Friday, July 13, 2012

Uncle Sam is on Life Support

Yesterday San Bernardino became the 3rd California city in a month to file bankruptcy. Last fall, Jefferson County, Alabama, filed the biggest municipal bankruptcy in American history. This week, to avoid bankruptcy, Scranton, Pennsylvania reduced every one of its salaried employees to minimum wage. Government employees who depend on Uncle Sam for their livelihood have reason to worry.

Many of you know that Uncle Sam paid my salary for 25 years, and now gives me a pension and Social Security benefits. Though I'm grateful, I wonder how long he’ll be able to keep it up. After all, he’s only human—eventually, he will die. In fact, he’s already on life support. But I’m not worried—a statement that has yet to be tested—because I know my Father, not my Uncle, is my Provider.

Anyone who thinks Uncle Sam is going to live forever is wrong! And if they (we) haven’t done it yet, it is due time to exchange faith in our Uncle for faith in our Father. “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or what you will wear...your heavenly Father knows that you need them. And if you will seek first his kingdom all these things will be given to you as well” (Matt. 6:25-33). When Uncle Sam passes, a lot of his heirs will be very grieved, and worried that he was broke!  But surely not the children of God.  Right?

2 comments:

  1. Greg,

    Something seems to have lost in the translation about the attitude of God's people here in America toward generous giving. We are not supposed to give so we receive; we are to give because He first gave to us. And when we give our money, time, and energy it is only His nature to keep the flow of blessings coming our way so we can be His hand extended out to those in need. But somehow we have deferred our part in giving and placed the responsibility in the hands of the government, an entity who has distanced itself from our God progressively with each generation.

    If Uncle Sam is on life support as you pointed out, then maybe we need to consider two things: our part in making him think he could waste so much money and get away with it; and, how we need to bump up our giving so that we can keep the conduit of blessings from our Father open.

    "It is more blessed to give than to receive." (Acts 20:35)

    Stan

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  2. Good day Greg,
    When outgo exceeds income, upkeep becomes downfall. Politics is little more than the manipulation of power to achieve a perceived end. And in comment to the potential military conflict(s) brewing in the Middle East, was is the most violent expression of politics. In the exercise of power, politicians spend what is not theirs and what the government does not currently have, to buy things, services, and influence that it may want but may not need, in order to influence those that the politicians do not respect. Once the population in large groups believe that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury, it is only a matter of time before all of the money and all of all of the tomorrow's money is spent.
    Godspeed!
    Larry

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