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Trickle Down Economics

With all of the presidential talk going on, it reminds me of one of the phrases that I heard as a child. Trickle Down Economics (Reganomics) was the approach to economics that had as its foundation the tactic of lowering corporate taxes and regulations. In turn, the corporations would be more profitable and therefore able to expand their work force and increase wages as they grew. The theory is that the savings to the corporations would trickle down through the entire economy.

Regardless of whether or not this works or you agree or disagree, it is a great analogy for our spiritual walk. I confess that I am guilty of being too busy and worrying too much. Over the past few months, Richard and Ian have really spoken to this through sermons and scripture reading.

First, I think of the sermon on anxiety and worry from Matthew 6. We can be comforted by the fact that God clothes the lilies of the field and the grass of the field, and he will certainly clothe us (Matthew 6:29-30). We then see in verse 33 that we should seek His kingdom FIRST! This is simple to hear, but difficult to do. Do I have a kingdom-minded approach to my life? Do I think about how my decisions will impact my spiritual life?

The answer is that we often do not consider these questions when making decisions. Our foundation for our decisions is usually self -interest. James 4 warns us about friendship with the world. It says we are at enmity with God when we pursue passions for ourselves. Recently, Richard preached on Matthew 7:24-27 concerning building on a foundation of the words of Jesus. This past Sunday, Ian read from Deuteronomy 6:4-9. These verses tell us to have God’s word in us and around us, and at all times on our heart.

The point is this: we often create our worries and anxiety by not approaching life with a kingdom perspective. From here it begins to trickle down through our life. “Should we buy that bigger home?” “Should I sign up for one more charity event to help with?” ”Should my kid have another activity scheduled?” “Can I just skip church this week or my bible reading because I am working so hard?” Without realizing it we back ourselves into a corner by filling our life with “good” things. This leads to even less time for God’s word and or reflecting on it. It also leads to less rest, which God has commanded us to do. The trickle-down effect of not having God’s word as our foundation for everyday life can be devastating. Our anxiety and worry is sure to increase if our foundation is not with God’s word.

As I stated above, this is a difficult area for me. I have learned the hard way that we do not need more activities in our lives. This past week, we saw a young child at the ball field who was pleading not to have to play baseball that day. His parents have him scheduled every day to play on some type of sports team. Whether it is our kids or ourselves, the trickle-down effect of ”friendship with the world” is dangerous. My hope and prayer is that we all can “seek first the kingdom of God”.

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