Hi Ray,
> I have been getting depressed over these sad thoughts, but i like your
> site and I'm wondering what you think about them. Do you think it is a sin
> to enjoy recreational activities (watching a movie, playing sports, etc.)
> since we could be spending that time helping the poor? I mean heck, am i
> sinning by even vacuuming my living room, since i could be spending that
> time
> helping the poor? Isn't it wrong to own a vacuum, since i could be spending
> that money helping the poor/starving/those dying of disease? I am worried
> that if these things are indeed sins that
> i can't repent of them, and therefore God might punish me. Maybe in
> judgment he will make me experience the hunger of poor people for not
> helping them enough??!! I dunno, I'm just fearful of God's judgment about
> this. If i could just stop worrying about this, i think I'd feel great.
> W hat do you think? Thanks.
>
> John
Dear John:
If I were to tell you that I believe you should sell your vacuum (AND your car, and your furniture, and maybe even your house), and then give it all to the poor, I doubt that you would do it. Jesus said that "the poor your always have with you." You cannot solve the worldwide poverty problem. I have been personally criticized for not starting soup kitchens, finding homes for the homeless, and such things. It matters not to some that I have dedicated my life to this ministry. I am able (on an absolute shoestring budget) to reach hundreds of thousands of spiritually starving people with real spiritual food (the body of Christ), and there are fewer of my readers interested in helping to do this than there are those who would contribute to one or two homeless people by buying them a burger and fries.
When David said that He never saw the "righteous begging for bread," I think that we can conclude that those we reach with God's Spiritual Truth and God's Spiritual Food, will be blessed with the physical as well, once they begin to live righteously.
Don't get so out of balance by selling your vacuum cleaner to feed the poor, when there are many many times more spiritually poor people out there than those needing physical food. I am all for those who provide physical sustenance for the needy, but that is not my particular calling. Yet I would never refuse anyone who would ask of me, food and clothing. It is part of God's plan and purpose for the present that this world be a world of the have and have nots. It is amazing to me how many millions of poverty-stricken people just adore the multi-millionaire stars and celebrities who live in such gaudy luxury that it is embarrassing--five to ten THOUSAND dollar-a-night hotel suites, and the like. Even Benny Hinn has no problem living in Hotel Rooms costing enough to feel a family of six in some countries for a lifetime. And then has the unmitigated gall to go on international television and say "...there are people out there that will GO TO HELL b ecause there isn't enough money to reach them with the gospel" [paraphrased].
Anyway, don't work up great anxiety over owning a vacuum cleaner, but then fail to do ANYTHING for those less fortunte. Let me give you a little wisdom from Ecc 7:16--"Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?" God doesn't expect you to "save the poor," but just maybe He does expect you to "give a little." Maybe not TEN percent of your salary, or five percent or three percent or one percent, but maybe.....just maybe..... one half of one percent?
Four years ago we had about a dozen contributors to our site. Four years later, after reaching nearly two million visitors with our site, we have LESS than a dozen contributors to our site. I'll not ask people for money to save the spiritually starving people of this world. I'll not have a "pay-pal" link on our site, but I wonder what the tens of thousands of people who have told me how blessed they have been by our site, will say to Jesus, IN THAT DAY, as to why they felt it totally unnecessary to help others as they had been helped?
I am not writing this just for you, John, but for the tens of thousands who are SOOOOO happy that they have found the truth, but who could give a hoot about anyone else learning these thruths. We pay thousands of dollar a month to search engines buying key words which tens of thousands of people search looking for answers. Tens of thousands have been helped, but we have less contributors today, than we did four or five years ago, when only a thousand people a month were coming to bible-truths.com. Today we have up to 60,000 a month coming to our site, but we have less contributors than when we had when but one thousand a month were coming to our site. If we had but ONE TENTH OF ONE PERCENT of the two million people who have come to our site, contribute regularly, (that's only 2 thousand people), we could have an impact on this country and on the world like you wouldn't believe.
But virtually no one cares. Why are you concerned about vacuum cleaners and your own conscience when millions (billions) could be reached with the truth? When will we replace our FEAR OF HELL, with a LOVE OF GOD, and start doing the right thing?
"...He went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions." (Matt. 19:22).
"Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew that thou art an hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering whre you have not strawed: And I wan afraid, and went and hid my talen i the earth...Thou WICKED AND SLOTHFUL servant, ...take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which has ten talents...and cast you the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matt. 25:25-30).
"Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, kDeaprt from Me, ye CURSET, into eonian fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was [spiritually] hungry, and ye gave me NO [spiritual] meat: I was [spiritually} thirsty, and ye gave me NO [spiritual] drink...And these shall go away into EONAIAN CHASTENING..." (Matt. 25:41-42 & 46).
"Nevertheless, when the Son of man comes, shall He find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:08).
Just WHO do you suppose these verses are talking about?
May God grant all who read this, the spiritual eyes to see what is wrong with them,
Ray
