Money, the Bible and Eradication of Poverty

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Bode Ososami

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.

Proverbs 10[15] The rich man’s wealth is his strong city; The destruction of the poor is their poverty….Proverbs 13[18] Poverty and shame will come to him who disdains correction, But he who regards a rebuke will be honoured. …Psalm 37[25] I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

The Bible does not ask any to be contented with absolute poverty – a monster that administers the evil trilogy of killing, stealing and destruction … for the poor die slowly but surely, all their hopes are devoured and their joys and faintest aspirations shattered. Scriptures teaching contentment must refer to relative poverty and do not advocate acceptance of afflictions for which Christ already paid an expensive price for deliverance. Jesus may have appeared relatively poor, but to have followers and supporters (even if few or limited) – He could not by any measure be counted as amongst the absolutely impoverished. He had all His needs met and confidently sent the one in need to the mouth of a fish where there was money waiting. The righteous Savour had no need to beg any mortal being … it cannot therefore be Christ-like to beg in shameful apparel.

Luke 4[18] The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, [19] To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

The poor are not waiting for a treatise on the Trinity, nor do they need the fine details of Eschatology … they need a present friend that sticks closer than all their long departed brothers … to just bring hope and lift them out of their despair. Since many have never known relative poverty, divine principles of contentment only confuse them – for they will be exceedingly overjoyed if sure of safety from the most basic health hazards and immune from waterborne death in the streams from which they daily drink and have their baths. The only gospel … the good news that they need is that their tomorrow will be better than today.

Absolute poverty, associated with shame and death is in distinct opposition to glory … and God is referred to as the King of Glory. God, the King of Glory is burdened for the poor that they are lifted up to a fulfilled life. Poverty is not necessarily always associated with sin, just as sickness and bondage is not necessarily due to sin … but just as sickness and death are closely allied in scripture with evil, a nation immersed in absolute poverty is dark in many regards. Eighteen of the 20 poorest countries by GDP per capita are in Africa … not surprising given the famine and war that have racked the continent for the better part of the last four decades … but this was also referred to as the dark continent. The poorest nation outside of the African continent, Haiti has been beset by natural disasters, poor health conditions, drought and famine. Demonic oppression, corruption and spiritual bondage are very strongly linked to poverty – which is perhaps why the bible refers to it as the destruction of the impoverished in Proverbs 10:15Proverbs 10:15
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
15 The rich man's wealth is his strong city: the destruction of the poor is their poverty.

WP-Bible plugin .

The true gospel is good news to the poor … this means it is both spiritual to conquer the demonic and practical to bring at least a sustainable basic decent life and end corruption that causes suffering amidst adequate resources . This does not mean the poor only hear a prosperity message, but they need a ministration that includes a love that is enough in deed and in truth to cause a fellowship that empowers them to stop weeping after the church service. Indeed 60% of the world’s poorest in Sub-Saharan Africa must be admitted into the greater reality that the worst poverty is still spiritual poverty – a life without Christ that ultimately will bring eternal shame arising from the folly of not receiving His salvation. But the wisdom of knowing Christ and possessing the righteousness of Christ also disqualifies from a destiny of slow starvation.

Proverbs 3[35] The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.

Let’s pause to consider the concept of relative poverty … driven by a competitive market-driven frenzy of acquisition and self-improvement … always beckoning us to “keep up with the joneses”… and use the gospel as a social ladder … deluding us with a false state of frustration orchestrated by the clever demon called mammon. In Christ we have assurance that our basic needs are met and we can receive grace to abound or to be thankful if we must go through extended periods of relative lack. The fear of relative poverty is not the fear of God but of mammon – the harbinger of the prosperity gospel causing us to hoard divine treasure … holding on to much more than God has intended as we squander resources on excess we now percieve to be basic comforts … or live in constant envy and anxiety seeking that which we do not have any benefit from.

