Poverty, Work, and Economic Opportunity
Thinking Biblically About Work, Wages, Opportunity, Responsibility, Barriers, and the Conditions That Help People Flourish
Poverty is not only a question of how we help someone who does not have enough.
It is also a question of how people gain the opportunity to provide for themselves.
A food box can meet an immediate need.
Emergency assistance can keep the electricity on.
Temporary housing can protect a family during a crisis.
Government benefits may help someone through unemployment, disability, illness, or another difficult season.
Those forms of assistance can be important.
But whenever someone is capable of working, another important question eventually arises:
How can this person move toward greater stability, meaningful work, and the ability to provide for himself or herself?
That question leads us beyond assistance to economic opportunity.
Jobs.
Education.
Skills.
Transportation.
Childcare.
Affordable housing.
Healthcare.
Safe communities.
Family stability.
Business creation.
Access to capital.
Fair treatment.
Responsible employers.
Responsible employees.
Government policies.
And an economy capable of creating opportunities for people at many different levels of education and ability.
Christians should care about all of these things because biblical compassion does not merely ask how we can help someone survive today’s crisis.
Compassion meets immediate needs, while economic opportunity helps people develop the skills, work, relationships, and stability needed to move forward.
Work Is Part of God’s Good Design
Work did not begin as a punishment for sin.
Before humanity’s fall, God placed Adam in the garden:
“Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.” — Genesis 2:15 (NASB 1995)
Sin made work more difficult.
But work itself remained good.
Through work, people create.
Build.
Teach.
Repair.
Care for others.
Grow food.
Provide services.
Develop ideas.
Solve problems.
Raise families.
Serve communities.
And contribute to the lives of other people.
Work is therefore more than a way to receive a paycheck.
It is one important way human beings participate responsibly in God’s world.
Work Has Dignity at Every Level
Our culture sometimes treats certain jobs as though they are more respectable than others.
But honest work has dignity.
The person cleaning a hospital room contributes to patient safety.
The person collecting garbage contributes to public health.
The childcare worker helps parents remain employed.
The mechanic keeps transportation functioning.
The grocery clerk helps families obtain food.
The home-health aide cares for vulnerable people.
The construction worker builds homes and businesses.
The teacher prepares children for the future.
The small-business owner creates goods, services, and jobs.
The physician treats illness.
The farmer produces food.
Different jobs require different skills, education, responsibilities, and levels of compensation.
But Christians should not measure a person’s worth by job title or income.
Paul wrote:
“Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men.” — Colossians 3:23 (NASB 1995)
Honest work deserves respect.
The Ability to Work Is Itself an Opportunity
When discussing poverty, we sometimes focus only upon income.
But the opportunity to work matters too.
A person may be willing to work but face serious obstacles.
There may be few jobs nearby.
Transportation may be unreliable.
The person may lack the required education.
A criminal record may close doors.
Childcare may be unaffordable.
A disability may limit available work.
A rural community may have few employers.
A person may lack internet access needed for applications.
An employer may require experience the applicant has never had an opportunity to gain.
Someone may need tools, uniforms, identification, licensing, or transportation before beginning a job.
Telling someone simply to “work harder” may overlook genuine barriers.
Personal responsibility matters.
So does whether meaningful opportunity actually exists.
Poverty and Unemployment Are Not Always the Same Thing
Some people living in poverty are employed.
They may work part time because full-time work is unavailable.
They may work multiple low-wage jobs.
Their hours may change from week to week.
They may have no paid leave.
They may have high childcare expenses.
They may live in an area where housing costs are high.
They may support several children.
They may have medical expenses.
They may earn enough to lose certain assistance but not enough to replace what was lost.
Therefore, employment is enormously important, but employment alone does not guarantee immediate financial stability.
We should examine the whole situation.
Wages Matter
Scripture repeatedly condemns the exploitation of workers.
James wrote:
“Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you.” — James 5:4 (NASB 1995)
Workers should be paid what they are legitimately owed.
Employers should not exploit people simply because workers have little bargaining power.
Christians who own businesses should think seriously about how they treat employees.
But modern questions about wages involve additional economic considerations.
What determines wages?
What skills does a job require?
How productive is the work?
How much can customers afford to pay?
How much competition exists for workers?
What benefits are included?
What happens when labor costs rise?
Will prices rise?
Will hours be reduced?
Will businesses automate?
