The Truth Process Session V, Post 6

Thanksgiving
In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln appointed a national day of thanksgiving. Since then each president has issued a Thanksgiving Day proclamation, usually designating the fourth Thursday of each November as the holiday. This Thursday – November 26, 2009 marks the 146th celebration of Thanksgiving as a national holiday. I sometimes wonder if the whole concept of giving thanks has been lost. To whom do we give thanks? And for what?
An article in the November 24, 2009 issue of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review is titled “Through Their Eyes”. The article attempts to answer the question: “What does Thanksgiving mean, through a child’s eyes?” About a dozen second grade students from a school here in Pittsburgh were asked about Thanksgiving. Here are some of their responses:
I like being with my family. And eating stuffing, corn, and mashed potatoes. I play games with my family.
People give thanks on Thanksgiving because the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock and founded America.
We meet our family and talk and then we eat then we leave we give hugs and kisses.
I spend Thanksgiving with my family and friends. It’s good to have a good family and good friends. You have a good time with them.
Thanksgiving means having a feast. My family prays to God. I watch the Steelers game. I play video games. I go to my grams. I like Thanksgiving!
This is a sampling of how Thanksgiving is seen through the eyes seven year old children. If the same question (What does Thanksgiving mean?) were posed to a group of adults, we might just find that the answers are not a whole lot different.
I know that my first thoughts of Thanksgiving are of the event – the family gathering together, the turkey and pumpkin pie, and the “warm fuzzies” associated with a traditional holiday celebration. I also know that I tend to pay more attention to the event of Thanksgiving than I do to the attitude of thanksgiving.
The event known as Thanksgiving occurs once each year. I’ll confess that even on that one day per year I am not as thankful as I should be for the abundance of my life. Worse yet, the attitude known as thanksgiving is also lacking much of the time. Maybe this is true of you as well.
“Attitude” has to do with the way I think about things. It’s amazing to me how easily I forget what God has already done for me, and what He continues to do in my life. The reality is that I often just take it all for granted.
Perhaps one of my “resolutions” for the New Year should be to ask myself two questions each day – “To whom should I give thanks? And for what?”
The answer to the first question is easy: To God, from whom all blessings flow.
The answer to the second question is also easy: Everything!
The problem is that when I answer the second question (for what?) so generally, it is easy to overlook the many specific ways that God has blessed me over the years.
When I start to think specifically, I think of my wife Fran, who next to my salvation is the best thing that ever happened to me. I think of our children, my work, and an abundance of material blessing. I think of my health, and the ability to see, taste, touch, and smell. The list goes on and on…
But what I should be thankful for first and foremost is God himself. I should be thankful that He is God, that He made me, and that I am His. I should be thankful that I am one of his people and a sheep in his pasture. I am thankful that he is good and that his love endures forever. I am thankful that his faithfulness continues on and on without end.
As you and yours celebrate the event of Thanksgiving this week, I pray that you would be thankful to God and thankful for God. May there be an attitude of thanksgiving that continues in each of our lives, every day.
In Christ –
John
Psalm 100:3-5
3 Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations

The Truth Process Session V, Post 5

“Thou shalt not steal”.

We have been discussing God’s divine social design in the areas of Family, Church, The State, and most recently – Labor. As we have explored the biblical view of labor, we have examined Economic Principles found in the word of God. To date we have considered four Economic Principle:
1. All things belong to God. (Psalm 50:7-12)
2. God appointed man to be a creative steward of his goods with “ownership” rights. (Genesis 1:28)
3. Theft of another’s goods is wrong…(Exodus 20:15)
4. …and coveting another’s goods is wrong. (Exodus 20:17)
Our discussion of principles 3 and 4 included the issues of Economic forms of theft (Excessive/oppressive/improper taxation; Forced “redistribution” of wealth) and Economic forms of covetousness (Class envy; Demand for “redistribution” rights). When I opened this morning’s newspaper (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, November 18, 2009), I saw this headline:

