MUCH GIVEN; MUCH EXPECTED?

The Apostle Paul was concerned with the people of Jerusalem who were dying of hunger and wanted the new Christians of Europe to dig into their  pockets to help feed them. 2 Cor. 8:15 written by Paul, saying, "Nothing left over to the one with the most; nothing lacking to the one with the least." This reminded the church of an earlier reading from Exodus 16:18 which says: "Every one had just enough.  Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered only a little had enough."

Paul used these nearly same expressions to encourage the Corinthian Church to share their plenty with the hungry of Jerusalem.

Do either of these sound just a little familiar?

The United States has a president that many dislike. (I read Facebook!) Disliked or not, our president is familiar with the Bible and seems to have some trust in what it says. President Obama has been actively seeking a raise in taxes to help to alleviate the discrepancies made in our economy primarily by the cost of wars over so many years without taxes being raised to pay for them.

Somehow, the tax burden we're being asked to bear doesn't seem so ludicrous when it's compared to the Biblical interpretation of feeding the hungry.  Goodness knows, there are a lot of new subscribers to the many food banks we have going at least in our city.  Homeless and near homeless, sick of mind and sick at heart, jobless and job-not-so-great.  All of this and perhaps more in the future as our population grows and grows, surely this tells us we need to look around over our shoulders, under our feet, and behind us, in fact everywhere and take it in.  People are  in need.  Some, perhaps, are in want--yes, I agree.  But most just need, need, need.  This is our world today.  People, most people have real need.

How can we not respond?  I for one like the President's plan.  What would it take?  Would it just take extra, our fun funds that we so carefully save for a vacation? Or some of what we have saved for retirement?  I don't know.  Is it worth a sacrifice to get our country back to a normal economy?  I hope so.

Who knows how this will all turn out?  I don't.  But I hope there is a way to try. And God's way surely must be a good way!  After all, it is His world and He did found this country!

Just sayin',

Jo