“A federal appeals court on Tuesday declared California's same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional but agreed to give sponsors of the bitterly contested, voter-approved law time to appeal the ruling before ordering the state to resume allowing gay couples to wed.”... reports the Huffington Post.  Lawyers research and prepare to deliver another battery of superior legal arguments and others ascend quickly unto the hill of the Lord. What can one expect next?

God is accustomed to battle in all forms and described as the Lord - strong and mighty, mighty in battle and Lord of hosts – not for His preference of civil methods. There is nothing unusual about threats and floods assailing Kingdom order if we recall that God Himself declared in Psalm 24:1 The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. [2]  For He hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods. FULL POST

A message that does not contribute to the eradication of poverty and empowers the deprived in the community, spreading country wealth cannot be the good news that Christ was anointed to preach ... at best it is a contemporary sectarian heresy of the advantaged class or another subtle tool of oppression, in that it excludes Christ all together.

In this third part of a series on Money and the Bible, the focus is on biblical perspectives on poverty. Poverty can be described in absolute and relative terms and this often causes misunderstanding especially in a non-biblical mindset.  Absolute poverty or destitution refers to lack of the most basic human needs, which commonly includes safe water, nutrition, health care, basic education, adequate clothing and shelter. The absolutely poor are vulnerable and helpless beggars ... lacking in the most common dignity, exposed to terror for lack of basic protection, shame, fear, corruption, disease and routinely abused.  Conservatively, over 2 billion people are estimated to live in absolute poverty today. Many, who have never been exposed to absolute poverty, will often mistake the poor as mentioned in the Bible to always refer to relative poverty which pertains to lack of an acceptable level of resources as compared with others within a society.

To illustrate the income inequality between rich and poor countries, consider these facts: about 1.75 billion people live in extreme deprivation in education, health, and standard of living; 1.44 billion people out of the developing world's 6.9 billion people live on $1.25 per day; 2.6 billion people are estimated to be living on less than $2 a day. Multidimensional poverty varies by region from three percent in Europe and Central Asia to 65% in Sub-Saharan Africa.

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God is a great restorer and a great provider. He does not forget those who have given even when men have.  The Bible also helps us to see that famines are called by God.  There is hardly any famine mentioned in the Bible that is not shown as an instrument in the hands of God to get His own children to repent.  God does not need to send famine to those He has marked out for destruction.  Indeed, their destroyer is their own wealth and surfeiting in excess....their greed soon overtakes them to make grievous mistakes just as God preserves and restores His own.

2 Kings 8[1]  Then spake Elisha unto the woman, whose son he had restored to life, saying, Arise, and go thou and thine household, and sojourn wheresoever thou canst sojourn: for the LORD hath called for a famine; and it shall also come upon the land seven years. [2]  And the woman arose, and did after the saying of the man of God: and she went with her household, and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years. [3]  And it came to pass at the seven years' end, that the woman returned out of the land of the Philistines: and she went forth to cry unto the king for her house and for her land. [4]  And the king talked with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath done. [5]  And it came to pass, as he was telling the king how he had restored a dead body to life, that, behold, the woman, whose son he had restored to life, cried to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life. [6]  And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed unto her a certain officer, saying, Restore all that was hers, and all the fruits of the field since the day that she left the land, even until now. FULL POST

The Elephant Room is a high-glitter theological roundtable featuring frank discussions among influential pastors.  Recently, controversy was generated due to the invitation of Bishop T.D. Jakes of The Potter's House in Dallas (linked to resignation of another Pastor James MacDonald) ... controversy related to Jakes supposed “heretic” position on the Godhead.

"He has brought a charismatic, theatrical, excessive, 'Word of Faith' flavor to the city that permeates many churches (especially black churches)" says another Pastor Baucham (who also stayed away) ... adding that he has seen firsthand the influence Jakes has had on Texas communities.

I would rather not comment on influence as determined by the size of congregations or popularity/community visibility as an indicator of spiritual size.  It cannot hurt to be edutained by elephants in the boxing ring of theological thoughts.

