Pastor Rick Warren is urging Christians not to slack off because God designed people to be productive and create wealth for His kingdom.
Warren shared in his devotional that the problem with the economy now, including America's, is that there are more wealth takers than wealth makers. He said that the economy takes a turn for the worse when there are more consumers than contributors, and this is sadly the reality of today's economy.
"Yet God designed us to create wealth, to produce wealth; he designed us to be productive people. God wants you to be productive, and his plan for your life includes wealth creation — not wealth redistribution," he reasoned.
Warren blamed Wall Street in particular for the economy's collapse, saying that the people working there have been making outrageous amounts of money without really creating anything.
"They didn't create services. They didn't create benefits. They didn't create products. They didn't create jobs. They simply made money on money," he lamented.
The pastor said that Wall Street's way of making money is not what God wants for His people. "God wants us to provide benefits, services, and protection to others. He wants us to create opportunities to help people," he said.
Warren then explained the differences between capitalism, communism, and Christianity. With capitalism, people are self-centred and believe that "What's mine is mine, and I'm going to keep it."
Communism is greedy because it believes, "What's yours is mine, and I have a right to take it."
Christianity is instead what God wants people to strive for. It teaches, "What's mine is really God's, and I'm willing to share it."
Warren said that when people are voluntarily generous to help others, it builds their character and helps them grow as individuals. "Becoming more productive and generous helps you to become more like Christ," he said.