Will some businesses close?
Will workers become more productive?
Will higher wages reduce employee turnover?
These are economic questions that cannot be answered by quoting a single Bible verse.
Biblical concern for workers should motivate us to examine them carefully.
Minimum-Wage Policy Involves Tradeoffs
Christians may disagree about minimum-wage laws.
One person may argue that higher minimum wages help low-income workers earn enough to support themselves.
Another may worry that setting wages too high could reduce entry-level jobs, increase prices, accelerate automation, or particularly hurt small businesses.
Both concerns deserve examination.
The appropriate question is not merely:
“Do you care about workers?”
It is:
“What policy is most likely to improve the lives and opportunities of workers, including people trying to enter the workforce?”
That requires evidence, economics, local conditions, and careful judgment.
Entry-Level Jobs Matter
The first job may not provide everything a person ultimately needs.
But first jobs can provide something extremely valuable:
Experience.
References.
Skills.
Work habits.
Confidence.
Connections.
A record of reliability.
And an opportunity to move to the next job.
Christians should therefore think not only about today’s wage but about pathways for advancement.
Can a teenager get a first job?
Can someone without experience enter the workforce?
Can a worker learn new skills?
Can an employee advance?
Can someone move from part-time to full-time work?
Can a worker eventually earn enough to support a household?
Economic opportunity should include ladders, not merely starting points.
Education Matters—but College Is Not the Only Path
Education can dramatically affect economic opportunity.
But Christians should resist treating a four-year college degree as the only respectable route to success.
Communities need:
Electricians.
Plumbers.
Welders.
Carpenters.
HVAC technicians.
Machinists.
Nurses.
Medical technicians.
Mechanics.
Truck drivers.
Construction workers.
Computer technicians.
And many other skilled workers.
Trade schools.
Community colleges.
Apprenticeships.
Employer training.
Certification programs.
Military training.
And on-the-job learning can provide valuable pathways into stable careers.
Young people should be helped to understand multiple possibilities rather than being pushed automatically toward one path.
Schools Affect Economic Opportunity
A child’s ZIP code should not determine whether that child has a realistic chance to learn to read, write, calculate, reason, communicate, and prepare for adulthood.
Schools matter enormously.
Poor educational outcomes can contribute to long-term poverty.
Children who reach adulthood without basic academic skills face greater difficulty finding stable employment.
Improving economic opportunity therefore includes serious attention to education.
Christians may disagree about school funding, school choice, charter schools, public schools, private schools, homeschooling, teacher accountability, curriculum, and other policies.
But we should agree that children deserve meaningful opportunities to learn.
Educational systems should be evaluated by whether students are actually learning and being prepared for responsible adulthood.
Skills Can Break Cycles of Poverty
Sometimes the most valuable assistance is not money.
It is a skill.
Teach someone to read well.
Prepare a résumé.
Practice an interview.
Teach basic computer skills.
Help someone earn a certification.
Teach budgeting.
Provide financial literacy.
Help someone learn a trade.
Teach English to someone who needs it for employment.
Connect a worker with an apprenticeship.
Help a young person understand how to apply for jobs.
Skills remain with people after temporary assistance ends.
Churches and community organizations can play meaningful roles in this work.
Transportation Can Determine Whether Someone Can Work
A job is not much of an opportunity if the worker cannot reliably reach it.
Transportation is a major challenge in many communities.
Public transportation may be limited.
Jobs may be far from affordable housing.
A person may own an unreliable vehicle.
Car repairs may consume savings.
Insurance may be expensive.
Work hours may begin before buses run or end after service stops.
Transportation policy may sound unrelated to poverty.
In reality, it can strongly affect economic opportunity.
Sometimes helping someone repair a car or arrange reliable transportation can do more for long-term stability than another temporary cash payment.
Childcare Can Determine Whether a Parent Can Work
Parents with young children face another practical reality.
Someone must care for the children while the parent works.
Quality childcare can be expensive.
For a parent with several children, childcare costs may consume much of the income from an available job.
This creates difficult questions.
Families have primary responsibilities toward children.
Employers need dependable workers.
Childcare providers must earn enough to operate and pay employees.
Parents need affordable care.
Government may become involved through tax policy, subsidies, regulation, or public programs.
Churches and community organizations may also help.
There is no cost-free solution.
Someone always provides the labor, facility, resources, or funding.