Philippians 4[11] Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. [12] I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. [13] I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. [14] Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did communicate with my affliction. [15] Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. [16] For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity. [17] Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. [18] But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God. [19] But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

For an unselfish moment, do let us remember the absolutely poor in their warfare against deep spiritual and physical afflictions … battles we may not ever have encountered. They do not have access to basic infrastructure like electricity, nor do they have the motivation or the education to read this blog.

Remember they are often too battered mentally to recognise the differences between a Mormon, Catholic … Protestant. They are too vulnerable to discern the prosperity preacher from the deeper reformed theologian. But they understand and relate to the good news of a Saviour, Jesus Christ who sacrificed His very own life so they can leave the category of beggars clothed with shame and now join those who have put on a new glorious righteousness purchased by the blood of Christ and in so doing – also delivered, never to beg again.

Deuteronomy 15 [11] For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.

God must observe as disobedient a culture or progress that promotes wide chasms between the rich and the needy. The hand of the prospered is not to be cautiously opened but rather opened wide … to brethren and not just to the relatively poor around us but more and especially so to the vulnerable widow, orphan and afflicted destitute.

Ezekiel 33 [30] “As for you, son of man, the children of your people are talking about you beside the walls and in the doors of the houses; and they speak to one another, everyone saying to his brother, ‘Please come and hear what the word is that comes from the LORD.’[31] “So they come to you as people do, they sit before you as My people, and they hear your words, but they do not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their hearts pursue their own gain.[32] “Indeed you are to them as a very lovely song of one who has a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument; for they hear your words, but they do not do them.[33] “And when this comes to pass—surely it will come—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.”

God help us all to do and not just hear your word. Amen

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Money and the Bible (Part 2)

Posted on February 5, 2012 by Bode Ososami

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.

It is difficult to expound on God’s truths about giving without appearing to be a hungry charlatan angling for help. Many have twisted the scriptures and misused people and gifts given to God…others say God does not expect our tithes, offerings and first fruits…and instead give God the crumbs and remnants after we have consumed God’s money in our hands on wicked living. With our appetite constantly whetted by consumer advertising telling us to borrow to spend on what we really do not need… how can we have anything for God? The preacher is not allowed to talk about the needs of the temple…the Bible is not silent. Hear what God is still saying.

Haggai 1[4] Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your ceiled houses, and this house lie waste? [5] Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. [6] Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. [7] Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. [8] Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD. [9] Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.

Dear friend, God is never mocked … God is His own judge and interpreter of all situations. In the passage is a woman who surrendered space and provision for the Prophet of God. God (not a preacher) does not only ensure she has a son (2 Kings 4:9-172 Kings 4:9-17
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
9 And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually. ¹⁰ Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither. ¹¹ And it fell on a day, that he came thither, and he turned into the chamber, and lay there. ¹² And he said to Gehazi his servant, Call this Shunammite. And when he had called her, she stood before him. ¹³ And he said unto him, Say now unto her, Behold, thou hast been careful for us with all this care; what is to be done for thee? wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host? And she answered, I dwell among mine own people. ¹⁴ And he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Verily she hath no child, and her husband is old. ¹⁵ And he said, Call her. And when he had called her, she stood in the door. ¹⁶ And he said, About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid. season: Heb. set time ¹⁷ And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season that Elisha had said unto her, according to the time of life.

WP-Bible plugin)… but God brings back her son from death. But that is not all. When God calls for a famine, this woman is given an instruction to sojourn to the land of the Philistines …and she is blessed with a rare faith as she obeys. The blessing of faith is a great blessing indeed. Do you observe that the Philistines have food while God calls a famine on His own children. God chastises His own and often just permits others to live as they wish and get away with anything.

In the end after the famine, she returns and cries for help to the King … and meets Gehazi – a servant who the Bible tells us served but not faithfully. God still uses Gehazi to draw attention to this woman and the King orders an unusual restoration. She is not just given her land…but all the fruit that would have been harvested for seven years if there had been no famine was also given to her in one single act of benevolence.

Gehazi, the other servant …the greedy person who knows the corridor of power well and who has mastered how to use God’s principles of giving but for His own selfish purpose … we read elsewhere ends up a leper. Remember Gehazi was useful to ensure the woman was blessed. The greedy huckster pastor – peddling advantage, prayers, even the gospel and books etc does have his uses.

