After completing my taxes, I was depressed to see on paper what my gross was for 2008 – and the net was even worse! Instead of progressing forward in my finances, I had stepped back to a monetary level I had not seen since the 1980’s! Until, (and thankfully it didn’t take a long time for this realization to hit me!), I realized that I had made it through 2008 well fed (obviously), and with all my bills paid – I had survived! But then, I found myself thinking, “I probably qualify for food stamps, and maybe there are other programs I can qualify for from the government so that 2009 will not be so hard!” It was about then that I realized, too, that the $400 tax break would not benefit me at all because it will show up in employees' paychecks throughout the year - about $13 extra per week! Since I don't get a payroll check, I won't see a penny of that "stimulus"! This was upsetting to me, until I realized I had inadvertently stepped into "THE NANNY-STATE ZONE"!
Now, I know that we have had thousands of folks on the “government dole” for years - Obama is not the first President to drive us toward the “Nanny State” form of government. Don’t get me wrong: there are folks being helped by government programs who desperately need the help, and to them, it is only a temporary hand up until they can get back on their feet. For example, my youngest sister had heart surgery several years ago, and she had to take a 6 month leave of absence from her job. So, with no income coming in, she had to go on food stamps during that period until she was able to return to work. It was a “temporary hand up” that had a start and a finish, and she appreciated the help. Her attitude was not, “I pay my taxes; therefore, the government owes me”. I’ve had to go on unemployment a couple of times myself throughout my working life, but it was temporary, and was, indeed, paid for by my taxes. With the unemployment rate the highest in 25 years, with over a half million people unemployed at the last count, we are grateful that the government is able to step in and help, but it should be a “temporary hand up”, not a permanent hand out. Unemployment benefits should have a definite beginning and a definite ending, along with accountability.
We were all created equal, and were endowed BY OUR CREATOR with certain “inalienable rights”: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The third right, the right to “pursue happiness”, was never meant to cause me to depend on the government to help me in that pursuit, nor did it imply that all of us will attain the same level of happiness in our various pursuits. Happiness is such a hard notion to define because it can have as many definitions as there are people! What makes me happy may not be what makes my neighbor happy and vice versa, but we all have the same right to pursue what makes us happy as long as we stay within the confines of the law. I have the right to pursue the dream of owning a home, but owning a home is not an inalienable right. If my financial situation is not such that I can afford to pay the mortgage on that home, then I either have to abandon that dream or work harder to achieve that goal. It is not the government’s responsibility to see that I own a home or make a certain income or maintain a certain balance in my bank or go to college, or own a car, or have cable TV or provide health care, etc. The government doesn’t owe me anything except to do what the government was established to do: punish evil and uphold good. Payment of taxes does not make the government “beholden” to me or responsible for my welfare.
As I think about the faithfulness of God over the past 43 years of my life as a follower of Christ, and particularly how God has gotten me through the past couple of years, I am reminded of several promises made by Abba, my heavenly Father God. These are promises that have sustained me through the years, and are as vibrant today as the day He spoke the promises to those who put them down on paper for us in the Bible. As my Abba, He is responsible for my well being and my welfare. I will never cease being His child, no matter how old I get! And there is no limit to His resources - He doesn’t have to take the money out of one person’s pocket to put it into another’s! As a young man, David wrote the most well known psalm, Psalm 23, as a tribute to God for His care as the Shepherd, the care-giver of His children. In his later years, David made the statement, “I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken nor his children begging for bread.” (Psalm 37:25) David made mistakes and sinned grievously in his life, but from the beginning to the end of his life, he knew God as his Provider, as the Source of his strength, his Help, his Rock, his Strong Tower. I may not have had as much “bread” in the past couple of years as I’ve had in years past, but I was not forsaken for one moment, and not once did I have to beg for bread – although part of Abba’s provision this past year has been through the kindness and generosity of my brothers and sisters in Christ, for which I am so grateful! And I may not have as much “bread” as my neighbor, but Abba has promised that I would always have ENOUGH for my needs! One of the Names He has given to reveal Himself to us is "El Shaddai", the God Who is Enough. This Name was first revealed to Abraham, when at the age of 90, God came to him and revealed Himself as El Shaddai, the Almighty God Who supplies what He promises - and then told Abraham that he would be the father of many nations, promising him a son in his old age! You know the story - 19 years later Abraham and Sara had a son and they named him Isaac, which means "laughter", a joyful and appropriate response to the God Who fulfills His promises!!!
