The Silver Spoon and Chain

There is nothing in this world worth the love of the Lord. When Christ lived a life without a place to lay his head without so much as a fox would have in its den, then how can we cleave to anything? It is true we are not Christ, and we never will be. Neither will any apostle, so who should we set as our example? I say aim to Christ, and follow as best as possible. I have never been able to do this. I have never been able to give enough up to go unhindered, but I am striping myself.

I was not born into millions, but I was born into money. When I was young it was a pride of mine, but now it is my greatest guilt. While I don't mean to cry from fortune, it is not the place of a Christian to sit comfortably. There are innumerable ways to justify wealth if one has a mind to do so. In the church I was raised in country club memberships are seen as a reward by some from God's self to them for being good christians. This is not limited to anyone congregation. We all know there is an industry based upon it, but it is more disturbing that many such justifiers walk among even our cleanest congregations. There is nothing scarier then Jesus' encounter with the rich younger ruler preached from a pulpit to those who control the jobs and purse strings. There should be no more cowards, but cleaving to security blinds our lion's side. Folk who stand as my parents do stifle truth, and I stand along and stifle it with them in silence. The ways I was raised in cannot be my way if I am to be Christ's. I must hate my mother and father in order to love our mother and father. Of course we are all swindlers and give the myriad of excuses. We must only be will to abandon them if Christ so calls us. Well, Christ has so called and for 2000 years it has been impossible to listen.

If it was not for Christ, income would be my goal. A family would be my goal. A big name would be my goal. While it is not true for all, these things for me are sin. They are not goals but vices. They are sin because I have felt a stirring to leave them for God. Such an invitation should not and cannot be ignored. I have never been 'spiritual' in the loosest form of the word, but this stirring has been so long with me that there is a physical weight. Luke 18:18-25 is in my bones. People have invented imagined gates to excuse themselves of this, but I can not. If I do not answer this call, then I will admit that I have failed God and have made myself despicable countless times over. I refuse to cheapen Christ with excuses.

We do have a duty though beyond an exodus from ownership. We waste ourselves if we simply release our property and exit society. We must instead strip ourselves down to the very lowest level of being effective human beings. From there we can function productively and give what we gain to Christ's gain. It is often said by those who do not do so that we can have as much money as we like as long as we act morally with it. We can give ourselves a limb so heavy that we cannot move it, and it is fine. It is not right to exit productivity and join the workless, but instead we should simply work for every dime we can without keeping one. There are things we need to be effective: a car, a home, a weeks worth of clothes. There is justice in having these things as long as all of our produce is for the gain of the kingdom. Keep no coin unneeded. Spare no love. It's only idealist as long as we don't do it.

I am a firm believer that the Kingdom is among a minority and always has been since the day of Christ. It is nothing to be waited on, but is something to commit to here and now. It comes from within us, not from the sky after all. We are not even humans until we accept our purpose to love. I am not yet human. I will try to be one day.