In summary…though seven years pass, but God has still not forgotten your gifts. He will restore you. As for the many Gehazis in the temple – clever ones who have deceived many … God also knows. Gehazi also got his surprise eventually – leprosy…

The greatest thing you can give to God is your heart …surrender it to Him, today. let Christ be Lord of your life.

You may also want to read Part I.

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Money and the Bible

Posted on January 29, 2012 by Bode Ososami

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;

Philippians 4[12] I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. [13] I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Remain Blessed.

Adapted from Christian Conduct by Kayode Adesogan and Wealth Out of Ashes by the Blog Author, Bode Ososami.

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Rain of Heaven – God’s Wealth

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Bode Ososami

The Bible presents two broad ways and dispensations when speaking of prospering and the principles of enterprise. Both ways involve diligence particularly in sowing seed which refers to applying an input. The input could be our business ideas, our career efforts, and our investments in skill development, sacrificial giving or even financial investments of our surplus. These two ways are different but we often can confuse one for the other or be found in a mix, not really having left one approach fully while seeking to enter the other.

Egypt, in the Bible, was a luxurious and wealthy empire but for the children of Israel it represented the place of their captivity and bondage where they were enslaved to deliver target productions of bricks. It represents a dispensation of wealth which enslaves the child of God to mammon – a wicked and crafty hard task master. Egypt can appear welcoming, rewarding and fair – but has a natural disposition to kill, steal and destroy when the opportunity presents itself. Canaan is the land of promise, flowing with milk and honey, but occupied by hostile tribes occupying cities with mighty walls, representing strongholds of thought – which must be pulled down.

Between Egypt and Canaan is the wilderness experience, a place where the Israelites grumbled and murmured – never understanding the ways of their God, but often seeing His acts of deliverance and miracles of provision. In the wilderness, the Israelites though not in Egypt still think like Egypt but on a journey out of Egypt to the place of promise. Only few of those who left Egypt enter the Promised Land, but a new generation of Israelites enter and become the citizens of the Land of milk and honey – the land of rest.

When we consider wealth, we see the three environments. Egypt, The Promised Land, Canaan and The Wilderness. We also should know where we are. Many Christians are still struggling in the wilderness having left Egypt. The unsaved are in Egypt. But wealth and beauty is in Canaan.

Deuteronomy 11[8] “Therefore you shall keep every commandment which I command you today, that you may be strong, and go in and possess the land which you cross over to possess, [9] “and that you may prolong your days in the land which the LORD swore to give your fathers, to them and their descendants, ‘a land flowing with milk and honey.’ [10] “For the land which you go to possess is not like the land of Egypt from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and watered it by foot, as a vegetable garden; [11] “but the land which you cross over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water from the rain of heaven, [12] “a land for which the LORD your God cares; the eyes of the LORD your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year.

[13] ‘And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today, to love the LORD your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, [14] ‘then I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil. [15] ‘And I will send grass in your fields for your livestock, that you may eat and be filled.’ [16] “Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them, [17] “lest the LORD’s anger be aroused against you, and He shut up the heavens so that there be no rain, and the land yield no produce, and you perish quickly from the good land which the LORD is giving you.

Ezekiel 29 [3] Speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself. (KJV)

Psalms 95[8] “Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, as in the day of trial in the wilderness, [9] When your fathers tested Me; They tried Me, though they saw My work. [10] For forty years I was grieved with that generation, and said, ‘It is a people who go astray in their hearts, and they do not know My ways.’ [11] So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’”

In Holy Scriptures, we can locate our environment and seek salvation to enter into rest. One can also see that the experience and expectations differ depending on where they are with God. My prayer is that you enter the land that drinks water from the Rain of Heaven

Extracted from Wealth out of Ashes.