Wise policy should acknowledge both the needs of families and the real costs involved.
Family Stability Affects Economic Opportunity
Family structure does not determine everything about a person’s future.
Many children raised in difficult circumstances become responsible and successful adults.
Many single parents make extraordinary sacrifices for their children.
But family stability matters.
Two responsible adults sharing parenting, household work, income, childcare, transportation, and decision-making often have advantages that one parent carrying everything alone does not have.
When one parent abandons responsibility, the remaining parent and children frequently bear significant financial consequences.
Christians should therefore be willing to talk about marriage, sexual responsibility, fatherhood, motherhood, child support, and family stability as economic issues as well as moral and relational issues.
This should be done without shaming children or people already living through difficult circumstances.
We can teach what contributes to stability while compassionately helping people whose lives do not fit the ideal.
Fathers Matter Economically as Well as Relationally
A father’s responsibility does not disappear when a relationship with the child’s mother ends.
Children still need support.
Financial support.
Time.
Guidance.
Protection.
Presence.
Responsible fatherhood can strengthen children and households.
When fathers abandon those responsibilities, mothers, children, extended families, charities, and taxpayers may carry costs that properly belonged in part to the absent parent.
Government child-support enforcement cannot create loving fatherhood.
But society should not structure assistance around the assumption that fathers have no responsibility.
Personal Decisions Matter
Compassion should never require us to pretend that choices do not affect economic outcomes.
Education matters.
Work habits matter.
Saving matters.
Debt matters.
Substance abuse matters.
Crime matters.
Sexual decisions matter.
Marriage and family decisions matter.
Reliability matters.
Showing up for work matters.
Learning new skills matters.
Living within one’s means matters.
Not every person has equal opportunity.
Not every hardship results from poor choices.
But choices still matter.
Biblical teaching about personal responsibility remains relevant even while we work to remove unjust or unnecessary barriers.
Opportunity Is Not the Same as Guaranteed Outcome
A society can seek to provide meaningful opportunity without guaranteeing that everyone will experience the same economic result.
People make different choices.
Possess different abilities.
Pursue different careers.
Take different risks.
Work different hours.
Face different circumstances.
Experience different illnesses.
Have different family responsibilities.
And sometimes encounter good or bad fortune.
Equality before the law and meaningful opportunity are important.
Identical economic outcomes are something different.
Christians should distinguish these ideas carefully.
Discrimination Can Restrict Opportunity
Personal responsibility is not the only factor affecting economic outcomes.
History demonstrates that people have sometimes been denied opportunities because of race, ethnicity, religion, sex, disability, or other characteristics unrelated to their ability to perform a job.
Christians should oppose unjust partiality.
James wrote:
“But if you show partiality, you are committing sin.” — James 2:9 (NASB 1995)
Employers should evaluate people fairly.
Government should administer laws fairly.
Schools should provide meaningful educational opportunity.
People should not be denied legitimate opportunities simply because of prejudice.
At the same time, claims of discrimination should be evaluated according to evidence rather than assumed automatically whenever outcomes differ.
Justice requires fairness in both directions.
Crime Can Destroy Economic Opportunity
Crime harms economic development.
Businesses are less likely to invest where theft, violence, vandalism, or disorder make operation unsafe or excessively expensive.
Stores may close.
Insurance costs may rise.
Customers may leave.
Jobs disappear.
Property values may fall.
Families who can leave may move elsewhere.
The people most harmed may be the residents who cannot leave.
Public safety is therefore connected to economic opportunity.
Supporting effective, lawful public safety is not opposed to caring about poverty.
Safe neighborhoods can be part of creating conditions in which families and businesses flourish.
A Criminal Record Can Also Become a Barrier
At the same time, people who have served their sentences eventually need a way to rebuild their lives.
A criminal record can make employment extremely difficult.
Public safety matters.
Employers may have legitimate concerns depending upon the job and offense.
But if a person who has paid a legal debt can never obtain lawful work, the pathway toward responsible reintegration becomes much harder.
Christians should care about both accountability and restoration.
Where appropriate, employment, mentoring, education, recovery support, and second-chance opportunities can help people build a different future.
Addiction Can Destroy Opportunity
Alcohol and drug addiction can devastate employment.
People may lose jobs.
Spend money needed by their families.
Damage relationships.
Commit crimes.
Lose housing.
And become increasingly disconnected from ordinary responsibilities.