Poll: Let rich pay for health reform. “Many Americans don’t want to shoulder the cost of President Obama’s healthcare overhaul themselves. They think the rich should pay for it.” (Emphasis mine)
The house bill would impose a 5.4% income tax surcharge on individuals earning $500,000 a year, and households making more than $1,000,000. Apparently it does not matter to our federal legislators, (or most Americans for that matter) that high-income groups already pay a large share of the federal tax burden. According to the Congressional Budget Office, in 2004 the top 1 percent of all taxpayers paid 37 percent of all individual income taxes. The CBO also found that the top 1 percent bore a staggering 59 percent of the corporate income tax burden (under the assumption that the burden takes the form of lower capital income for individuals). To be sure, this group paid only 4 percent of payroll and other social insurance taxes and only 5 percent of excise taxes. Combining all of these taxes, though, the top 1 percent still bore 25 percent of the federal tax burden. It is not widely recognized that one-quarter of the costs of federal services--such as Social Security, Medicare, national defense, and the FBI--are paid by a mere 1 percent of the population.
The idea of taxing the rich to pay for “health care reform” is a prime example of a violation of principle three – “theft of another’s goods is wrong.” It is an also an example of covetousness (see principle four), manifested in the form of class envy and an expectation of “redistribution rights”. The comments of Mary Pat Rondthaler of Menlo Park, California are insightful: “You know, I mean, why not? If they have that much money, it should be taxed?”
The fact that a majority of Americans, according to the poll conducted by Stanford University think that a tax surcharge on the group already paying the majority of federal taxes is acceptable is an indication that this is not viewed as “theft”. Theft is “taking and removing of personal property with intent to deprive the rightful owner of it.” Is that not EXACTLY what this is? And is not the attitude expressed by Ms.Rondthaler, and many others, an expression of class envy?
The intent of our discussions throughout The Truth Process has been to examine the culture, and to examine ourselves to identify the areas in which “false truth claims” have corrupted our thinking. It is obvious that the culture in general has been deceived in this area. I fear that the worldview may not be much different among believers.
I recently came across this excerpt from Is God a Socialist? By Joel McDurmon:
“Today we have witnessed a reinvigoration of radical socialist ideology in government, including radical activists in congress, the judiciary, labor unions, teachers’ unions, universities, and numerous posts in the White House itself, including the Presidency. The arguments of socialism—welfare, socialized health care, regulation and taxation of business, attacks on “the rich,” etc.—resound throughout America like never before.
Most Christians are unaware that the arguments of socialism and the welfare State are nothing less than the ancient pagan view of the State forged by the fires of Moloch worship, ending in human sacrifice and slavery to the ruler’s desires. Worse yet, many Christian leaders call for socialism under the guise of Christian virtues like helping the poor and needy. Some leaders have worked hard to find biblical support for the State robbing from some and giving to others. Christians must learn to discern the devious rhetoric, and expose the wolves in sheep’s clothing that deceive Christians into Statism using Christian language and Bible passages.
The only avenue to repairing this ruin is through obedience to Jesus Christ. This path requires us to return to God’s word, and rebuild our lives, our families, churches, states and social order based upon God’s revealed way of life. The choice between God and socialism is the same as the choice between God and Satan. One leads to paradise, the other delusion and hell.”
McDurmon’s word are profound, and are applicable to every area of life. The only avenue to repairing the ruin of our culture is through obedience to Christ. We must return to His word and rebuild our lives, including every social sphere we have discussed, based upon God’s revealed design.
May it be so.

In Christ -

John

The Truth Process Session V, Post 4

Whose story is it?

Our discussion last week turned to the Sphere of Labor, which might be considered the “engine” that makes the General Economic Model run. The General Economic Model is consists of 1) God, who delegates management responsibilities to 2) Stewards, who exercise those responsibilities over 3) All things, which belong wholly to God. The Sphere of Labor is consists of 1) Owners, who delegate authority to 2) Managers, who have management responsibilities over 3) Workers.
We began an examination of seven economic principles found in scripture. Principle number 1 is: “All things belong to God.” (Psalm 50:9-12)
Whatever your position in the Sphere of Labor, this one principle radically changes that role. This reality – that God owns everything – completely changes the focus of work. This reality puts the focus on God, rather than on Man. Which brings us to the issue of “Meta-narrative” and “Mini-narrative”, a concept from The Truth Project that is extremely useful in maintaining proper perspective.
A “narrative” is a story. The “meta-narrative” is a term used to describe the larger, over arching story of all of time and eternity. Since God not only owns all things, but is sovereign over all things, He is the one who writes the “script” for the “meta-narrative”. The meta-narrative is His story based on His script. If I really believe this, then I begin each day with this question in mind – “What role am I to play in God’s script today?” This would of course impact my work. Why you ask? Because everything is part of God’s meta-narrative, including work! If I look at my work as part of God’s larger story, then I have a very different view of work than the one the world foists upon me. Unfortunately, there is another story that often get’s in the way. It’s called the “mini-narrative”.
The mini-narrative is the smaller story, and I write the script. It is MY story based on MY script. When I allow the mini-narrative to become more important than the meta-narrative, then I begin each day with a different question in mind – “What role will God play in my script today?” This is a huge shift in perspective – everything is now all about me and what I want, and I cannot help carrying this attitude into the world of work.
I have described to you two drastically different world views – History vs. Mystory. When we adopt a biblical worldview, we recognize that “It’s all about God” – His plan, His story, His script. We recognize that He is sovereign, and ask ourselves “What role am I to play in His story today?” When we adopt the modern culture’s worldview (when we are taken captive), “It’s all about Me” – My plan, My story, My script. We fail to recognize and acknowledge His sovereignty, and ask ourselves “What role will God play in working out My story today?”
Ask yourself this question: “Whose story is it?” Be honest, now. The answer to this question will have a huge impact on your ability to view work as God designed it. If the answer is “It’s My story”, then we will look just like the rest of the world in the workplace. But if your answer is “it’s His story”, then you must acknowledge God’s sovereignty, and recognize that whatever the work is that currently engages you, it is work that is part of His plan and it matters! Then, and only then, can we do our work “for the glory of God alone.”