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The Recession was Good for You

Posted on June 22, 2011 by Bode Ososami

Having the right attitudes to money and a stewardship mindset is important for financial success. The Bible contains a lot of wisdom related to this. Recently it was reported in Time (Moneyland) that the Charles Schwab 2011 Teens & Money Survey (Please download survey PDF report) suggested, if only in some small way, the recession may have changed attitudes and knowledge about money management in young people who experienced recession in one way or another. Attitudes are more positive and constructive than it was prior to the Recession.

Highlights from the data, from the online survey of 1,132 American teens between ages of 16-18:

“93% say their family was impacted by the recession
“64% say they are more grateful now for what they have.”
“58% say they are less likely to ask for things they want.”
“73% say it’s important to have enough emergency savings in case times get tough.”
“77% describe themselves as “super savers,” and only 23% say they’re “big spenders.”

Psalm 119[67] Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.

There are consequences for doing things our way, this includes entering cycles of loss and ultimately the demise of all hope as crashes produce anger and more rebellion – even while grace still cries out that there is a way back. We can still find our path back to God, the Owner, who is ever seeking good stewards. A few more words to reiterate on stewardship.

1.God supplies our needs and will not have us hungry. He does not supply our carnal wants or wasteful excesses.

2.Covetousness is trying to be someone God has not gifted us to be and without the grace and abilities. This produces bitterness and anguish of spirit and much zeal without knowledge.

3.Remember, we do not own the gifts and wealth but we can have power with God to make wealth. God does not seek our permission to give or take that which belongs to Him. There are direct unfortunate consequences for seeking independence from God in managing His resources rather than depending on Him.

I will have you attempt solving the following puzzle. Three frogs were lounging on a fence facing a pond. Then suddenly there appeared a big fat insect. As the three frogs watched it strut towards the pond, one of them decided to jump down and go after it. Now, how many frogs were left on the fence?

Was your answer 2, 3, 1r 2, 3, 1
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
3 And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?

WP-Bible plugin or none? The correct answer is three. There were three left. One only decided to jump but he did not. It is not enough for you to decide to be blessed you need to act.

It is our doing and obedience that saves us and not our decisions. Doing is always costly and often painful. Perhaps the lessons from this Recession will lead to more than decisions.

Count yourself blessed O stricken and afflicted. I have encountered few who justified continued sin in their lives even with scriptures (as is common today) until mercifully struck down with financial or moral crisis and they found grace to cry and return to God for help. It was easier to appreciate the gravity of misdeeds before God and seek repentance. Today, they have corrected many ethical situations that previously plagued their finances, marriage and life in general. Crisis (though not the preferred instructor we wish God to appoint) also teaches vital disciplines of prayer, humility and obedience that are not as well assimilated in today’s user-driven word environment. Perhaps if we surveyed this aspect of the impact of the Recession, we may be able to establish improvements in our devotional life and like David also say…

Psalm 119 [71] It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.

The Recession that did the most good was the affliction of our Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross at Calvary that we might be saved and receive eternal life… Surrender your life to Him.

Now you are better armed to manage the windfall soon coming your way.

(Originally published in The Christian Post)

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Bell denies Hell, Forbes celebrates the Richest, Earthquake and fears of Nuclear meltdown cripples Japan

Posted on March 15, 2011 by Bode Ososami

Rather than send a prophet we will scorn on our blogs, God this time emerges as His own voice. On the 11^th March 2.46pm an earthquake in minutes leaves tens of thousands suddenly dead – in Japan leaving behind a trail of unimaginable destruction, fear and terror. Rob Bell says the victims are in heaven.

Last fortnight was somewhat unusual and unforgettable in many regards as events unfolded. A very optimistic verdict is declared to the pleasure of the populist vote that God will not commit any to the eternal damnation of a fiery inferno we call Hell. Rob Bell suggests, in his latest book promo, that God is too benevolent to destroy people like Gandhi and your good great grandmother who did not have a saving relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. They do not deserve such a heinous punishment for such minor glitch given their other noble qualities. Bell lays his cards on universalism as he confidently strays farther from biblical Christianity. Universalism, in its broadest terms, preaches that all go to heaven and that there is no hell. A few are outraged – many relieved readers will be hoping this to be true as they anxiously wait to devour the “better news” in the gospel according to Bell in “Love wins”- sure to be a best-seller.

