White as Snow
In our Great Country, the talk of the town since November 8th (since evening of Nov 8th to be more precise) has been “Demonetization” of Rs 500/- and Rs1,000/- currency notes by the Central Government purportedly to flush out the Black money (unaccounted and the untaxed one) out of the economy. Of course, this epoch-making move was aimed to break the “economical backbone” of the terror operatives also across the Border who primarily use these currency notes to fund terror activities in our Country. Subsequently and quite expectedly the pros and cons of this move has been debated with vigor from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. It is a fair guess too that the debate on this “dicey issue” is not going to die down in the coming days what with the common man facing the consequent cash crunch and all the hardships that go with it.
All this brings us to spiritual dimension of the issue. Is “Kaladan” (the Hindi equivalent of Black money) the root of all ills plaguing the Indian Economy or for that matter is the problem mainly of “Kalaman” (a black sin-stained heart). Did not a wise soul remark “At the heart of many a social problem, is the problem of the heart”? What has Bible to say in the matter of money and its appropriate usage? How would Jesus the Saviour address this problem of “Black money”? In this message, Yours truly using the acronym “W.H.I.T.E” aims to bring a spiritual perspective to the whole issue delving a bit more deeply into the said subject.
W-Wreck...
Not for our Lord any half-baked measures when it comes to dealing with a corrupt heart....corrupted by the love of money that is. Does not the heart-touching account of total transformation of a rich and corrupt tax collector Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10) stand as a shining testimony of the fact that our Lord does not merely remove “cobwebs” of a problem but rather “kills the spider” (addresses the root issue...also read later on Mark 2:1-5)? To anyone who responds to the invitation of the Saviour to set right the matters of his heart and receives Him into his “home” (read heart- Luke 19:5-6) like Zacchaeus, the Saviour who has promised a “a new heart” in the Scriptures (Ezekiel 36:26) is bound to perform a spiritual, painless heart-transplantation surgery (Col 2:11 TLB). In His own inimitable way, He would wreck the innate, inherent sin nature which we have all inherited by default from our Fallen Parents (Genesis 3:1-7/ Romans 3:23/ Romans 6:2-3) and in its place give a new nature which desires to please its Creator in all aspects...including finance. Talk of a sin-stained heart becoming snowy white (Isa 1:18)!!!
Picture this scene described oh-so-vividly in Luke 19:8... there is that erstwhile corrupt, Black-money hoarder Zacchaeus...now all contrition, yet joyous and spontaneous in his outlook “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” The very name Jesus means Saviour (Matt 1:21)... and who other than Him can accomplish “Missions Impossible” like reforming an avaricious, tight-fisted Sinner into a generous Saint without the threat of an Income-tax raid!!!
H-Holy Spirit...
Not only the Scripture assures us of a new heart but a new spirit as well, for in us the Saviour puts His own Spirit at the point of regeneration to lead and guide us in godly living henceforth (Ezekiel 36:27/ 1 Cor 3:16/ Gal 5:16).
Yes in a Christian’s life, there may be Satanic temptations coming his way in the matter of finances but as the One in him is stronger than the “lure of lucre” outside (1 John 4:4), a Child of God is well able to stand-up and resist, making the enemy flee (James 4:7). By His inner equipping alone, God’s children be it in their respective Professions (Col 3:23) or Ministry are able to shine radiantly for God’s Glory being content with what the Lord has given to them (1 Tim 6:6) guided as they are by the Scriptural exhortation in Acts 20:35 of “giving more and taking less”.
Also it is the Lord’s Spirit which makes a Christian Heaven-minded (Philippians 3:20/ Col 3:2) filling his heart with inexpressible Heavenly joy at all times (1 Peter 1:8).
I-Investment...
How else one can explain the extraordinary charity of the Early believers’ other than by simply attributing it to their singular Heaven-mindedness (Matt 6:19-21/ Acts 4:34)!!! There they were selling their possessions in order to distribute the sales proceeds thereof amongst the poor in the Church!!! As their focus was solely on Heaven, no wonder there they were investing “their money” therein and not in any perishable gold and silver.
Let the Scripture further exhort us in this matter of Heavenly investment...
”Tell those who are rich not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which will soon be gone, but their pride and trust should be in the living God who always richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and should give happily to those in need, always being ready to share with others whatever God has given them. By doing this they will be storing up real treasure for themselves in heaven—it is the only safe investment for eternity! And they will be living a fruitful Christian life down here as well.” (1 Tim 6:17-19 TLB).
While on the subject, I am further encouraged to state that whilst the hoarded manna greedily by the travelling Jews in their wilderness journey got infected with worms in less than probably 12 hours time (Exodus 16:20), the one stored in the Lord’s presence in the Ark of the Covenant (Exo 16:33-34/ Heb 9:4) remained fresh for almost 500 years.
T-Trustworthy...
There is a trustworthy saying which goes thus... “While the rich are respected, the strong are feared, the intelligent are admired, it is only the godly who can be trusted”.
Whilst a Christian Employer can always be trusted upon to be absolutely fair in his financial dealings with his employees, with the same applicable to a Christian employee too vis-a-vis his employers, it needs to be said here that if the situation demands they (God’s children) ought to go the Extra mile in their obligations not always insisting for an ideal “Win-Win” situation (Matt 5:41). Lest yet another financial important responsibility be relegated to the background, let it also be said here...we also ought to be faithful too in paying our tithes to our local Church and taxes to our Government duly and dutifully (Matt 22:21/ Rom 13:6-7 TLB).
E-Expectation...
We know that News reporting takes place by exception rather than by rule. Remarked a wise soul with his tongue firmly planted in his cheek recently “It is News now-a-days only if there are no financial scams in the last 24 hours” hinting at the unfailing regularity of their occurrence.
Why demonetisation move in the first place...if it is not to eliminate the spiralling black money and corruption menace. Is there a silver lining in the dark clouds at a time sin is rampant and people have become lovers of money (Matt 24:12/ 2 Tim 3:2). Yes, let’s look at the context of both the captioned Scripture portions. Were they not both spoken in the context of “last days”? Ah, the Good news with a Capital G at this juncture is “last days” are called “last days” in the infallible Scripture for the simple reason that they would not “last” forever. Soon the King of Kings would return in the clouds to set right the affairs in this Fallen Planet.
The Church where the “Lord’s will is done on Earth as it is in Heaven” presently is only a microcosm of the imminent Millennial age when His will be accomplished universally from the North pole to the South pole (Isaiah 2:1-4/ Rev 2:4) with no questions asked.
Well days of Noah when violence and corruption were conspicuous by their presence have returned (just as the Saviour prophesied in connection with the signs about His II Coming - Luke 17:26) thereby signalling the imminent return of the King of Kings in the mid-sky and the rapture of the “His Bride” to start with (I Thess 4:13-18). Subsequently “in due course” His Bride (read Church) would be ushered into a time and place where there would be “no sorrow or pain” (Rev 21:4). What a hope, we have! What a Blessed hope indeed (Titus 2:13)!!! Hallelujah!!!
Yours in His service,
Suresh Manoharan
An Unworthy Servant
Ps… All those whose heart the Lord is touching say this Prayer right where you are…”Father, I confess I am a Sinner. Cloth me with Your Priceless Robes of Righteousness which Your Son Jesus Christ has purchased for me in the Cross. Fill my heart with the joy of Your Spirit. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
