Lord of the Bling

Lord of The Bling
As some of you may or may not know, bling is what today’s culture calls: wealth and material possessions. It comes from the hip-hop culture where rap stars flaunt large rings and large wads of cash to show the world that they are all that. What I would like to talk about this month is money. Not in a prosperity doctrine kind of way, but in a what does God expect us to do with all that bling sort of way. After all, he is the Lord of the bling. If you remember, or have been reading this paper long, you’d remember that I wrote about the church’s responsibility, as a whole, to take care of the poor and needy. This month, I want to address the individuals responsibility to give. First, I want to make clear this is not about tithes. Tithing is a principle Jesus did not address because the people were already practicing it without be prodded to. Instead, I want to talk about offerings. Not only does the Bible expect you to tithe, it also expects you to give above and beyond that!
In the book of Matthew, in the sixth chapter, the evangelist writes about the three acts of righteousness which are giving, prayer, and fasting. These are, of course, part of Jesus’ sermon on the mount. Jesus says, when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets…they have their reward in full. (Matthew 6:2 NASB) Notice first that it does not say if you give, but instead it says when you give. This was not a request, but a commandment from Christ himself. Christ expects us to give to the poor. Some may say my tax dollars pay for welfare, so I am helping the poor. How is forced taxation a true sign of giving? Giving is to be done cheerfully, not grudgingly. How many sing and jump when it is time to pay their taxes? Jesus knew we’d always have the poor.(Matthew 26:11) So he knew the importance of instructing the believers to see to their care. There is a difference between being poor and being lazy. The Bible says if a man does not work, he does not eat (2 Thess. 3:10). So if a person is able bodied but chooses not to work, they should not be a recipient of your giving. However, if they are a single mother working two jobs and barely meeting essential bills like lights, heat and food, then this is a chance to show the love of Christ. In today’s society, so many that call themselves poor are simply wanting to keep up with the Jones’s and the Smiths. They believe it is not fair that they cannot afford cell phones, cable TV, and more bling. So discernment will be needed to truly see the needy. I suggest you practice the other two acts of righteousness, prayer and fasting and ask God to show you where you may be used for His glory. Also, your church may have a benevolence fund, so ask your pastor. We have hope in knowing this, that when we follow His commandments, He will reward us. Until next month, continue to worship, not the fellowship of the bling, but the Lord of the bling.