Lessons on Greed and Corruption

The headlines are dominated on this day by two major headlines. The first is the immense domino effect of greed gone wild by financier Bernard L. Madoff. In classic “rob Peter to pay Paul” fashion, Madoff stole 50 billion dollars from investors who trusted his position and reputation. Long after there were suspicions about him, even the Securities and Exchange Commission failed to investigate the suspicions and relied instead on information that Mr. Madoff supplied. The second example is the strange case of Illinois Governor Rod R. Blagojevich. Placed in the position of authority to name a successor to the new President-elect Obama, the governor is charged with a scheme to profit from this appointment – as well as many other charges. These two merely headline the destruction of our financial system by people bent on personal profit.

What is strange about all of this is the context where it is happening. Go back a year…before the current crisis hit. The New York Times best-seller list top 15 books clearly indicated the irony. There were books presaging the crisis we are in. The other two dominant subjects are where we find the true irony. Many of them fed the greed orientation: WOMEN & MONEY, by Suze Orman; THE 4-HOUR WORKWEEK, by Timothy Ferris; BE A REAL ESTATE MILLIONAIRE, by Dean Graziosi; WHAT GOT YOU HERE WON'T GET YOU THERE, by Marshall Goldsmith with Mark Reiter; and, a book co-authored by Donald Trump all led to a “more is better; get all you can” mentality. It is the second area that I find so interesting. LAUNCHING A LEADERSHIP REVOLUTION, by Chris Brady and Orrin Woodward; GIVING, by Bill Clinton; and, NOW, DISCOVER YOUR STRENGTHS, by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton give the definitive contrast. Leadership has been the buzz word of business for years. In the midst of books touting mission statements and vision statements, the implication has been that business operates best from strong character and a commitment to give your best to others.

Here’s the problem. There is, admittedly, a residual stamp of God written into the constitution of every person. We bear the image of God which has left some form of conscience within. The breakdown occurs in that we live in a fallen world and are all, in the words of the Scripture, sinners. We tilt toward ourselves; no one is more important than us. Altruism that begins and ends with man will always end up in the benefit of self. Man has character but it is character that breaks down when left to itself. There is no surprise that we are seeing the decline because we have been in decline for some time. There is no fear of God in our culture; there is little respect for Christ in our land. This is not the first crisis of morality to grip our country, however, every other time we had something to go back and lean on: a morality dominated by Judeo-Christian thought and character. We have abandoned Him. My suspicion is that we will find no where to turn. My prayer is that God grants us the other alternative: a powerful movement of His Spirit: an Awakening; revival. (But revival always begins with God’s people. Are you ready?)

The courage to be adversarial; the conviction to be Christ-like

The New York Times is probably the most prominent of the various news outlets reporting the same story. Apparently, Proposition 8 (and its passage) in California has enraged the homosexual community. They are now into creating organized vehicles for influencing America to accept their version of truth. Their intent is to utilize “in your face” techniques to force America to accept the homosexual lifestyle as a valid way to live.

As believers in Christ, we will need to be prepared for confrontation. God’s expression of truth leaves us no option: homosexuality is against the way that God has created us and violates the standard of morality that He has given to us. We need to be prepared to voice truth whenever we are confronted.

Here’s where the problem lies. Often, in an adversarial forum, our tendency is to turn…well, adversarial. When an adversarial environment is created, conversation can quickly turn to insult and denigration. You cannot read the Gospels without quickly gaining an understanding of the character of Jesus. One of the most impressive things is His reaction to sinful people. We are in the season of the year when we think about His incarnation: holy God left heaven and lived among us. It is hard to imagine what just the least sin did to him – yet Christ remained respectful even as He dealt with people in the midst of terrible immorality.

So, as we approach this world where we live, with more and more encounters with militant homosexuals, we need to prepare ourselves. We need to have the courage to be adversarial, but retain the conviction to be Christ-like in our dialog.

Oh, come to my heart, Lord Jesus...there is room in my heart for you.

There is a Christmas song that declares “it’s the most wonderful time of the year”. For making memories, there is probably no better time of the year. Family traditions develop; special groups make sure that they gather together. Celebration is a major part of every dimension of this time of the year! Christmas parties are all over the church calendar; most people are amazed at how many places they will be going and all the things they will be doing.

All of this joy and celebration and tradition is a positive thing – until its not. Holiday time is hardest for people who have suffered loss; when a key person is no longer part of the mix. It is even harder for those whose loss happened during this time of year. Their suffering is generally quiet suffering. They let the pain remain inside and put a smile on the outside. They will stand beside you with a cup of eggnog in their hands; smile; laugh; and be thoroughly empty inside.

Sometimes we let the festivities overshadow the meaning. There was a real birth of a real baby who came on a really important mission to this world. As another, more profound song says, “You left Your throne and Your kingly crown when You came to this earth that day. But in Bethlehem’s home was there found no room for Your holy nativity.” The song continues. And for the one who has that empty spot, it is important to consider the next part: “oh come to my heart, Lord Jesus, there is room in my heart for Thee.” I am not saying that the Lord Jesus will fill the place of void where a loved one was! What I am saying is this: when we suffer loss it is a blessing to be able to turn to the One who came and find him right there next to our loss. In this season of joy and celebration and tradition, my prayer is that the One who began it all has come to your heart.