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The War Cry | JANUARY 2016
W
E LIVE IN AN UPSIDE-DOWN WORLD.
Although most of the gen-
eral population would probably disagree, many Christians affi
rm it whole-
heartedly. Th
e Bible declares this to be true: "When I am weak," Paul says
in his second letter to the church in Corinth, "then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:10).
In this same letter the apostle says that God chose the weak things of the world to shame
the strong, and the foolish things of the world to shame the wise.
Th
roughout Scripture there are many examples of how human thinking is at odds with
God's wisdom. Consider these fi ve areas.
POWER.
In the eyes of the world, power is hierarchi-
cal. The boss is more important than the employee.
The colonel gives orders to be obeyed instantly by the
buck private. The slave is subservient to the slightest
whim of the master. The Bob Cratchits of the world
buckle under the demanding requirements of the
Ebenezer Scrooges. To be on top is to have control.
Or so it seems.
In the Bible, Jesus says, "The last will be first, and
the first will be last" (Matthew 20:16, NIV).
He illustrates this by telling the story of an ill,
hungry beggar who scavenges for scraps of food that
fall from the table of a rich man. After each eventually
dies, the beggar finds himself in Paradise, while the
rich man is in Hell, begging for just a drop of water on
his parched tongue (Luke 16:19-31).
The beggar turns out to be blessed, while the rich
man is doomed to torment.
ECONOMICS.
As far as money is concerned, espe-
cially for those in poverty, it seems that whoever has
more of it is at an advantage. But that's not how it
works in the economy of the Kingdom of God. Often,
less is more.
In Mark 12:41-44, Jesus and His disciples observe
worshippers as they place gifts in the Temple treasury.
Many people put in large donations, "but a poor widow
came and put in two very small copper coins, worth
only a fraction of a penny."
Jesus says to His followers: "I tell you the truth,
this poor widow has put more into the treasury than
all the others." Her gift, though tiny, was worth more
than the huge gifts because it was given out of poverty,
with love.
An unknown poet once wrote:
But Heaven's arithmetic mysti
fi es man
When the answer is faith and a prayer.
To get you must give, and to add you divide,
And to multiply things you must share.
ETHICS.
King Solomon, the wisest man who ever
lived, says in Proverbs 14:12, "There is a way that
appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death."
The everyman described by Solomon is not a blither-
ing fool, casting all caution to the wind and choosing
to live without concern for the future. He is a reason-
able individual who makes what he considers to be
solid, sane choices that will lead to happiness on
by
COMMISSIONER ROBERT E. THOMSON
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12/4/15 3:56 PM