Even in Turmoil, God Has a Balance For Us

"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to the flesh will of the flesh reap corruption; but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life." (Gal 6:7-8)

Being a Christian in the world is a tough business at times. Oftentimes the ones who do good are the ones who struggle along in life the most. For example, during the real estate boom, the people who borrowed illegally to flip homes made lots of money if they were able to get out in time. Mortgage brokers and Wall Street bankers who securitized bad mortgages made even more money - in the realm of millions per person. In order to do this business, many people directly committed fraud - and almost everyone in the industry indirectly were committing some sort of moral breach in participating in these cycles of bad mortgages that would one day need to come due.

Now society as a whole is reaping the corruption sown by these folks. In this environment, the few who were trying to manage their money and businesses right are left wondering at the injustice of it all. Why are we all suffering when a group of people were sowing to their flesh and made out like bandits? Will anyone come to justice for these frauds and sins? It is not likely. In fact, Wall Street has resumed giving themselves millions of dollars in bonuses based on bailout monetary policies (policies in which a monkey could make money since the Fed is giving funds to the Wall Street bankers for free).

All of this current theatre does seem like a mockery at times. In fact, it feels like it spits in the face of the average God fearing Christian. It is frustrating and maddening.

However, the truth is that God is not to be mocked. He knows everything that happened to the most minute detail, and it has not escaped him. I don't know what will happen to those individuals who are in the midst of this mess - but I do know that vengeance is not ours to take.

"Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to [God's] wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. Therefore "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head." Do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good. (Rom 12:19-21)

In a legal setting, if a crime can be prosecuted and punished, it should be done. For a society cannot survive if consequences are not meted out against lawbreakers.

However, for those sins and corruptions and are not prosecutable by legal means - God will give to each man according to his doings. His wrath may never occur through monetary penalties, but it could certainly be reflected in the condition of their personal lives. We never know - but at least the responsibility for the judgment is not ours to take - and that is something that is a relief. Our role is to simply continue to do good as we are able and to not be drawn into evil through revenge.

For me, the verse in Gal 6 is personal. What am I doing to reap everlasting life? Have I been sowing to the Spirit, or have I been sowing to the flesh? It is a delicate question, and in truth I would have to say that the Lord has definitely limited my opportunities to sow to the flesh, for which I am grateful.

I have a great family with which to spend time - the times with them are the most important in my life next to my time with the Lord. We are all healthy and happy. In addition, we are not wanting for anything urgent - there is enough food and our possessions are okay at this time. Neither do I have the distraction that too much money can bring - the lure and desire for that money can be both intoxicating and endlessly obsessive.

No - I have a good situation in which I need to rely upon the Lord daily for everything, and because of that my focus is currently rooted in the Spirit. There is a balance there which helps me to my knees daily.

But, that can easily change. I know I am not immune to temptations and pride. It can strike any of us if we are not prudent and careful.

Lord Jesus, I know that there are many things in the world which seem unfair. However, I know that you will judge in your wisdom and each man will be given his due - for good or for bad. Am I so thankful however, that in the midst of the current economic turmoil, that You have sought out our family and structured our lives in a balance. A balance that continues to draw us nearer and nearer to You first and foremost. As long as we get closer to You, we will sow more and more of the Spirit - and in the end, we will rejoice with You in everlasting life. That is our deepest desire and wish because all that we see in the world will indeed fade away, and when that happens we want to know that we've been faithful in our worship of You. Please help us to walk in this way. In Jesus' name, AMEN.