9^th March, in a perhaps unconnected development – Forbes announces its list of the world’s richest on the planet … parading on its top ten a few celebrated agnostics, atheists, Hinduists, and some not so committed church goers…the richest African is a Muslim. There are no sober reformed Calvinist Presbyterians or the more fervent Pentecostal “born-again” happy-clappy bunch leading this list. This may suggest they are not of as much economic relevance…and their “more demanding” Holy God has perhaps little influence on money matters on this earth or prefers to be a neutral observer watching. For the pragmatic post-modern thinker, these events as well as others perhaps raise questions on the relevance of God and the infallibility and sufficiency of Biblical truths…

Matthew 10[28] And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Haggai 2 [8] The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.

The question of ownership of all resources and power to act without accountability to any, and questions surrounding God’s anger and judgment all beg for answers. God finally speaks.

Psalm 29[5]The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon. [6] He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn. [7] The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire. [8] The voice of the LORD shaketh the wilderness; the LORD shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.[9] The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.[10] The LORD sitteth upon the flood; yea, the LORD sitteth King for ever.[11] The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.

See video

The Bible predicts many future great earthquakes as part of signs of the end, but also records several past earthquakes notably on Mt Sinai with Moses as he is given the Law; the death and resurrection of Christ witnessed separate great earthquakes; Paul and Silas are released from imprisonment as a great earthquake shook the prison. We do not see earthquakes attributed to the evil one in the Bible – rather they seem to be a divine signature or exclamation to boldly proclaim God’s divine power beyond the realm of comprehension subsuming all other powers also reminding that all power belongs completely to Him. Power that also backs up His word – none of which is permitted to fall to the ground. Earthquakes can remind us not to dispute or debate His revealed word … much like interrogating a 50 metre high Tsunami.

Psalm 18[7] Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.

Job 9[1] Then Job answered and said, [2] I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be just with God? [3] If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand. [4] He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered? [5] Which removeth the mountains, and they know not: which overturneth them in his anger. [6] Which shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble.

Hundreds of billions of dollars, life savings and treasures of generations instantly vanished under the waters and fires still yet to abate …

Luke 12[15] And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. Psalm 112[1] … Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. [2] His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed. [3] Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever.

God says those who deny His existence have no excuse to do so. He declares that all power in all forms – spiritual, economic, political and physical belongs to Him … who does as He pleases. Read post Stephen Hawking may be a great physicist – but has no clue on God.

If a disastrous melt-down of earthquake-crippled nuclear reactors happens then perhaps Rob Bell and those who say or wish there is no hell…may observe a glimpse – in the tragic scenario of unstoppable release of death and destruction accompanying burning refineries, chemical plants and buildings – but still only a minor rehearsal of a far worse future unending inferno. Obama may play golf as Japan burns, others will feel curiously detached or send help and sympathise as is always the right thing to do…but please do remember the reaction of the Lord Jesus Christ when people passed (appropriate or inappropriate) comments on tragedy impacting others…

Luke 13[2] And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? [3] I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. [4] Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? [5] I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

…. except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish … all races, billionaires, politicians, great, small et al. We pray to be granted mercy to receive this grace to return …looking up to God again. Amen

Please visit link on how to help Japan i.e. relief options. How to help Japan : Earthquake relief options

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(Originally published in the Christian Post)

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Enjoying Abundance again … what can I expect?

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Bode Ososami

“The recession is over” says my dear friend as he dances happily to the bank once again … It’s been a while since he could visit the manager without nervousness on the position of things. But recently business has definitely improved. I discovered Charles Spurgeon wrote a piece in his devotional titled “ I know how to abound”… Do we really ? Below are the thoughts of Spurgeon. I still ponder over them …and this time I pray I get it right.

