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Unbelief makes us anxious

January

In America, when we demand our human rights, we immediately think of civil
liberties such as free speech and religious freedom. But a new interpretation, affirmed by
U.N. resolutions, sees the right to property as a literal right to material goods such as
food, water, clothing, shelter, medicine, and to basic services such as health care, running
water, electricity — and even possibly Internet access. According to this interpretation of
human rights, governments have the moral responsibility to take care of economically
disadvantaged citizens.
Maybe this convoluted concept about property as a human right is how our economic
mess accelerated. Subprime loans were contracted to homebuyers who had no income, no
job and no assets. These loans were packaged by banks and sold to unsuspecting buyers
throughout the world.
If the transaction is properly structured and the pool performs as expected, the credit
risk of all portions of structured debt improves; if improperly structured, the affected
portion will experience dramatic credit deterioration. These securities plummeted 75
percent in four months. It was a financial earthquake, a tsunami felt all over the world. In
October, the G7 (finance ministers and central bank governors from Japan, United States,
Britain, Germany, Canada, France and Italy) met to prevent a worldwide economic
catastrophe.
A new president of the United States has taken office who campaigned with the motto
“change” and a promise to fix the economy.
While in Baltimore, then-President-elect Barack Obama challenged Americans to
show the fighting spirit of Revolutionary War-era patriots. He said it was “time to take up
the cause for which they gave so much. The trials we face are very different now but
severe in their own right.”
Change must come from within us. Greed is a big cause of our failing economy.
Anxiety about finances can give rise to greed.
Yet, Matthew 6:25 tells us, “do not be anxious about your life.” Anxiety is an evil
condition of the heart that comes from unbelief. Battle unbelief by meditating on God’s
word; ask for the help of his spirit.
Our most basic battle is to believe in the living God. Those who are truly born of God
take the battle seriously. Our human right is to have a deep relationship with God, which
will make us truly rich indeed.