‘ But He promises to be with us through it all, good or bad times …’
‘ Living a simple life has its plusses. We begin to value more our relationships with family and friends. Watching the sun go down on the horizon or taking a stroll at a local beach resort with our loved ones does not cost much. But the shared experience means a lot.’
Let ' s now consider another example of famine in the Bible. When famine struck the ancient world, Joseph’ s brothers came down to Egypt to buy grain. Unknown to them, God had already prepared way ahead for their needs to be met through Joseph, the influential governor of Egypt, second in rank to Pharaoh. This reflects the foreknowledge of a faithful God. Has it ever crossed our minds that God has our welfare at heart all the time( Jeremiah 29:11)?
Guided earlier by divine wisdom, Joseph had built storehouses to stockpile grain— with the blessing of Pharaoh after interpreting the king’ s dream that seven years of famine would follow seven years of plenty. This ample provision of grain met the needs of the Egyptians and Joseph’ s brothers( Genesis 41: 53-57).
May we learn from this story as we prepare for end-time global economic crisis. To insist that believers will continue to experience effortless success, that good times will continue to roll, is being naïve. This kind of teaching makes people with“ itching ears” feel good.
Notice that God does not shield His children from famine or trials. He does not remove tribulation from the life of believers:“ I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world”( John 16:33).
But He promises to be with us through it all, good or bad times( Hebrews 13:5b, Matthew 28:20b). God’ s faithfulness, coupled with obedience on our part— proactively preparing for hard times, like Joseph— will help us to ride out the storm of economic uncertainty.
PRACTICAL TIPS Financial crisis impresses upon us the need to live simple lives. As they say, the party is over. It’ s belt-tightening time. When a RM500 local holiday in Pulau Redang will do, why fly off to Mauritius and spend RM3,000? Take time to unwind at the park with our family over a picnic. Learn to eat in, which may be a healthier option, rather than splurge on dinners in fancy restaurants.
A simple lifestyle frees us from the need to keep up appearances. Why do we need to match the latest flashy SUV parked at our neighbour’ s driveway? After all, a man’ s worth is not tied to his material possessions.
Living a simple life has its plusses. We begin to value more our relationships with family and friends. Watching the sun go down on the horizon or taking a stroll at a local beach resort with our loved ones does not cost much. But the shared experience means a lot.
If good times fail to teach us, then bad times will force us to live within our means. We learn to cut our coat according to our cloth. No matter how much we possess, if expenditure exceeds income, we will be in a quandary. Maxing out several credit cards to service our debts does not make sense as the interest rates charged are high.
It would have been better to live below our means. By simplifying our lifestyle, we reach the goal of financial freedom more rapidly compared to living within our means. Getting that monkey( debt burden) off our back empowers us, enabling us to give undivided attention to serving others.
Some may be forced to drastically reassess their spending habits and bite the bullet. The downturn is a wake-up call for them to rein in their spending like never before.
We also need to look beyond our own needs. Troubled times present an excellent window of opportunity to reach out to the needy within the church and community— but only if modern-day Josephs are willing to rise up to the occasion.
It is not all doom and gloom as financial turmoil casts a pall over our future. What is positive is that most will learn how to be leaner and wiser, more proactive and resilient.
Dr Lim Poh Ann is a medical practitioner. He is the former editor of Asian Beacon magazine( December 2008 – October 2011). He can be reached at his blog, Porridge for the Soul: limpohann. blogspot. com
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