Simply providing money without addressing addiction may not solve the underlying problem.
Compassion may require treatment.
Recovery support.
Accountability.
Employment assistance.
Stable housing.
Healthy relationships.
And spiritual care.
Different problems require different kinds of help.
Housing Costs Affect Workers
A worker may find employment but still be unable to afford housing near the job.
Housing costs are influenced by many factors.
Land.
Construction costs.
Interest rates.
Insurance.
Taxes.
Regulations.
Zoning.
Population growth.
Local demand.
Available housing supply.
Infrastructure.
And other market conditions.
Christians evaluating housing policy should consider both people who need affordable homes and the real costs of building, maintaining, financing, and insuring housing.
Again, there is no free solution.
The challenge is creating conditions in which more people can obtain safe, sustainable housing.
Healthcare Affects the Ability to Work
A person cannot always separate health from economic opportunity.
Chronic illness may limit work.
An injury may cause lost wages.
A needed prescription may be expensive.
A family may avoid medical care because of cost.
An employer may struggle with the cost of providing health insurance.
Workers may remain in jobs primarily because they need health coverage.
These realities affect labor markets and family stability.
Healthcare policy therefore belongs partly within the discussion of economic opportunity.
Christians should consider the needs of patients while also recognizing the costs of medical professionals, hospitals, medicines, research, insurance, facilities, and technology.
Compassion and economics cannot simply be separated.
Small Businesses Matter
Large corporations receive enormous attention, but small businesses are important sources of jobs and opportunity.
Restaurants.
Repair shops.
Construction companies.
Childcare centers.
Retail stores.
Professional services.
Family businesses.
Local manufacturers.
Independent contractors.
Entrepreneurs often risk their own savings, borrow money, work long hours, and face uncertain income.
Government policy should consider workers.
It should also consider the people who create and maintain jobs.
Taxes.
Licensing.
Regulation.
Insurance.
Healthcare costs.
Wages.
Rent.
Interest rates.
And compliance costs can affect whether a small business can hire another employee or even remain open.
Workers and employers should not automatically be treated as enemies.
Healthy economies need both.
Profit Is Not Automatically Greed
A business must generally receive more revenue than it spends if it is going to survive.
Profit allows businesses to:
Pay owners.
Replace equipment.
Expand.
Save for difficult periods.
Repay investors.
Develop new products.
And create additional jobs.
Profit can be pursued dishonestly or greedily.
But profit itself is not necessarily immoral.
The biblical question concerns how wealth is gained and used.
Businesses should not exploit workers, deceive customers, steal, commit fraud, or abuse power.
But a business that serves customers honestly, treats workers responsibly, and earns a reasonable profit can contribute significantly to the common good.
Entrepreneurship Can Create Opportunity
Someone who starts a business may create not only a job for himself but jobs for others.
Entrepreneurship can be especially valuable in communities where large employers are limited.
People need reasonable opportunities to start businesses.
Access to capital.
Clear laws.
Predictable regulations.
Property rights.
Infrastructure.
Education.
Mentoring.
And customers able to purchase goods and services.
Christians concerned about poverty should therefore care about the conditions that allow responsible businesses to begin and grow.
Government Can Help Create Conditions for Opportunity
Government does not create every job.
But government policies influence the environment in which people work and businesses operate.
Government provides or influences:
Courts.
Infrastructure.
Public safety.
Education.
Tax policy.
Regulation.
Licensing.
Trade rules.
Monetary and fiscal conditions.
Public transportation.
And many other factors.
Wise government can help create stable conditions for economic activity.
Poor government can discourage investment, create corruption, protect favored interests, waste resources, or make ordinary economic activity unnecessarily difficult.
The question is not whether government affects economic opportunity.
It does.
The question is how government can perform its legitimate responsibilities wisely without unnecessarily preventing people, families, communities, and businesses from acting responsibly themselves.
Regulation Can Protect—and It Can Create Costs
Some regulations serve important purposes.
Workplace safety.
Fraud prevention.
Environmental protection.
Building standards.
Consumer protection.
Financial transparency.
Other regulations may become outdated, unnecessarily complicated, duplicative, or disproportionately burdensome.
The proper question is not:
“Are regulations good or bad?”
It is:
“Does this particular regulation address a genuine problem effectively, and are its benefits worth its costs?”
Christians should resist ideological shortcuts.