Philippians 4:12Philippians 4:12
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

WP-Bible plugin [12] I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

There are many who know “how to be abased” who have not learned “how to abound.” When they are set upon the top of a pinnacle their heads grow dizzy, and they are ready to fall. The Christian far oftener disgraces his profession in prosperity than in adversity. It is a dangerous thing to be prosperous. The crucible of adversity is a less severe trial to the Christian than the fining-pot of prosperity. Oh, what leanness of soul and neglect of spiritual things have been brought on through the very mercies and bounties of God! Yet this is not a matter of necessity, for the apostle tells us that he knew how to abound. When he had much he knew how to use it. Abundant grace enabled him to bear abundant prosperity. When he had a full sail he was loaded with much ballast, and so floated safely. It needs more than human skill to carry the brimming cup of mortal joy with a steady hand, yet Paul had learned that skill, for he declares, “In all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry.” It is a divine lesson to know how to be full, for the Israelites were full once, but while the flesh was yet in their mouth, the wrath of God came upon them.

Many have asked for mercies that they might satisfy their own hearts’ lust. Fullness of bread has often made fullness of blood, and that has brought on wantonness of spirit. When we have much of God’s providential mercies, it often happens that we have but little of God’s grace, and little gratitude for the bounties we have received. We are full and we forget God: satisfied with earth, we are content to do without heaven.

Rest assured it is harder to know how to be full than it is to know how to be hungry–so desperate is the tendency of human nature to pride and forgetfulness of God. Take care that you ask in your prayers that God would teach you “how to be full.”

” Let not the gifts Thy love bestows estrange our hearts from Thee.” As the sound of abundance of rain is heard again, this time I am making a decision by the grace of God to be a better witness and make better use of the opportunity to create a more conducive discipling environment for God to use as He pleases.

It is well…begin to prosper again. Amen

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The wealth of the soul …spend your currency wisely in 2011.

Posted on February 2, 2011 by Bode Ososami

Brother Gbile Akanni writes below on the currency of the soul…

Words are the currency of the soul. Thoughts and words are the medium of exchange. Thoughts are our spiritual revenues in the bank of the heart. When we speak we draw it out. When you give a man an audience — a right to speak with you, you issue him a cheque to draw from your inner bank . . . to drain you a bit of your inner resources.

Pro 20:5Pro 20:5
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
5 Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out.

WP-Bible plugin Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out.
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Every opening of the mouth is an expenditure of the inner man. When you speak, you spend. A waster is simply the man that spends without thinking . . . without ensuring that his spending will enrich his life or the life of those around him.

It is inevitable to spend, but the matter is “what exactly are you spending on?” And if words are a vent to the soul, an effluence of life, the question is “what are you spending your life upon?”
He is actually a fool that opens his mouth everywhere, for everything and to everyone. Imagine a bank that opens its vault to every casual passerby.

Pro 29:11Pro 29:11
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
11 A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.

WP-Bible plugin A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.
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No! Nobody opens the doors of revenues to those they have not yet ascertained. All monies are kept behind a door. Even the cashier sits behind a counting desk separated at the least by a wall of glass! Before they release their revenues to you, you must show evidence that you have a right. You are either an owner of an account or a borrower, a drawer, that must repay with interest. Don’t open your mouth at every opportunity. Not everyone that asks a question deserve an answer much less every casual man that provokes a thought is worthy of it!

Financial advice for Christians in 2011

Posted on January 17, 2011 by Bode Ososami

Many were bullish at early signs of recovery in 2010 … but these may only be a reflection of weaker prior years and conservative projections. It is still to be seen if 2011 will see these jumps in incomes sustained …more likely there will be a flattening for the most cases. There will be a few winners.