In Christ -

John

The Truth Process Session V, Post 3

“It doesn’t hold water.”


"My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water. (Jeremiah 2:13)
These words were written about 2600 years ago, and they were written in reference to the nation of Israel. These same words could apply to our nation as well.
In this passage of scripture, the Lord refers to Himself as a “spring of living water.” I found this definition of “spring”: a source of supply; especially : a source of water issuing from the ground; an ultimate source, especially of action or motion. How interesting. “A source of supply.” Not the supply, but the source – the ultimate source.
The people of Israel turned away from this “living water” and instead dug their own “cisterns”. A cistern is an artificial reservoir (like an underground tank) for storing liquids and especially water (like rainwater). Cisterns were not a source of water, but a means of holding a supply of water.
Metaphorically, the Lord was pointing out the foolishness of the people of Israel. They forsook (to renounce or turn away from entirely) God – the ultimate source, and instead chose to rely upon their own strengths by digging their own cisterns. Cisterns were often lined with a plaster coating. These cisterns, dug as an alternative to God (the ultimate source), were faulty. They could not hold water.
You have probably heard the phrase “it doesn’t hold water”. We often hear it used to describe an idea or argument that just doesn’t make sense. Imagine two people having a conversation regarding global warming. One person argues that drastic measures must be taken immediately before global warming causes the ice caps to melt, flooding all our coastal cities. The other person might respond, “The data shows that temperatures have actually decreased over the last decade. Your argument doesn’t hold water.”
As I pondered Jeremiah 2:13, it is obvious to me how closely the condition of America today parallels the nation of Israel in the 6th century B.C. Like the Israelites, much of America has renounced or turned away from God, and chosen to rely upon what we, as a people, can do in our own strength and abilities. Like the cisterns of Jeremiah 2:13, this approach just “doesn’t hold water.”
Our culture is replete with “faulty cisterns”. To name a few:
Our military strength.
Our “can do” spirit.
The belief that man is “basically good”.
Thinking that man is the arbiter of what is good or evil.
The belief that “self-actualization” is the ultimate goal.
The belief that the State is sovereign over all other social spheres.
The foolishness of all this is obvious to those of us who are “of the faith”. But to a culture engaged in the worship of man rather than God, it seems perfectly natural even though it just “doesn’t hold water.” Scripture warns us that what seems right isn’t always the best way to live (Proverbs 14:12).
I am reminded by these words from Jeremiah that I must be very careful that I do not engage in the same foolishness. When I examine my own life, I sometimes find evidence that convicts me of turning from God – the ultimate source of all I need – to my own cisterns. When the Spirit, who guides me into all truth (John 16:13), reveals this to me, I must then turn back to the spring of living water.
There are times in my life when I am taken captive by the “hollow and deceptive philosophies” of this world (Colossians 2:8). When this happens, I begin operating according to a faulty belief system that is focused on me, not on God. This often happens in a very subtle manner. The results are not so subtle.
The end result is something I used to picture in this way: I am lying on my back, on the ground, having taken a very hard fall. I am somewhat stunned, and covered with dust and dirt, and I am wondering “what happened?” That’s the way I used to picture it…
Now, I picture it this way: I am lying on my back, on the ground, having taken a very hard fall. I am somewhat stunned, and covered with dust and dirt, and I say to myself “You did it again!” Then, my Father reaches down, takes me by the hand, and He helps me stand again. He washes all the dirt and dust away, and I begin again, determined to never forsake my Lord again.
May it be so…



In Christ -



John