Evaluate the actual policy.
Taxes Also Affect Opportunity
Government needs revenue to perform legitimate responsibilities.
Taxes provide that revenue.
But taxes also affect economic decisions.
They may influence investment.
Hiring.
Saving.
Consumer spending.
Business location.
Entrepreneurship.
And family finances.
The fact that taxes can have economic effects does not mean taxation is inherently wrong.
Neither does the existence of legitimate government needs mean every tax is wise.
Christians should consider both sides:
What legitimate public purpose requires funding?
and
How will the method of raising that money affect individuals, families, workers, and businesses?
Economic Growth Matters to Poverty
When economies grow, new opportunities can emerge.
Businesses expand.
Jobs are created.
Workers gain experience.
New products and services appear.
Tax revenue may increase.
Investment occurs.
Economic growth does not automatically solve every social problem.
Benefits are not always evenly distributed.
Some communities may be left behind.
Workers may be displaced by technological change.
But sustained economic stagnation can make poverty harder to address because there are fewer opportunities and fewer resources available.
Christians concerned about poverty should therefore care not only about how existing wealth is distributed but also about how legitimate economic activity creates new wealth and opportunity.
Wealth Creation and Generosity Can Work Together
Economic growth and generosity are not opposites.
A successful business owner may create jobs and also give generously.
A worker may earn more and become better able to support family and help neighbors.
A growing community may have greater resources for churches, charities, schools, and public services.
Paul told Timothy to instruct wealthy believers:
“To do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share.” — 1 Timothy 6:18 (NASB 1995)
Scripture does not teach that possessing resources automatically makes someone evil.
It teaches stewardship.
The more God entrusts to us, the more opportunity we have to use those resources faithfully.
Assistance and Opportunity Should Work Together
The strongest response to poverty often requires both.
A person may need food today and job training for tomorrow.
A mother may need rent assistance now and affordable childcare so she can remain employed later.
A recovering addict may need housing today and treatment, accountability, and employment for long-term stability.
A disabled person may need ongoing assistance while also benefiting from opportunities to work within his or her abilities.
Immediate compassion and long-term opportunity are not competitors.
They can support one another.
Churches Can Help Build Economic Opportunity
Churches may not be able to change national economic policy.
But they can do meaningful things locally.
Help someone write a résumé.
Provide interview clothing.
Teach budgeting.
Offer financial counseling.
Connect people with employers.
Provide transportation.
Help pay for a certification.
Mentor teenagers.
Support recovery.
Help with childcare.
Teach computer skills.
Encourage responsible fatherhood.
Support local businesses.
Help former prisoners reintegrate.
Provide emergency assistance.
Teach biblical stewardship.
And develop relationships with people rather than simply distributing resources.
Sometimes the most powerful thing a church can give someone is not money.
It is a trustworthy person who says:
“I will help you take the next step.”
Measure Success by More Than Money Spent
Government programs and charitable ministries sometimes report success according to how much money was spent or how many people were served.
Those numbers matter.
But Christians should also ask about outcomes.
Did someone obtain employment?
Did income become more stable?
Did a family avoid homelessness?
Did a worker gain a useful skill?
Did a parent obtain reliable childcare?
Did someone recover from addiction?
Did a young person graduate?
Did a business survive?
Did someone move from receiving assistance to helping someone else?
Spending money is an activity.
Human flourishing is the goal.
Avoid Turning Economic Questions Into Moral Stereotypes
Christians should avoid easy caricatures.
Not every poor person is lazy.
Not every wealthy person is greedy.
Not every business owner exploits workers.
Not every government employee wastes money.
Not every person receiving benefits is dependent by choice.
Not every person who supports lower taxes lacks compassion.
Not every person who supports government assistance ignores responsibility.
Not every employer can afford every proposed benefit.
Not every worker struggling financially has made irresponsible choices.
Real economic life is more complicated.
We should evaluate people and policies fairly.
Ask What Helps People Move Forward
When considering poverty and economic policy, one question is especially valuable:
Does this help people move forward?
Does it increase useful skills?
Make work possible?
Strengthen families?
Create employment?
Remove unnecessary barriers?
Protect people from exploitation?
Encourage saving?
Support responsible business formation?
Provide temporary help during genuine hardship?
Protect those who cannot provide fully for themselves?
Create pathways from assistance toward independence where possible?
