April 19, 2011
I Pledge Allegiance
I find myself in many situations where I’m called to stand and say The Pledge of Allegiance. I normally put my gaze on the flag itself, however there are times when I sneak a peek at other participants. As folks put their right hand over their heart, it’s been interesting to see where people think their heart is located. Some hands are placed high toward the collar bone, low toward the stomach, close the center of the ribcage and then others are almost under the armpit. Jesus tells us where to find our hearts, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Luke 12:34 NIV)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Gail;
-----A person works hard too accumulate and protect his treasure. If it were something he could just make or pluck off a tree, he would still have to develop in his heart the skill to make it or the knowledge of where the tree could be found. But much more of his heart than that must be invested because treasure comes from other people. The industry of their efforts make things and the trade through their interrelationships distribute things to where they are needed. Since there are vital needs of food, clean water, shelter, clothing, and transportation, industry and trade are not in themselves wrong. And to profit from them is merely to acquire the fulfillment of one’s own vital needs by engaging in the supplying of other’s vital needs. If every person were to receive only the value of the goods he made or passed along, then he would receive nothing at all for his efforts and would shortly starve to death while the goods he needed for survival were all the time passing through his hands. Profits are not evil. They are rewards for the contributions of one’s own time, energy, and skills meeting the needs of survival. It is a particular motivation for profit that is evil, while a different motivation for profit is righteous. Or similarly stated, it is a particular heart for profit that is evil, while a different heart for it is righteous.
-----By one perspective, there are two places the heart can be, with the self, or with everyone. The heart with the self views profit as whatever he can get for the effort he is willing to make. If the price he can get far exceeds his costs, he will either not have to make much effort to survive, or he will make a lot of effort and have far in excess of his needs. Accordingly, others get less or more of what they need, too, while his heart yet remains with his self. This is very much Adam Smith’s free-market system. Its focus treasures profit and uses needs as a tool.
-----But the heart with everyone is differently motivated. Now, I’ll bet you’re expecting me to go communist here, at least Progressive-socialist, “Barrack Obama, here I come, brother!” Well, not so fast partner. That thinking claims to be oriented upon everyone, but lies. You see, everyone includes you. Yet their collectivist mentality requires the surrender of your individuality in submitting to others and your being controlled by them rather than retaining self-control (fruit of the Spirit) and participating with them. Jesus did not say to love others and hate yourself. He said to love others as you do yourself. So the heart with everyone still participates in a free-market, but regards the fulfillment of everyone‘s needs, including those of the self, as the treasure while using profit as a tool. It sees the giving of the drink to the least of these as a giving of the drink to the Lord. If the least of these can pay enough for the drink to provide its provider a sufficient profit, then that profit is also being given to the Lord, because the drink supplier has vital needs, too. This heart indeed treasures one another and a participation in their needs, while profit is merely their similar attitude towards you. It is the flux of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Love you all,
Steve Corey
Post a Comment