Lean Years, Fat Years, and Us

I called someone up last night to invite him to our neighborhood cookout. Apparently he lost his job, couldn't pay rent, and they were forced to move in with friends last month. In light of our crazy economy, though I guess "crazy" isn't a good word-since it only seems to be going down-the church is probably going to have to get "creative" in order to take care of folks: particularly, but not only, its members.

In a church planting meeting a few days ago, a pastor suggested that we might need to start thinking like Joseph in the Old Testament. Pharaoh had a crazy dream-and this time "crazy" is a good word for it-about fat cows and lean cows (Gen 41). Ultimately Joseph correctly interpreted the dream which explained the need to store as much as possible in the upcoming bountiful harvest years. For soon a famine would hit, and they would experience 7 "lean" years.

The dream applied to a national level of gathering for the purpose of distributing when the great famine hit. In fact, the very purpose of the bountiful harvest was so that people (specifically Israel, but obviously Egyptians as well) would be blessed. That was the purpose of every blessing bestowed on God's people (Gen 12:1-3).

But this pastor wondered if this shouldn't apply to us today at the personal level. Some of us may need to "store up grain" and save now so that we can help out our brothers and sisters in the faith if /when the economy gets even worse. It may be that God raises up certain folks for the specific purpose of taking care of those outside their literal families. And it may be that we will need to save now, (but not for flat screens or college) so that we can dig into our savings to help those in our church family with rent, electricity, food, clothing, etc...

I certainly don't want to dig into my savings to help someone pay rent, but it's because my heart is greedy, selfish, and forgetful. And them I'm convicted by this verse: "But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? (I John 3:17)." Ouch.