The World and it's System

With a broken heart I write: The Recession is forcing more and more people on the streets; companies in effort to keep their cost down and executive salaries a float; have forced the non-ranking employees out of work to avoid decent wages, the high cost of medical coverage and to avoid paying unemployment insurance. People who used to earn a six figure income are force to work for $7.25 to $14.00 per hour, and that’s just to keep food in the house. Most have taken on a second job in an attempt to pay their mortgage and transportation back and forth to work. Then there are some people who have taken lower paying jobs, and have given up their cars to use the public transit system to get to back and forth to work, some even car pool if possible. Those who have lost their homes live in their vehicles, abandoned sheds, some even put their belongings in storage and make enough room for living space, and when the storage business office has left for the day they go back and stay in their storage space for the night. The soup lines are getting longer and longer. Churches are being stopped from serving breakfast or any meal for that matter to those who are bussed in or walk in for a hot meal. These churches not only serve a hot meal but offer hot showers and a change of clothes. One gentleman was quoted from a news interview, “We don’t want those people in our neighborhood. We live in million dollar homes and we want to keep our neighborhood clean, we don’t want these people walking around here. We don’t feel safe; let the Salvation Army feed them.” Therefore, this man and his neighbors got a court order to stop not just the church in his neighborhood from serving food, but other churches as well. People I know are getting payday loans, title loans on their cars to pay rent and help buy food. The loan sharks are making bank on the desperate needs of those who feel they have no other recourse. Several friends of mine are facing eviction. One couple facing eviction has a son in junior college and a daughter in grade school. The husband who was making a six figure income is now working for less than 30 thousand dollars a year to help make ends meet, his wife went to work and now her hours have been cut to 20 hours a week, so she took on a second job while her husband is working on getting his degree. They feel the only way they can get ahead is for him to get a higher education. This family has always been frugal with their money and helping those who had a need, they went to their local church and they offered them $50.00 to help pay their rent. My other friend is a single female who works with people who have physical, mental or both disabilities. She worked for an agency who would send her and others to various locations that needed someone to stay with their family members, and when the agency’s customers had to cut back, so did the agency. Therefore, leaving her without a job and causing her to lose her apartment; she now lives in a friend’s garage. There is a couple who are very close friends of mine, whose husband is out of work. They are three months behind in their rent and have given their car back, and are facing eviction. Having to give up the vehicle has forced the wife to catch rides to and from work. And again, these people went to their local church and either they could do nothing, or they offered them $50.00, and were given a phone number to contact a community referral service for help. Now if you read James 2:14-17 below, you will see that this is not how we should operate as Kingdom Citizens. It is not just our faith, but also our good deeds and works. James 2: 14-17 The Living Bible 14 Dear brothers, what’s the use of saying that you have faith and you are Christians if you aren’t proving it by helping others? Will that kind of faith save anyone? 15 If you have a friend who is in need of food and clothing, 16 And you say to him, “well, good bye and God bless you; stay warm eat hearty, “and then don’t give him clothes or food, what good does that do? 17 so you see, it isn’t enough just to have faith. You must also do good to prove that you have it. Faith that doesn’t show itself by good works is no faith at all-it is dead and useless. For so long we have talked about using our faith, when in reality working our faith gives us results. Faith without works is dead. Is it not enough that those who have very little, should be judged about not tithing or giving enough? That’s not to say we shouldn’t tithe, for the widow’s mite gave all she had, and I put emphasis on all she had. Which means she gave everything, there was nothing left to give. We can not despise those who have given all they have, Jesus didn’t that is why the widow was acknowledge for what she could give. However, Churches have used tithing as a way to determine who should receive assistant and who should not. When asked if they have a Benevolent Fund to help their people, they all but laugh in your face, and with a haughty spirit will tell you that if you don’t give you get nothing, funny how they did not shun you when you were able to give. So giving five, ten, or twenty dollars now does not matter, but Jesus mentioned the widow when she gave all she had. When these people went to their church and ask for help, they felt as though they were being judged and made to feel they no longer were of any value. I say it is time we all stand up and help one another and no longer depend on the government and our churches to meet the physical needs of the people. God is our source, yes, but we are the resource in helping each other. Will you help? What is God speaking to your heart?