongs to the father.

I finally understand more of the parable of the prodigal son. The prodigal son took half the money, and then came back and was obviously tapping into the other half of the money too, which AFFECTED how much money the other brother had. But the prodigal son did not take his brother's money. The money belonged to the father: all of it. The father allowed the younger son to waste half of the FATHER'S money. Then the father welcomed the son home and lavished more on him. The story ends, but I am assuming the prodigal son is supposed to accept all that it takes to heal and grow strong again, and then he is to get to work with whatever work the father assigns to him. None of this is about the other brother. Both sons answer to the father, not each other. Both sons have to pick up with what is left of the money, moving forward with the father's will.

I have opened myself up to attack. By accepting the gift and even more to post this. But ... again, I am to do my father's will. Every day, I am understanding this more. My siblings are my siblings, not my father. If I do what they want, and that means disobeying the father, I am going to get a spanking.

Taking the cart meant more time to study and I know I am supposed to be doing that. There are Bible stories of one brother being sent to resupply his brothers out tending the sheep. Imagine the brothers refusing to take the food, and walking home to get food instead of staying with the sheep. Thanks Benjamin for the resupply, so I can stay out here. LOL.

I have no idea what comes next. I don't need to. Daddy knows what comes next and that is all that matters.

 

It is all so controversial.

When I read scripture, I changed my beliefs about what I was required to think and do, but I never applied any of those requirements to others.

I was still looking 100% sideways, and not up, when it came to receiving from others. I gave charities 100% control over me if I took anything from them. So I often self-neglected instead of putting myself into a relationship that made me so powerless.

I have been reading the minor prophets as I have listened to the McGee Thru the Bible radio shows and have been struck by what is said about poverty and justice.

I have been reading some of Exodus and listening to sermons about why the former slaves needed to wander the desert and why many of them were not allowed to enter the promised land. They were not able to move beyond their sideways slave mentality, and look UP.

I'm still trying to figure all this out.

 

Thank you for sharing all this with me, even more than the gift of the wagon! I am very struck by all that I am reading in the bible that is in contrast to what I have been previously taught about justice and charity and worth and other things.

I don't want to be one of the Israeli not allowed to enter the promised land because they just could not recover enough. I am trying to figure this out. Forty years the slaves wandered, and many of them just had to die off.

I want to pull it together and be ready for what comes next. I sense the next when I look at the mountains. Thank you for being my friend right now!

 

I am very interested in hearing what people think about this topic in GENERAL beyond my situation. I know that what I was taught inside and outside the church was wrong. As I come back to my faith, I am trying to get it right this time.

 

I know the biggest thing that I was doing wrong was looking sideways and not up.

 

Disparity is growing. Some of the churches are holding a lot of wealth and do not seem to recognize what they are holding. I think I understand some of the reasons, but do not know that I understand the reasons. I am stepping back and trying to start from ground zero and with scripture. That is easier said than done.

 

How wealthy is the American church? How does the American church measure their wealth: absolute or relative? How does the American church measure poverty: absolute or relative?

Can we apply anything that we read about the early Jewish families when the father controlled all the wealth and the adult sons in the family had little final say over the resources they managed. They answered to the father, not their siblings. Is it like that for us in any way?

Do the teachings about members of the body include access to resources? Is it scriptural for the children of church members to have unequal access to education? Is the church weakened by the disparity among its members? Is the church united enough that the wealthiest members are actually weakened by the poorer members not reaching their potential and spending more time on survival instead of other things?

What is the purpose of the church? What does that have to do with economics?

 

There are different guidelines for sharing within the local church body, sharing with the larger church body, and sharing as missions?