I am reminded of another one of my favorite names that Abba has given us that describes what He is like – Jehovah-jireh. The first time this Name is mentioned is in Genesis 22, and the circumstances are when God called on Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. All Isaac knew was that he and his father were going up into the mountain to make a sacrifice to God, but he was puzzled because there was no lamb for the offering. Abraham’s response to Isaac’s question was, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And later, when God intervened and stopped Abraham from killing his son and provided the ram instead, Abraham named the place “Jehovah-jireh”, the Lord will provide. God not only describes Himself or reveals Himself to us – He demonstrates His care and provision and love for His children every day.
God has done everything for us: He has provided His only Son as the only suitable sacrifice for our sins; through His sacrifice, we have forgiveness of sins, access to the Father, a relationship with Abba, the privilege of knowing Him, life everlasting, and so much more! With these HUGE issues taken care of with absolutely no contribution from me, how could I possibly doubt that He is able to do “far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us…”! (Ephesians 3:20) How can I doubt Abba’s ability to take care of my physical and material needs when He is the One Who laid the foundations of the earth, who hung the stars in space, the One Who has removed my transgressions as far as the east is from the west, the One Who formed me in my mother’s womb, Who knows everything about me, the One Who has written all of my days in His book and there is nothing in my life that is hidden from Him?
I heard someone on the Christian radio Saturday liken what’s happening today, with the government stepping in and taking over so many segments of society, to what happened in Joseph’s day. She said that the government of Egypt stepped in back in Joseph's day and provided food for that part of the world during a time of famine. However, I don't see Egypt as being the entity responsible for that provision. If you remember the story, the Pharaoh had a dream, and it was Joseph who interpreted that dream and was given the title of Prime Minister of Egypt, responsible for storing up the food that came during the years of plenty and then for distributing that food to the people during the years of famine. Joseph was spared by God to preserve God’s people during a time of devastating famine. It was not the government of Egypt that stepped up and took care of everyone - it was the wisdom and goodness of Almighty God through His servant Joseph for the purpose of preserving His people – the rest of the world was blessed because God allows it to “rain on the just and the unjust”. I see the Pharaoh of Egypt as an “unwitting servant” of God to not only preserve the life of Israel in the famine, but also provide a place for them to settle in relative security and grow for a period of 400 years! It was actually through God’s people that the nation of Egypt enjoyed the blessing of God! I personally don’t see what’s happening today with the government wanting to become all-powerful as a true parallel to what happened in Joseph’s day.
I don’t want to come to the end of my life, and stand before Abba, my Maker, and have to acknowledge that I missed His abundant blessings on my life because I was standing in government lines, expecting the government to take care of me. Please don’t misunderstand: I believe there are legitimate uses of government resources, and times when God has used government programs, such as food stamps or unemployment, or Medicaid, etc., to meet the needs of His people. But the government cannot force me to be dependent on its aid! I want to be dependent only on God and His provision for me. When He promises something, He doesn’t change His mind! James 1:17 tells us, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of Lights with Whom there is no variation or shadow due to change”. He has promised to take care of His children and there is nothing that will change His mind! We need to remember that what the government provides, the government can take away, and if we’ve grown dependent on something the government is providing and it’s either taken away, or the government begins to put demands on our lives because we are obligated to them, then we are in trouble.
We need to remember who we are as children of God, and acknowledge that He has both promised to take care of us, and He is capable of doing everything He promised!
Here are a few more promises that Abba has made to His children. Remember: all His promises in Christ Jesus are YES and AMEN! (2 Corinthians 1:20)
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:33-34
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.” I Peter 5:6-7
“Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act.” Psalm 37:4-5
“And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19
Let us as children of the Living God make sure that what we say we believe matches how we live our lives!
