Taking care of business.

Many years ago there was a worldly song with the title "Taking Care of Business". It talked about things like "workin' overtime". And God is in the business of taking care of things and yet I believe it is a characteristic He would like to see imparted in His people.

A little testimony here. I grew up in a family where both my parents worked, and while they didn't have great deals of time(a problem in itself as you look at my BC lifestyle!) they took care of business. They had what I would call "work ethic". My mom at 71 still works as a guide in a museum, and my dad worked right up til his bout with cancer last summer at the same age. My parents divorced and remarried, and my dad worked out of need and my mom out of love.

As I look around the church today I see many who seek "convenience". It is easier to get a credit card than it is to take a second job ot meet the needs of your family. It is easier to go on welfare(do not firebomb me-I recognize that there are many people out there on welfare who have had no recourse-but the church needs to teach that this system is a killer and begin to walk people out. I have some friends who recently undertook the care of a teenage mom and her newborn, removing her from the system, getting her an apartment out of the drug culture, and gently pointing her in the right direction!) than it is to work(at least in this country!). When something breaks we get another because "God is blessing us!", "we are into prosperity"(forgetting wisdom!), etc., et al, ad nauseum. We give our leftovers to the poor so frequently, that we forget we should be giving our best, because we are doing it as unto Him.

When does the church of today grow up and begin taking care of business? When do men realize their responsibilities to the children they have fathered? To the wives they have committed to? I look and see a church full of people who so often are taking advantage of the system. And I can say this because I was once one. My eyes are open. What does your banker think about your brand of Christianity? Or the grocer or your creditors? Church, we need to begin taking care of business. Kingdom business!!! Let's begin to lay our debt before the Lord. Lay down our desires and embrace His. When we, the church, begin treating our fellow man with compassion, sticking to our words(you know God holds me accountable for these!!!) and moving towards Jesus, men and women and children will be attracted to Him, because when His name is lifted up all men will be drawn unto Him.

Today, can we the church, advance the Kingdom, by renewing our resolve to honor the commitments we have to those in business, to those in marriage and family? Sooner or later there is a price to pay for the seeds of evil we have sown, and yet if we begin today sowing seeds of goodness, they will bear fruit that will last eternally.

Some have chosen to leave marriages and children for reasons that are not Godly. Some have left a trail of debt that looks eternally dark. The church needs to take care of business. God is in the restoration business. He can restore broken marriages, broken children and finances. But when we treat the "possessions"(the loans from God) with dishonor and contempt, there is a price to pay. When someone views your home or your car or your spouse or your children, do they see Jesus reflected. Many children of God have chosen gluttony and addictions as easy ways to "comfort" only to incur disease, illness and sickness as results. God healed me of those things and He can heal you. Change your mind-Repent-for the Kingdom of God is at hand. It is within your grasp. God is the God of restoration and reconciliation. What looks impossible to man is a prayer away from the throne of God. Let the church begin.