Born Worthy

[wlotus]

I can assure you, W, that the time will come when you, too, will ask, "In what fields did I sow seeds to deserve so very, very much?"

Then I'll remind you that the whole sowing-seeds-cause-and-effect concept was just a myth, because you were born deserving.

Hosanna in the Highest,
    The Universe (www.tut.com)

P.S. Yeah, should've told you a long time ago, W. My bad.

Growing up in the pentecostal church, I would often hear ministers exhort us to "sow a seed". If we wanted financial blessings from God, the key to opening up the floodgates was to give some of our little bit of money "to God". They used the second part of Malachi 3:10 to justify this idea. "[Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.] Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. [NIV]" Inspired by dreams of being able to pay off all of their debts all at once, going on that vacation they could not afford (but desperately needed) on their minimum wage jobs, or having enough money so they would no longer have to rob Peter to pay Paul, the faithful would rush forward to put their meagre dollars into the offering. And when that financial breakthrough did not come right away, they would reason it away by saying something like,"It must not be God's time, yet."

I suppose it was always God's time for the "man of God" to have extra money in his pocket, eh?

(I'm not saying he shouldn't ask for money; I'm saying he should ask for it honestly. Say you need the money to feed your family, make your rent/mortgage...or pay for that Cadillac you have your eye on. Stop trying to romanticize your genuine needs and your vain desires by invoking God.)

When I read that recent post from www.tut.com, I remembered the dishonesty of those exhortations to sow a seed. Depleting our already dry coffers does not make us worthy of a blessing; we have always been worthy. There is no quick fix, no "secret" to financial success, God or no God. I suspect many of those ministers exhorting folks to sow a seed knew that, which makes their requests all the more despicable.

Comments

Just thinking...

[grandwoobah.livejournal.com]

Hmmm...

I'm sure many a minister had unpure motives, but there is truth in Mal 3:10. One shouldn't expect a financial blessing because they tithe. We are commanded to tithe. Period. But how many of us do it faithfully every week? God's not gonna bless (the understood) you if you tithe only when you have an immediate need. You can buy a vowel, but not a blessing. And who says those blessings will be financial in nature? People - namely those under the covering of those wayward ministers - totally misunderstand the concept of tithing. Totally.

Re: Just thinking...

[wlotus.livejournal.com]

For those who literally believe the Bible--I no longer do--that is a comforting way of looking at things. It worked for me back in the day. If that belief keeps you going through life's ups and downs, that is what is most important.

[rockbirthedme.livejournal.com]

That doctrine caused me more trouble, because the flip side is that if you're having troubles, it must be because you're not acting right. Quick, everybody! Blame the victim!

Funny part is that I believe something similar, but it has less to do with *me* getting something as a result of my actions, and more to do with the actions being passed back, causing a circle. That circle may or may not lead directly back to me. Or there might not be a circle at all. It doesn't really matter, because I don't think the "circle" is a reward for doing the right thing; I just think it's a possible result. And I have no opinion on what happens if a person doesn't do it.

[wlotus.livejournal.com]

Don't even get me started on the flip side of that doctrine. Are you giving regularly? You are? Well then, you must not have the right attitude. And if you THINK you have the right attitude, you are obviously vain, so your pride is getting in the way of your blessing.

*vomits*

[jiffyschnapps.livejournal.com]

I ascribe to this kind of thinking whole heartedly. I won't clog up your journal with my thoughts on the subject ;-o but believing in some variety of this is what has continued to make Christianity accessible to me even though others have tried to render it oppressive. And I am *slowly* learning to love myself more consistently, assertively, and completely because of it. I wonder when that "time will come" for you, and for me too, and for all earnest seekers of Truth...

[arkadelos.livejournal.com]

The whole idea of sowing seeds has a lot of truth in it. If you are a nice people, then other people will typically be nice to you in return. If you are a negative person, then negative things will happen to you - whether in reality or in perception.

And this concept can be taken to a more complex level. For example, in high school, I was always abject to people and considered myself worthless; I always questioned why I was not getting anything positive in return because I thought I was trying my hardest to be nice.
The reality of it was that I sowed a self-destructive seed in myself. When I began to think of myself as a person worthy of love and respect - planting positive/constructive seeds - I felt better about myself to the point that I am now searching eagerly for my future. I also discovered that my interactions with people are more positive and more significant.