I’ve been thinking about the financial crisis and the “Seven Deadly Sins.” The populists keep insisting that it’s the fault of greedy CEOs who need to be restrained; others insist that it’s politician’s never-ending quest for more power; still others focus on consumer’s personal decisions to go into too much debt. How about all of the above? A perfect storm of greed, pride, and envy.
CEOs like Franklin Raines manipulated the books to get huge bonuses to which they were not entitled, prideful politicians seek more control and power by buying votes with unsupportable government programs, and consumers envy their neighbors and go ever deeper into debt in order to keep up with the Joneses. Plenty of blame to go around:
It seems to me that the solution is the inverse of the cause – companies that accept a government bailout must accept that the bulk of their profits go back to the taxpayers until their debt is paid. Politicians must accept the end of social engineering government programs and regulations that require banks to lend to unqualified borrowers. Consumers must accept that the debt lifestyle is unsupportable and that they’ll have to start making assessments about what is a want and what is a need.
What’s the liklihood of all those things coming together and solving this problem? Right. Pretty much zero. So some verses to keep in mind:
The LORD has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.
(Proverbs 16:4)
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
(Romans 8:28)
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will 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 6:19-34)
Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
(1 Timothy 6:6-10)
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”
(Hebrews 13:5-6)
