Who contributes more?
One measure of an economy’s strength is the Labor Force Participation Rate. What percentage of the population (non-government, non-military) is employed or looking for a job? A common gripe I hear is that too few people contribute to our economy.
I think an argument can be made that trust is a greater economic stimulus than man-hours. How much capital and cash flow are wasted because of a lack of trust? What effect does distrust have on investment and employment? Seen this way, some wealthy, employed people actually undermine the economy by eroding trust. And others who may not earn a paycheck contribute to a more trusting society in ways that invigorate the economy. Who contributes more?
Happy Thanksgiving!
God's manifold grace. A day to be grateful and to accept responsibility.
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. — Colossians 3:17
Two gauges of spiritual maturity to consider today. The first is gratitude. Do we recognize that everything we have is a gift from God— his grace? Can we show him our gratitude? Another gauge is responsibility— faithful stewards of the many forms of God's grace. We enjoy his gifts as we share them with others.
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The Lord's prayer and our participation require child-like faith.
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. — Matthew 6:10
If it's what we pray for, it's what we should want and work for. So, how is it in heaven? We need imagination for that, something God gave us the capacity for. Most of us were best at it when we were children. Dependency, trust, and imagination: is this what it means to have child-like faith?
- love
- Holy Spirit
- humility
- church
- politics & society
- mission & witness
- holiness
- parable & metaphor
- identity
- eternal life
- doubt & deconstruction
- leadership
- grace
- justice
- scripture
- spiritual life
- advent & christmas
- poverty & compassion
- imagination & creativity
- technology & ai
- knowing God
- human dignity
- faith & trust
- incarnation & cross
- kingdom of God
- community
- reconciliation
- spiritual formation
- epistemology
- prayer
- gratitude
- culture
- creation & nature
- discipleship
The God of the Bible looks like Jesus, the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being. It would be just like him to go to the cross.