Strengthen communities?
Those questions can help Christians move beyond political slogans.
Economic Opportunity Cannot Replace the Gospel
Economic opportunity matters.
But a better job cannot solve every human problem.
A larger income cannot reconcile someone to God.
Material prosperity cannot heal every broken relationship.
Economic success cannot remove guilt.
Money cannot conquer death.
Jesus warned:
“For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?” — Mark 8:36 (NASB 1995)
Christians should care about people’s material circumstances.
Jesus certainly did.
But we should never reduce human flourishing to economics.
People need meaningful work and opportunity.
They also need relationships.
Purpose.
Truth.
Grace.
Community.
And ultimately Jesus Christ.
Questions for Personal Reflection
Do I view honest work as something with dignity regardless of job title?
Do I assume everyone who is poor is unemployed?
Do I understand that some people work and still struggle financially?
Do I recognize genuine barriers that can make employment difficult?
Do I also recognize that personal choices and work habits matter?
Do I think about education as preparation for responsible adulthood rather than merely obtaining credentials?
Do I respect skilled trades as well as college-based careers?
Do I consider how childcare, transportation, housing, healthcare, and family stability affect employment?
Do I recognize fathers’ economic responsibilities toward their children?
Do I oppose unjust discrimination while also evaluating claims according to evidence?
Do I understand how crime can damage economic opportunity in struggling communities?
Do I believe people who have paid their legal debt should sometimes receive meaningful opportunities to rebuild their lives?
Do I recognize the importance of small businesses and entrepreneurs in creating jobs?
Do I understand that businesses must earn enough to survive?
Do I distinguish legitimate profit from greed or exploitation?
When considering regulations, do I examine both benefits and costs?
When considering taxes, do I examine both legitimate government needs and economic consequences?
Do I care about creating opportunity as much as providing assistance?
Do I evaluate programs according to results rather than intentions alone?
Is there someone I could personally help gain skills, employment, transportation, childcare, mentoring, or another opportunity?
Am I willing not only to help someone through today’s crisis but also to walk beside that person toward tomorrow’s stability?
A Prayer for Work and Economic Opportunity
Father, thank You for the ability to work, create, serve, provide, learn, and contribute.
Thank You for every honest worker.
For those who teach.
Build.
Repair.
Clean.
Care.
Grow.
Drive.
Design.
Manage.
Serve.
Heal.
Sell.
Cook.
Protect.
Create businesses.
And perform countless tasks that help our communities function.
Give dignity and encouragement to people searching for work.
Open doors of opportunity.
Help young people develop useful skills.
Strengthen schools, trade programs, apprenticeships, colleges, and other places where people prepare for meaningful work.
Give wisdom to employers.
Help them treat workers fairly and responsibly.
Give wisdom to employees.
Help them work honestly, reliably, and faithfully.
Strengthen small businesses and responsible entrepreneurs who create jobs and serve their communities.
Give wisdom to government leaders as they make decisions about education, taxes, regulation, wages, transportation, housing, childcare, healthcare, public safety, and economic policy.
Help them consider both intended benefits and unintended consequences.
Protect workers from exploitation.
Protect businesses from unnecessary burdens.
Remove unjust barriers to opportunity.
Help people recovering from addiction, incarceration, family breakdown, illness, unemployment, and other hardships find pathways toward stability.
Give compassion for those who cannot fully provide for themselves.
Give encouragement and opportunity to those who can.
Strengthen mothers and fathers.
Help parents accept responsibility for their children.
Help churches become places where people find not only emergency assistance but mentoring, skills, relationships, encouragement, accountability, and practical help.
Keep us from judging people by income.
Keep us from assuming poverty proves laziness or wealth proves greed.
Give us wisdom to see people clearly.
Teach us to care about both today’s need and tomorrow’s opportunity.
And remind us that economic prosperity is not our ultimate hope.
Our deepest need is Jesus Christ.
May our work honor You.
May our economic decisions demonstrate justice and wisdom.
May our generosity reflect Your grace.
And may we use every opportunity You give us to help others flourish.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Related Pages
Thinking Biblically About Difficult Public Issues
Caring for the Poor: Compassion, Responsibility, and the Role of Government
Rights, Responsibilities, and the Common Good
Continue Learning
When the Bible Does Not Give a Specific Public Policy
Can Faithful Christians Reach Different Political Conclusions?
