Friday, November 21, 2008

The economy is like a wheel spinning out of control, where and when it will stop, no one knows!

Do you ever get the idea that no one has a clue as to exactly what’s going on in our economy? That’s what I have on my mind on this Friday morning, November 21, 2008. In fact, it’s so unclear that it is even hard to figure out who to blame. Our sitting president takes most of it and doing so does come with the territory. His administration most likely deserves some of the credit for what’s gone wrong that is if we knew exactly what has gone wrong. That’s not to say we can’t identify and itemize the many ills that currently plague our economic well-being. We are well aware that there were way too many bad loans over a too long period of time where credit was stacked as high as the stars with no way for it to be paid back. Some go all the way back to the Carter administration and say his policies created this ‘easy’ credit approach where lenders were coerced to loan money to folks without enough resources to handle the debt. Next came the Clinton people who expanded this failing approach.

The interesting thing to me is how we find ourselves in a situation where all the best and brightest cannot even begin to figure out what to do about this huge mess. We don’t want inflation but now the fixes may produce something called deflation which can end up being worse. Everyone keeps saying we have hit bottom but suddenly we find there’s a ‘new’ bottom. My youngest son mentioned to me the other day that he senses there is something very ominous about all of this and he wonders out loud whether it could be connected to the biblical teachings on how things will be just prior to the return of our Savior. He is certainly not alone. Faithful believers have always viewed world events through the prism of God’s Word. No one could have made it through the Great Depression without at least wieghing such a calamitous event and what it might mean in the grand scheme of things. Who could blame people for wondering if Adolph Hitler was the anti-Christ? This focus on what might be happening as it relates to revealed truth is exactly what we are called to do. The Apostle Paul told his young helper Timothy that he was to be fully aware how that in the last days perilous times would come. (See II Timothy Chapter 3) Therefore, when we see things happening in our world we should always evaluate them based on thus says the word of the Lord.

How bad will it get? When will it get better? Obviously these are answers that fall into the category of being unknown at this time. We do have plenty of predictions and our new president has such high expectations I feel sorry for him because many of them are beyond the reach of any one person. From a world perspective one thing is clear: We here in the United States are responsible for this huge catastrophe and we should be ashamed. While I agree that we as a nation have much to answer for and we have strayed from the great principles that has guided us for much of our history, I also take great exception to the rest of the world blaming us for all of their problems. There is a Bible verse that speaks about sowing and reaping and how that God will not be mocked because eventually people, and I believe, nations will have to deal with the crop they have planted and cultivated. (See Galatians Chapter 6) Jesus said that when the end draws near He would have His own to look up for their redemption would be drawing near. (See Luke Chapter 21) What a blessed hope we have in His promise that regardless of how bad it gets He will take care of His own! Here or THERE, I’ve read the end of the story and we win! Let’s all keep His words in our hearts and minds as we continue to make our way through these very difficult and choppy waters. Have a great Saturday and Sunday and may God bless one and all! Amen. …More later.

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