I recently adapted an article by Zac Poonen on the importance of fellowship but still many will quote ...Galatians 1:8-9 as they steer clear of the elephants altogether seeing this as another vain attempt by elite oddfellows to unify the ununifiable or unwise exposure to ungodly counsel.

Galatians 1[8]  But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to and different from that which we preached to you, let him be accursed (anathema, devoted to destruction, doomed to eternal punishment)! [9]  As we said before, so I now say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel different from or contrary to that which you received [from us], let him be accursed (anathema, devoted to destruction, doomed to eternal punishment)! FULL POST

Money is to be regarded as a gift from God to be used to the glory of the giver, God.  We worship the giver and not the gift. We cannot therefore spend as we wish even if we can afford it knowing that we will give an account someday to the giver, God.

We are only stewards of all that has been entrusted in our care.  There are some principles worth recalling as we begin the year, even as we are blessed with funds.

I Corinthians 4[7]  For who maketh thee to differ from another ? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it , why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it ?

James 1 [17]  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

1.God should be the ultimate beneficiary of how we spend money.  Money is thus another tool to be used to please God.  We must be thankful of the opportunity to steward even the smallest portions as for large sums, with the understanding that it may indeed be as difficult or even more tough to be found faithful when we are in possession of great wealth.

2.Do not allow money to master you by seeking for it at all costs.  This leads to devilish clamouring for opportunities and intrigues disguised as business savvy.  This love of money has led to murders of born and unborn, robbery, fraud or the more civilised sins of envy, subtle misrepresentation and exaggeration.

3.Do not be a borrower at all if you can help it, nor be a lender.  What you cannot afford to give, do not give as a loan so as not to create a chain of bitterness instead of love. If you must borrow, be very certain that the means of redemption is already within your reach...never borrow for lifestyle expenses.  Live as simply as the means God has made available to you dictates.

4.Enjoy simple living and resolve to be contented, never envying another for what they have or making comparisons.  God may have very good reasons for permitting certain persons to have a higher standard of wealth and living to accomplish their specific mission.  Do not imagine that the wealthy have an easier kingdom assignment.  To steward great wealth can be a very difficult examination requiring a greater reservoir of self control and patience than most have been prepared for.  Having more money than we can steward for God turns wealth to a destroyer.  Many families have generations gripped in various bondages ...drugs, alcoholism, perversions, depression and early deaths  etc. mainly because of lack of disciplines that are needed to match great fortunes. Do not pray for wealth you cannot steward for God.

5.Impulsive buying and accumulation of non-essential gadgets will grieve the Giver who needs you as a conduit to direct funds to a need crying for provision.  The prayer of the one with excess funds should be for God to reveal the needs the extra funds are meant to meet.

6.God is not against luxury, entertainment and leisure, but how does this glorify God if this consumes most of the money of a Christian?  Visitors should be properly entertained and our homes should be comfortable and open to show a warm hospitality always. Partying and many celebrations are simply opportunities to show off and eat gluttonously and cannot glorify God. Certain forms of leisure such as viewing some films and some “innocent”  games and music genres can expose us to youthful lusts we have been admonished to flee from.  We are cautioned to be watchful.

7.The Christian keeps good records of money spent and budgets wisely.  The Bible is a book of records, numbers and specifications suggesting that God is exact and cares about the fine  details and so should we. Living carelessly expecting a miracle when we run out of cash is like testing God by jumping down a cliff.

8.Enjoy being a generous giver, giving without grumbling to several worthy causes also remembering to thank God always for the privilege of giving.  Investing more in people’s lives and the work of God than in shares or investments can be more satisfying and pleasing to God.

My favourite Bible verses as it relates to God and Money are from Philippians; FULL POST

A cloud is often associated with lack of visibility, impaired judgment, uncertainty, unseen dust and an approaching experience that has adverse implications. Aircraft would often seek to avoid them, as in the worst of weather, poor visibility has been responsible for disasters.  Clouds can be so thick, low  and dark causing a fog - all motion slows down and eventually stops till it clears. Yet clouds are an aggregation of tiny drops of water ...floating in the sky over the dry ground carrying seed begging for fresh moisture.  Elijah the Prophet witnessed a growing cloud ... starting grey and little, like a man’s hand and growing to cover the entire windy heavens, black.  And a great downpour follows.

