Monday, October 24, 2011

The Origins of Ownership


As our country spirals out of control, with the masses rising up to get "their fair share", I thought we might want to ground ourselves in the truth.....

"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard.  He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.  


About the third hour, he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing.  He told them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.'  So they went.


He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing.  About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around.  He asked them, 'Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?'


'Because no one has hired us,' they answer.


"He said to them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard.'


'When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.'


'The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius.  So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more.  But each one of them also received a denarius.  When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner.  These  men who were last worked only one,' they said, 'and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.'


'But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am not being unfair to you.  Didn't you agree to work for a denarius?  Take your pay and go.  I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you.  Don't I  have the right to do what I want with my own money?  Or are you envious because I am generous?'


'So the last will be first, and the first will be last."
                                                         Matthew 20:1-16 NIV

Please understand that I realize Jesus was talking about salvation and the kingdom of heaven, but it is really hard to miss the concept of ownership.  Ownership, by definition, gives the owner the right to do with his property as he will.

Generations of people have been deceived into believing that ownership is evil and that owners must be forced to meet the demands of the masses.  The reality is that God himself is the author of ownership.  Ownership is not evil, men's hearts are evil.  Ownership encourages stewardship.  When you own something, you have a desire to see it improve and prosper.  When you own something, you make the rules regarding your possessions.  That is your right.

Each of us owns something, be it a multi-million dollar corporation or our own soul.  The rights of ownership indicate that we alone are responsible for the condition of our property.  Don't allow the masses to influence your ownership.  If you own a multi-million dollar business set your course and hold firm.  If all you own is your soul, diligently prepare it for eternity.  Your life depends on it.

12 comments:

  1. What is right is wrong and what is wrong is right. I think we have reached that point.

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  2. On Christian Economics
    http://www.amazon.com/Church-Market-Catholic-Defense-Economics/dp/0739110365/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319519018&sr=8-1

    This also has a good discussion on why Christian societies are so far advanced (e.g. in economics) than other societies like Islamic:

    http://www.amazon.com/Victory-Reason-Christianity-Freedom-Capitalism/dp/0812972333/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319519080&sr=1-1

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  3. A very good point, Enola. The Bible (so far as I am aware) never discusses that Christians (or anyone) shouldn't own things. It's what we do with them that's important. Yes, there are many admonitions about charity and giving, but that is how we use what we are given - not the fact that we shouldn't have it.

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  4. Enola,
    The Old and New Testaments are both filled with
    many teachings of ownership.

    In turn, Stewardship IS our praiseworthy gift and acknowledgement given back to God for his Blessings bestowed to man for all our bounty on this EARTH.

    Greed is when you no longer WORK performing
    ownership Stewardship, nor give THANKS to God for your earthly blessings or inheritances.

    God Bless You and yours!

    notutopia

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  5. If I go to my bank today and withdraw all my money and buy gold and silver then I will still have my money even after the banks collapse. If I wait to see if it is true that we are on an unstoppable slide into a worldwide depression before I decide to take my money out of the bank I will get nothing. Is that the modern day message?

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  6. Governments across the planet and throughout history may look at it differently-you may still own your own soul,but your property(land,cars, whatever) can be taken away from you for some very flimsy or non-existent reasons. At least in the U.S. there is (usually)a legal process to it,and you(might)have some chance in court. Depends on who wants what you have.
    If you have earned something-regardless of what it is, you are likely to take care of it, and society in general is better off. Redistribution("their fair share") is not the same thing as charity! Redistribution is a black hole-money goes in, nothing comes out.

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  7. Charity is giving because you choose to do so.
    Redistribution is giving because you are forced to do so.

    I choose charity. I will rebuff redistribution at every opportunity.

    One day I was wheeling my shopping cart through the grocery store parking lot and saw a 13yo boy skateboarding around the cars, often careening into them. I told him that a new skateboard park was only 1/4 mile away and that he could skate there, safely, and not damage any cars when doing so. He stopped, walked up to me and explained that there was no such thing as private property and he'd skate where ever he wanted to. Believe me when I say I was not surprised by his attitude. It is a growing one here on the Left Coast. Private ownership of anything is becoming an "old fasioned notion." Heaven help us all.

    NoCal Gal

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  8. I think that..

    "You shall not steal."

    Gave us rights to personal and private property.

    Steve

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  9. No posts for a while now...

    Hope all is well.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Sounds like that owner is running a union shop.

    The next time he wants labor, most laborers will probably opt for the late shift.

    Hutch

    ReplyDelete