Titus 3:12-15 “Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order to provide for urgent needs and not live unproductive lives. (NIV)

Christian faith touches every aspect of Christian life. That includes politics. I believe it is a mistake, perhaps even deliberate disobedience, to allow politics to shape our faith. However our faith must inform our politics. I mentioned this because what I’m about to write touches upon political issues.

In the 1990s I went on a work and witness trip to Venezuela. We were surprised when we were unable to buy supplies for our project in the afternoon. The shops closed down for what they called siesta. On average they would stay closed for two hours. When we talked to them about this, the shop owners told us that they could only keep so much profit then the government took the rest in taxes. They did not see the need to stay open and work extra hard when they could not reap any benefit from it. Years later, the country would move even more towards socialism, and they are now reaping the economic chaos that has resulted for the nation. I tell this story not just to be political, but because it raises the question of why people in the world work and produce.

One view says people work for self profit, another view says people should work for the good of everyone. The reality is that we live in an unrighteous world and people do not work for righteous motives. The capitalistic system produces prosperity because it recognizes that people are motivated by selfish needs and desires. It does not, as a system, asked the question what should people do, but rather looks to understand what people actually do. As a system, it does not reward good intentions but rather rewards good results. I personally believe that Christians should be concerned about the results of their politics. It is not enough to want to do good, but if we truly want what is right, then we want the political parties and programs that we support to actually produce good. This requires us to do more than just feel what should be, but also to think about what actually is.

Paul was not interested in understanding or describing political and economical systems of the world. Paul was concerned with Christian belief and Christian behavior. If the whole world consisted only of people who were righteous, or at the very least remaking their best effort to live righteous lives, any political or economic system would work. Any system would work, not because the system was right, but because the people within the system would be doing right.

Christians are spiritually different and therefore it is logical to expect that they will act differently from the way the world acts. The profit motive is not the primary driving force behind the work of Christians. Christians work because they’re motivated to create good, and the ability to do good. When an urgent need arises, a Christian wants be prepared to meet the need. It hurts a Christian to see someone hungry, and yet not be able to feed them because they have not prepared. Christians who failed to prepare by saving for emergencies are missing the mark that God has set for them.

Christians also work to be productive. God does not want his children to be lazy and financial security does not justify a nonproductive lifestyle. That means early retirement for a Christian is okay when it leads to other opportunities to be productive. Christian businesses need a profit to stay in business, but their primary motivation is to provide goods and services to those who need them. The world is a better place because of companies and businesses owned and operated by Christians. We are not called to be God’s spoiled little rich kids. We are called to devote ourselves to doing good. God will bless us when we are devoted to being a blessing.