Dignity vs. Dependency

    Among free people operating within a free society, it must be understood that equal opportunity does not gaurantee equal results.   Those who apply wisdom, skill and effort will have greater success than the
unlearned, undisciplined and lazy.  The bible teaches us,

Prov 6:6-11 ~ Prov 21:25

Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provides her meat in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest.  How long wilt thou sleep, O lazy one? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?  Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:   So shall your poverty come suddenly as one robbed by bandits, and your lack as if an armed man stole all your goods. ~ The sluggard's craving will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work.

paraphrased version

    There used to be a healthy pride in society.   More properly, a tenacious insistance for personal dignity
and earned respect.  Men would absolutely refuse a hand out, insisting on doing some form of labor or trade in exchange for the thing they needed.  Many would rather starve, and indeed went hungry rather than stooping to beg or steal.  The value of dignity has almost dissapeared from our culture today, as multitudes line up for government freebies.   Far too many able bodies not only take the hand outs others are paying for, but also believe it is their right to receive it.   But, be certain of this, both the theif and the receiver of stolen goods is complicite in crime.  Of coarse, I am not speaking of the truly disabled, but the able bodied, lazy, undisciplined leeches.   David said,

Ps 37:25

I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

ASV

   Where's the dignity?  What about the freedom Christ purchased for you?   Having been set free by the Son, do you now sell yourself back into slavery for  food stamps?   Do you cheerfully make yourself a ward of the state, thinking you've done well?  Are you bought off that easily?   Have you committed the sin of Esau?   Has your character been sold for a meager bowl of beans? (Gen 25:29-34 )

Deut 4:24 ~ Isa 33:14-16

For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God. ~  Sinners in Zion( figuratively; God's people, the church ) are afraid; fearfulness has overtaken the hypocrites.  Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire?  Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?  He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, who shakes his hands from taking hold of bribes, and stops his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: his bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.

Jer 17:5-8

This is what the LORD says:

"Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength
and whose heart turns away from the LORD. 
He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes.
He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. 

 "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. 
He will be like a tree planted by the water  that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."
(from New International Version)

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Nikki]

This is going to be very useful for me thank you very much for posting

[Paul Borland]

Very well put Todd, reflecting back on other empires in history this type of social paradigm almost always marks the end of a great society or form of goverment, ex: The Roman empire or to a large extent the socialization of Great Britain/ and the secular world seems to become the majority. I fully understand that Satan and his powers have a strangelhold on this country, "Be self controlled and alert, your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8 NIV) and in the wisdom of your writings you help to facilitate a better understanding of our accountability as christians in this world and what our role is ..thanks