Needed: A Spiritual Stimulus Package

For months we have heard the call for a strong economic stimulus package to “get our economy moving again.” A proposal to supposedly do just that is making its way through Congress. Partisan debate is questioning or praising the merits of this legislation, as government efforts so far have clearly been ineffective.

We are being bombarded with reports that the present economic malaise is unprecedented, at least since the Great Depression. Unemployment is worsening every week, it seems, as big-name corporations, and the business down the street, reduce their payrolls to deal with the recession and declining worldwide demand.

These tumultuous economic times should drive individuals, and the nation, to recognize that there are issues in life of greater consequence than the Dow Jones Industrial Average or the Gross National Product.

How serious are we about repenting of our sin before God? Do we regard the worship of God of greater importance than watching the Super Bowl? Do we take seriously God’s directives in Scripture concerning marriage, family, the Sabbath, and preparing for eternity?

The Bible declares, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD.” America is in trouble because we serve many gods. The present economic crisis is a symptom of a deeper, spiritual crisis. The ultimate answer will not be found in job creation and tax cuts but in humility and repentance.

Americans’ greatest need is for a paradigm shift produced by spiritual conversion. Rather than serving the god of economic prosperity our chief purpose should be to glorify our Creator. The deficit of greatest consequence these days is not government overspending but the lack of spiritual vitality. With the right God in focus, the economy will take care of itself.

When our churches are full of people seeking the Lord Jesus Christ we will have turned a corner. Until then, we can expect the consequences of the spirituality deficit to compound. Stimulating the soul of America is our greatest need.