 I Kings 18[44]  And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot , and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not. [45]  And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. FULL POST

It has become increasingly commonplace to read articles deriding the deeper Christian life and especially Spiritual Warfare suggesting this denies grace and liberty in the gospel. 

Even though Christ often prayed all night and interceded with an intensity that His sweat was described as blood, many only remember He said “His yoke is easy and His burden light”.  The new ease in Zion is becoming a contagious plague and rulers have no reason to fear the Prophets of God who once heard the most classified conversations from their prayer chambers and fried soldiers sent to arrest them. Did you not read of these in your Bible?  How do you not wonder that instead many in Christian leadership today are openly used as pawns to secure the power base of politicians? Why is the culture appearing to gain an upper hand? I heard only yesterday on Albert Mohler Daily Briefing(listen to this briefing to the end) that the Police in Los Angeles will now enforce by inspections a new law passed on Tuesday mandating use of condoms in porn films – (do not laugh) ... where would you start ? One only hopes this does not lead to an upsurge in applicants to the L.A. Police ... and what would happen to Christians who refuse to participate in spot checks? FULL POST

A recent article in “Grace to You” ministries entitled Careful to be Faithful addresses the theme of staying on a different path in 2012, not seeking a fleeting gratification but something more enduring. As a New Year kicks in, the first month is worth some additional reflections.   How we do things matter to God as much and perhaps even more than what we do. 

There is so much variety in interpretation permitting everyone to find a ministry that best suits ones peculiar context of what is acceptable. We become walled in by our own choices of truth and no more ask God to try our hearts in case our judgments have been wrong.

Misreading the signals can be the chief issue for so many who have mistaken the silence of God for abundant grace causing so much carelessness and wayward theology.  Do you remember Reuben who defiled his father’s bed in an act of gross immorality?  Nothing more was said of this in the immediate context and it seemed to have been all forgiven ... like many things done and even now boastfully paraded. FULL POST

I read a recent statistical report in CNN Belief Blog explaining that America’s Protestant pastors overwhelmingly reject the theory of evolution and are evenly split on whether the earth is 6,000 years old, according to a survey conducted in May 2011 just released by the Southern Baptist Convention. What also got my attention is that as much as 12% of protestant pastors surveyed agree that God used evolution to create people ... and over a quarter deny the reality of a literal Adam and Eve. 

Galatians 5[9]  A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump...A world statistical view may suggest that a large majority can be indicative of health but the Bible view is that a little leaven pollutes the entire lump.  I discover an unbiblical and unhealthy tolerance for variation when we suspect them to be minimal. I found a very enlightening book recently by Al Mohler “The Disappearance of God “describing a fast growing trend of making the God of the Bible increasingly irrelevant even within the leadership of the fold - a kind of closet atheism ... and of a more aggressive strain of atheism in the larger environment that evangelises powerfully and seeks - if it cannot criminalise “faith” in God - to portray the faithful as dangerous to society ... attacking continually and unrepentantly even the most basic values of traditional Christianity.  Mohler also suggests in his book a theological triage requiring Christians to determine the scale of theological urgency or doctrinal priorities associated with issues and debates.  First-level issues would include those doctrines most essential to the Christian faith.  I would suggest that creationism and a literal Adam belong to first-level theology.  If man was not created by, for and in the image of God, the ground is set for more injustices and social experimentation against humanity.  If a literal Adam did not fall, then most of what was said of Christ in the epistles would be meaningless. FULL POST

My pastor will often say if you cannot sing, then make a joyful noise unto the Lord.  Well Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton can certainly sing but still did just that in another soon-to-be box office hit.  I haven’t seen the film but heard clips of the music which expectedly reflect the contemporary mind-set that we can sing unto the Lord as we wish - with whatever sound and style gives us most pleasure. Michael Jackson’s hit - “Man in the Mirror” is thrown in with the classic lyrics of hope and strength that bewitched the fans. Everything that has breath should indeed praise the Lord.

I am ominously however reminded of another real-life musical scenario in the Bible.  Exodus 32[17]  And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp. [18]  And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear. FULL POST