The outlook is positive though fears of a future dip again into recession still persist and though companies are richer than in prior years – they will not be spending as generously as they used to. The best tips for success could be as follows:

Know/perfect what you are good at and remain in your area of strength – find where you excel/add value to others (where you can differentiate your product offering) and have developed cost advantages and continue to compete based on a lower cost excellent value strategy … moderation will remain the king of values in 2011. Frills will not sell.
Stock prices are coming up … but these are yet to be proven as sustainable jumps. Look beyond the numbers to understand why prices are coming up. Well run companies with nimble structures that understand how to flex their costs to adjust to seasons are probably going to be winners. Spot and stick to the winners and invest prudently. Use simple investment plans you understand with a low-risk grow-rich-slowly vision.
Many still project that real estate prices will still go further down before they rebound again. If you have spare cash you will not need in the medium term…it may be a good time to get an excellent deal on Real estate but be careful and get professional help. Do not borrow to purchase real-estate …though banks will be more generous to target good credit customers.
Online web-based creativity will continue to be rewarded although more charlatans will flock to this arena. Increase in expendable income will push a lot of expenditure into this space. This is a no-brainer…web-based services are cheap and positioned for the mass-market with little barriers to entry and almost limitless reach even as infrastructure for the internet continues to improve globally. The greatest gains in 2011 will perhaps be in this sector as a new army of internet entrepreneur warriors emerge.
Maintain personal prudence –i.e. Putting off purchases, eschew debt, save more…and watch your eating and physical habits to enhance health. Spend much less than you earn. Consolidate new financial habits and disciplines you imbibed in 2010…such as using a financial worksheet to project and plan expenditures and track net worth movements over the short/medium term.

Following are some of my favourite finance scriptures for meditation and some balance …so please be prayerful and watchful.

Psalm 37[16] A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.

Deuterenomy 28[12] The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.

Ecclesiastes 5[12] The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep. [13] There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely , riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.

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Marriage and Money

Posted on July 31, 2010 by Bode Ososami

I have been happily married 21 years…relieved the toughest periods are perhaps over only to be perturbed as I reflect on life that even after another two decades, if unwatchful, all my “dignity and grace” can still plummet into a chasm of separation. I pray not.

By the altar we made our vows … Numbers 30[2] If a man vows a vow to the Lord or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break and profane his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.

The Washington Post – The Gift of the Gores heralds a new world view and model “… there’s another way to look at it. The Gores have handled their decision to separate with dignity and grace. In doing so, they have given us all a great gift — an opportunity for a deeply important and mature conversation about the changing nature of marriage in a time when women have equal opportunities, when people are getting married later in life and when life expectancy is much longer….Not only should we respect their decision, but in some ways we should rejoice in it…. I have known Al and Tipper Gore for almost as long as they have been married. There is no question they were very much in love. They were affectionate with each other, warm, teasing and respectful. I never heard a hint of any scandal….They were together for 40 years, raised four kids, shared a lot of pain and a lot of joy, they have had an extraordinarily exciting life together and they should be proud of that. But people change, even those who are deeply committed to each other...”

Many cite lack of money and falling out of love as two prime reasons for separation. The Gores had more than enough of both it seems …so what went wrong… or perhaps we should ask…did anything go wrong …even as this is presented as a new social benchmark to celebrate.

How important is God to us.

In Judges 11 [30] And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD: “If you give the Ammonites into my hands, [31] whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the LORD’s, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering. [32] Then Jephthah went over to fight the Ammonites, and the LORD gave them into his hands. …[34] When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, who should come out to meet him but his daughter, dancing to the sound of tambourines! She was an only child. Except for her he had neither son nor daughter. [35] When he saw her, he tore his clothes and cried, “Oh! My daughter! You have made me miserable and wretched, because I have made a vow to the LORD that I cannot break. ” [36] “My father,” she replied, “you have given your word to the LORD. Do to me just as you promised, now that the LORD has avenged you of your enemies, the Ammonites. [37] But grant me this one request,” she said. “Give me two months to roam the hills and weep with my friends, because I will never marry.”

The modern era has perhaps justifiably emphasised falling in love, convenience, equal opportunities for women, and a long happy life expectancy – to be lived in self administered mirth and variety…over commitment to vows made to God concerning His gift of marriage to mankind…noting that while animals cohabit and procreate – only human beings marry.

