Greetings Dear Reader,
In the second book written by Luke, Acts, he explains that
the early church held all things in common and that everyone was given freely
whatever was needed. When social welfare
is based on the belief that God owns everything and that he will supply all
that we need, it can work. I have yet to
see that enacted by anyone who claims to be a socialist in our society.
The problem with modern day socialism is not the idea of social
welfare. It is trying to enforce it out
of obligation or law instead of love motivating it that works. I am not here, however, to rant against secular
socialism. I want to focus on the idea
of being socially aware of the needs of others.
If I am going to really consider the needs of the poor then
I must limit what I own. It is not wrong
to have things that I like. It is not
that the Father does not want me to have good things. In fact, it is just the opposite. He wants to give us what our heart
desires. He provided for this in the
Law, mentions it in the proverbs, and promises in the epistles.
It is in seeking him first that it is conditional. We are to pursue Christ and consider all “things”
lost for the sake of doing that. When I
share freely and liberally with those who have need then the Father is free to
give us what we desire that falls in line with following his Son.
If we truly desire to follow Christ then we need to realize that
all of mankind is our responsibility. The church should be known for its generosity
and provision for those in need. Instead
we build gold domes and crystal palaces.
If we hope to transform the world we need to get past the ideas of greed
and possession. We need to embrace the
idea that if anyone is hungry we will sacrifice what is needed to feed them,
even our enemies.
What is the impact if we depend on the Father for all that
we need and desire and consider all things available to those who need? If we give to those in need no matter their
station and status we lose nothing. It
is in this giving that we find freedom from things and the power of mobility to
follow Christ.
I must approach the season of giving with the heart of one
who only has Christ as a possession. “With
Jesus our only possession then giving becomes our delight.” In a world that has lost respect for the
church and sees it as callus and greedy, perhaps a dose of social welfare is exactly
what is needed. I know that I need to
have that approach with everyone.
Perhaps we can talk together as we journey Dear Reader and discuss how
we will lighten our burden by sharing with the poor.
Wishing you joy in the journey,
Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer
who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home
owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure
store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Contacts for Aramis
Thorn:
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