Within three weeks of market crash, there were no more investment banks left on Wall Street.
Banking and insurance giants have been nationalized by the most rabidly capitalist governments.
The stock markets have been falling at an incredible scale.Falls of 7, 8 and even 10 per cent are suddenly, no longer uncommon.
Markets have fallen so much that governments have had to halt trading for several hours in a day.
And currencies move so quickly that they lose 30 per cent of their value in just a couple of months.
And Singapore has declared a technical recession.
The Singapore government has made an amendment to the Constitution to let the it spend up to 50 per cent of net investment income (NII) from its reserves.
This financial crisis is far more serious than the many financial downturns of the past.
It's obvious. Proliferated everywhere are magazines and books touting the fact that ... here it is, "Everyone's goal is to get rich." The resultant effect is greed. And the eventual consequence – trapped when the economy nosedives.
We need to define “rich” correctly.
In order to get rich, some will use diligence. Others use shrewd business tactics. Some use dishonesty, and some use God. But the goal is still the same. They just differ in the ways to get there.
Wealth is often defined as looking good in front of others, having possessions that impress others so they say, "Wow!" To get the “wow” of others, we spend too much; sometimes beyond our means. Then we pay through the nose for these things that impressed others, and with the economic downturn, w, our next sentence is not "Wow," but "Ow!"
Because you say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich..."
Rev. 3:17-18
Image management is a high price to pay for a consumptive lifestyle. It's a high price to feel better about yourself. But many live this way because that's the goal. That's the definition and lifestyle of the rich and famous, and if that's the price, they are willing to pay the piper.
Here in Revelation, God makes a distinction we need to grab hold of. It will change the way we think. Here's what I mean...
You can be poor yet be rich, and you could have lots of money, but still be poor. "...You do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked."
My goal in life is not to GET rich, but to BE RICH: rich in family life, rich in peace, rich in wisdom and friends, rich in being an integral part of God's plan, His ministry, His joys and even His sorrows.
Sometimes, the mere pursuit of more money actually robs you of wealth and distracts you from God's best. It exchanges the real thing for a knock-off, and the best for a counterfeit ... a fabrication of what you wanted in the first place.
So ... my goal is not to get rich.
It is to be rich.
Therefore, I must define what that means to me and pursue it. It will change the way I live, the goals I have, my timing and my plans. But in the end, I will not have wasted a life spent on image management. I will instead, have invested my life in being rich toward God and I'll hear Him say:
"Well done, my good and faithful servant."
That goal will take me through good times as well as bad times because you can be rich even the economy is down, can’t you?
May I invite you to invite others to the upcoming series UNSHAKEN AMIDST UNCERTAINTIES!
Scripture "But the word of God continued to increase and spread" (Acts 12:24).
Observation It reads like a fictional thriller. A brilliant escape from an impossible Roman jail confounded even those who were a part of the escape team. The escapee, Peter, was bound with two (not one) chains directly to the guards themselves. Those assigned to insure his captivity were under the oath of death should he escape. It was more intriguing than "Oceans 13", and far more fascinating than "Gone in Sixty Seconds." But he did escape, and after it was discovered, the guards were executed (verse 19). Then a King is stricken with worms and dies ... royal robes and all. Quite a sight, I am sure. What an eventful week! But still after all the commotion, the bottom line remained in the eyes of the Lord ... "The Word of God was increasing and spreading." That was the main thing. Regardless of what was crashing down in the city, God was undistracted and more concerned about whether or not the Word of God was increasing and spreading. If the devil can't defeat you, he will distract you. So, here God brings us back to what's most important.
The recent market crash and the impending economic slowdown and possible problems that will come with it daunt us all. But we must keep my eyes on the proclamation and promotion of God's Word. It is so easy to look at the state of the economy or the state of the church or the staff. It is easy to get involved with the lack of organization or a leader leaving. I can get easily discouraged with financial setbacks or a lack of comradeship among members. But I am realizing that instead, I must keep my eyes on the Word of God increasing and spreading!
Is the Word of God being preached?
Are people being reached for Christ?
Is the banner of the cross being held high?
Application
This I shall do. Regardless of what is going on, I will deal with it, but that is not my highest concern. It is rather that the Word of God is increasing and spreading. Even though Houdini-like escapes are taking place and kings are dying by worm infestation, I will be concentrating on the Word of God increasing and spreading. Then, and only then, will I be able to overcome the pull of the daily concerns that will distract me from what I must be about ... which is my Father's business.
This deep desire to focus on the Word of God spreading and increasing led me this past week to change a series I am about to begin in November to another totally new sermon series that will speak more directly into the times we are in: Unshaken Amidst Uncertainties. The Word of the Lord must spread and increase.
Prayer Thank You Lord for putting my eyes back on the goal and the win. Discouragement happens when I take my eyes off the goal. So I put my eyes back on the Word of God increasing and spreading. That will be my main concern because it is Yours!
