God’s Divine Economy (part I)featured
Dear friends and neighbors of the Rio Grande Valley (RGV), in a world that is getting darker and plunging into more chaos, we are so blessed to have the word of God be our light and even our spiritual food. When we read the Bible, we become clear that God’s intention is to make His home in our hearts (Ephesians 3:17), conform us to the image of His Son ( Genesis 1:27; Romans 8:29), and to grow in us to such an extent that we become mature (Ephesians 4:13), and express Him.
But have you ever wondered how He carries this out? When one looks at the Bible from a bird’s eye view, we perceive God’s will is to bring His kingdom to earth (Matthew 6:10) and dispense His life into us. The epistles of the apostle Paul refer to this process as God’s “economy” (1 Timothy 1:3-4; Ephesians 1:10; 3:9). This and the following blog will provide a general glimpse on God’s marvelous economy, though for a more comprehensive dive into this theme, consider reading the book “The Economy of God,” by Witness Lee, which you can get a free copy here.
What is an Economy?
Merriam-Webster defines “economy” as an “arrangement or mode of operation of something (as in organization), or the efficiency and concise use of a nonmaterial resource (such as effort, language, or motion).”
The word economy proceeds from the Greek word “oikonomia”, which is made up of two words: household management, or household law. Basically, an economy consists in the dispensing of the riches (products and services) in exchange for money or something else of value. Remember, I am a physician not a financial guru, so this is just a very simple way of looking at an economy.
Our Local Economy in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV)
The RGV economy was traditionally based on farming, especially citrus, but it has been diversifying into different industries such as medical, retail, commercial, wind-energy production, and most recently, the aerospace industry among others. Can you imagine that some day in the future some of our children, born and raised in the RGV area, may grow up to be astronauts that visit Mars?
The financial impact of SpaceX is being felt all over the RGV, but especially in Brownsville. One of my patients that works for SpaceX once told me, “Dr. Escobedo, in about 10 years from now, we won’t even recognize the Valley.”
The 1.4 million people in the RGV area make up the aggregate of our dreams and ambitions, talents and skills, work and expertise, and the trading of money for all of these goods and services that have produced this economy. If us mortal beings can produce a growing economy with so much potential, can you imagine what God’s economy would look like? A masterpiece.
Background of God’s economy:
Remember that God is extremely rich and powerful, beyond what human words can ever describe, as evidenced by His creation of the universe (Refer to my blog “God is Great”). He is also magnificently rich in mercy by His sacrifice on the cross to save us from perdition, and by living inside of us as the seed of life.
There are a few keys to God’s economy. The first one is that we have a human spirit, which can receive and contain God’s Spirit, briefly explained in my first blog (“The Infinity in Us”). The second one is that our God is Triune, and makes Himself available to us through His incarnation in Jesus Christ’s perfect human living, crucifixion, resurrection, and then ascencion. He comes into us as the Spirit when we received Him (Refer to my blog “God is Small”). Here’s a simple diagram of this process:
God created us in His image and likeness (Genensis 1:26), and His economy consists in dispensing Himself into us. May we be those open earthen vessels that are constantly receiving that divine transmission of all His riches.
On my next blog, I’ll explore a few more aspects and examples concerning God’s economy.
Please comment on this blog, ask a question, let me know if you need prayer or encouragement.
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