Many today separate out of boredom! Money however is often pertinent in most separations and I do not mean inability to pay the bills. When couples drift…perhaps one of the first things to unglue tends to be the financial bond. A single financial plan that unites the family managed in a joint approach built on trust was presented at a recent marriage seminar I attended as a better practice to embrace. Openness and trust must be preserved. In plain words – be married to someone you can trust completely in money matters. An elder once commented that true Christianity, self sacrifice and love of God is tested and confirmed primarily in marriage.

Let me leave you with a more foreboding thought. If you think your spouse to be a waster consider that one easy way to usher the devourer (I do not just mean your attorney) into your finances is through divorce. I came across an apt headline on a divorce lawyer’s site “ Divorce your spouse not your money”. In my book Wealth out of Ashes, I wrote that divine displeasure has many serious implications including and especially financial costs. You will pay a heavy price in your attempt to buy yourself out of your vows as you ponder over…Who keeps the house? Who pays for the extra home? How do we ensure both get a fair share? The expenses of running two misaligned households, legal fees, child support, marital liabilities can be cheap in an online world but the enemy of our soul has a wide range of new levers for his devices. Wikipedia actually lists a range from $15m to Rupert Murdoch’s divorce bill of $1.7B. Divorce will in most cases make you much poorer…than letting your spouse be an active partner in your finances or indulge in another buying spree.

Do we wonder the Bible derides the fool in Ecclesiastes 5[4] When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Ecclesiastes does say all vows involve costs … marriage is no exception. God help us to be committed to our vows to you … and I have so much to learn.

Proverbs 4[23] Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life.

Those who keep their vows at all costs have God’s eternity in mind. Suppose indeed you find like John Wesley (Church History Blog) that you married “trouble”… your reflections on destiny and eternity will make forgiveness and forbearance suddenly a cheaper option.

Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, with founding the Methodist movement … Wesley married very unhappily at the age of forty-eight to a widow, Mary Vazeille, and had no children. Vazeille left him fifteen years later. Despite his achievements, Wesley never quite overcame profound self-doubt. At age 63, he wrote to his brother, “I do not love God. I never did. Therefore I never believed, in the Christian sense of the word. Therefore I am only an honest heathen…And yet, to be so employed of God!” … Wesley travelled generally on horseback, preaching two or three times each day. Stephen Tomkins writes that he “rode 250,000e 250,000
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
Izbrano poglavje ne obstaja! Štetje svetopisemskih vrstic se začne z ¹! Vrstica ⁰ ne obstaja!

WP-Bible plugin miles, gave away 30,000 pounds, . . . and preached more than 40,000 sermons.”He formed societies, opened chapels, examined and commissioned preachers, administered aid charities, prescribed for the sick, superintended schools and orphanages....Wikipedia on John Wesley.

Divorce is also not unforgiveable sin…and there is mercy and forgiveness in Christ.
The statistics are however becoming alarming as present day Christians discover seperation as an option that God allows (this was not the belief of previous generations of Christians) for even with sexual immorality we are taught to forgive. God also does not build ministry at the expense of marriage. Malachi 2.14-16; Mark 10.9; Matthew19: 7-9; 1Corinthians 7:10; Romans 7:1-3Romans 7:1-3
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
7 ¹ Know ye not, brethren, how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? ² For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. ³ So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.

WP-Bible plugin; 1 Corinthians 7:12-151 Corinthians 7:12-15
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
12 But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. ¹³ And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. ¹⁴ For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy. ¹⁵ But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace. to peace: Gr. in peace

WP-Bible plugin.

Life is about change. On the other hand, it’s comforting to accept in the Bible – Hebrews 13:8Hebrews 13:8
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

WP-Bible plugin Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever. Someone commented on this note that when life is unfair or when marriage ends for whatever the reason let it be done in decency. Matt.18:15-20 and I Pet. 2:15-16.

Lord …Help us to love you more than ever…and through Christ Jesus make us more than conquerors in our marriages. Help us make the right choices and embrace the right models – shunning ways that displease you. Help us to have more grace to be what you have destined us to be. Amen

(Originally published in The Christian Post)

Bode
Recessionproof was recently listed as one of 40 best blogs for Christian Finance advice and top five for Christian Finance Advice by a Church. To God be the glory.

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