The Bible and Joe the Plumber

In the closing days of the American presidential election campaign an unexpected character popped up and became an overnight celebrity, as well as a focal point for the campaign.

Democratic nominee Barack Obama was campaigning on a suburban Ohio street when he stopped to talk with a man who was in his front yard playing with his son. The man, Joe Wurzelbacher, a plumber by trade, asked the candidate about his tax plans.

"You're going to take my money, aren't you?" Joe challenged. "Well, it's really like spreading the wealth around," returned Senator Obama. Instantly a "star" was born and "Joe the Plumber" has become a symbol for the hardworking middle class who could get caught in the middle of the ideas and policies meant to address the financial problems of America.

Let's forget for a moment the complicated tax ideas put forth by the politicians. Instead, let's focus on you and the many others out there who are represented by the "Joe the Plumber" talk. You see, everyday life is made up of regular people going through the routine of work, families and hobbies.

The "regular" people, the blue-collar working class men and women, have to deal with the ordinary stuff like taking out the garbage, shopping for groceries and balancing checkbooks. They worry about paying bills or providing enough for a college education for their children. When sickness strikes the family, there is raw fear over how the mounting bills will be met. Will life savings be wiped out with one catastrophic illness?

People like Joe the Plumber don't shop on Rodeo Drive. They shop in discount shops and they rarely buy anything unless it is on sale or marked down for clearance. Neighborhood garage sales provide a place to find toys and clothes; even bits and pieces of furniture.

Vacations? For this group it may only be a long weekend at the beach or an amusement park. But forget the trips to Europe, Hawaii or the Caribbean. Those are far-off fantasies in most cases. And even if people from this group do take such an exotic trip, you can bet some other part of the budget will suffer or they'll just put it on the credit card. Joe the Plumber types only dream about the lifestyle of the rich and the famous.

For most of us life is routine. But we are impacted by the decisions made by politicians and other leaders. These decisions will determine to a degree how much money stays in our pockets, as well as whether our sons and daughters go off to war. In the long term leaders make decisions that determine the prosperity or the decline of the plumbers, bakers, mechanics, teachers and shopkeepers of a nation. It is the way of the world. And right now there is great concern over how deep the present global recession will go.

In past letters I have given some practical advice for dealing with our personal finances. There is much more that could be said, but there is a broader spiritual view I would like to give you today. The Bible has something to say to the Joe the Plumbers of the world. The everyday working man and woman can take encouragement that God knows their plight; that He will judge the unjust and the greedy who exploit them. Consider the words we find in the fifth chapter of the book of James:

"Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth [of hosts]. You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter. You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you" (James 5:1-6).

Wealth can disappear overnight! God does not condemn wealth, but He will judge the ill-gotten wealth obtained through injustice and greed. The rest of us He counsels to be patient and endure.

"Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!" (verses 7-9).

Work hard. Be honest. Practice the hard spiritual things, like patience. God knows your work and your patience. Trust in Him and He will help us through these challenging times.

Keep watching.