Archive for September, 2016

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus. Philippians 2:3-5

“Do not imagine that if you meet a really humble man he will be what most people call “humble” nowadays: he will not be a sort of greasy, smarmy person, who is always telling you that, of course, he is nobody. Probably all you will think about him is that he seemed a cheerful, intelligent chap who took a real interest in what you said to him. If you do dislike him it will be because you feel a little envious of anyone who seems to enjoy life so easily.

He will not be thinking about humility: he will not be thinking about himself at all. If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can, I think, tell him the first step. The first step is to realise that one is proud. And a biggish step, too. At least, nothing whatever can be done before it. If you think you are not conceited, it means you are very conceited indeed.”

C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity (New York: Harper Collins, 1980) 128.

Why this quote from Lewis today? What’s it got to do with generosity?

A friend of mine lost a dear friend and mentor who was, no doubt, an “intelligent chap who took a real interest” in my friend, which made me think of this snippet from Mere Christianity. Then my mind went to the mentors in my life (blokes like Wes Willmer, Tom Assmus, Dan Busby, and the men of the Tuesday morning Pinehurst Bible Study that I have attended for 15 years). These men generously exhibit humility. They think and care not for themselves but for others.

Since my friend whose mentor passed away can’t reach out and thank his mentor, let us reach out to thank ours today. Perhaps forward this email to one of your mentors and tell them how much you appreciate them for not being “smarmy” toward you (I had to look that word up: it means “insincere”). Lewis, much like the Apostle Paul, reminds us that we must abandon selfishness and acknowledge our pride to have the humble mindset of Christ. We must do this to have any impact on the lives of those around us.

Father, forgive our conceit and help us center our thoughts on You and others, just like Jesus, so that our lives generously bless others, even as we have been blessed. Amen.

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. 1 Timothy 6:17-19

“Generosity is a Christian duty, says Paul, something that pastors can command. He is probably echoing Deuteronomy 15, where God says to the Israelites, “Give generously to him [the poor person] and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you . . . There will always be poor people in the land [or on the earth]. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers . . . Give to him [i.e., the poor person] as the Lord your God has blessed you. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord you God redeemed you. That is why I give you this command today” (vv. 10-11, 14-15).”

Christopher J.H. Wright in “Paul, a New Testament Model: His Collection for the Poor in Jerusalem” in Accountability in Missions: Korean and Western Case Studies edited by Jonathan J. Bonk (Eugene: Wipf & Stock, 2011) 41.

Some people may be uncomfortable when I say “command generosity” but we see this language both in the OT and the NT. Today I have meetings with Korean-American church leaders in the Washington D.C. area who are likely more comfortable commanding their people to be generous because of cultural dynamics at play.

Why might most Americans feel uncomfortable with “command” language?

There are many possible reasons for this. One may be that our American culture tends to measure giving based on merit, which is the opposite of grace (often defined as unmerited favor). God desires that His people reflect his grace and generosity through openhanded sharing. He desires this so much that He “commands” us to do this.

The Korean culture is also far more hierarchical than the American culture (think: as a group their cultural tendency is to honor the instructions of authorities and people atop organizational structures). In such settings it may be more common to have a leader issue a command, whereas such language rarely flows from American leaders.

Regardless, rather than point any fingers at others, how about if each of us hear the command from the Apostle Paul directed to us personally. God commands you and me to live generously because of what is at stake: those who get it, take hold of life as God intends for us. So you could say, those who don’t obey are the ones who miss out.

It’s yet another profound paradox of the Christian faith. Obey the command and take hold of life. Fail to obey and miss grasping life as God intends for us. In other words, when we don’t live this way, God does not miss out, because He does not need our giving. We are the ones who miss out.

No wonder He uses command language! He does not want us to miss out on “the life that is truly life.”

So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:31-33

“It’s difficult to be generous if we worry about things, especially money. Conversely, if God and His ways are more important to us than anything else, we can be generous and not worry that we’ll run out of “all these things.” We have to be careful here. This is a promise about life, not about material wealth. Jesus is not telling us that if we give, we get more money in return. Rather, generosity produces the virtues of joy, peace, purpose, and contentment that give life and true meaning. At the same time, many of the people who have joined our conversation have increased their generosity, yet I do not recall a single instance where anyone ran out of money because he or she gave too much away. But suppose someone did. Suppose he [or she] gave every penny away and his [or her] account hit zero. According to this promise, God will take care of him [or her]. Do we really believe the Bible? Can we trust it? How do we move into greater levels of trust?”

Todd Harper in Abundant: Experiencing the Incredible Journey of Generosity (Chattanooga: Generous Giving, 2016) 39-40.

This is a great new book from Generous Giving. Harper invites readers to explore the spiritual journey of growing in generosity which is rooted in trusting in God and His promises. I enthusiastically commend it to the readers of my daily meditations. Here’s the endorsement I was privileged to include in the front of the book.

“Jesus does not call the rich to a posture of destitution, but rather, joyful distribution. Want to explore this idea further? This is the book for you! Todd Harper meets you where you are and graciously guides you from trying to maximize your net worth to maximizing kingdom impact. The best part is that you will find the journey to be the most enriching trip of your life.”

I am worshipping at Korean Central Presbyterian Church in Centreville, Virginia, outside of Washington D.C., this morning and interacting with leaders from KCPC and other leading Korean-American churches today and tomorrow. While these leaders grasp generosity and trust in God at profoundly deep levels, there is room for growth linked to demonstrating financial transparency and accountability to rally greater participation in the gospel. Our meetings will orbit around helping them understand the benefits of ECFA membership. This is not about expanding ECFA so much helping them enhance trust through greater transparency to expand God’s kingdom.

As it is written, “He has distributed freely, He has given to the poor [penes]; His righteousness endures forever.” 2 Corinthians 9:9

“The New Testament recognizes two classes of poor. The first of these, the penes, or working class poor, are mentioned only once (2 Corinthians 9:9). The penes made a living with their hands . . . The primary word for poor in the New Testament . . . ptoichoi . . . appears 34 times, each time describing persons living in abject poverty: helpless, destitute, beaten down, often reduced to begging as a means of survival.”

Charles E. Smith in Beside Still Waters: Shepherding in the New Millennium (Lincoln: Writer’s Showcase, 2002) 47.

This verse came up in my teaching this week and I can’t get it out of my mind. The function of the Greek language is important for reading and interpretation. Hang with me. I’ll make this a quick Greek lesson.

The Apostle Paul wants all believers scattered across the ancient Mediterranean world, the vast majority of whom would have been “working class poor,” that is, the penes, to participate in the collection for the “working class poor” Christians in Jerusalem who are starving. He spends two chapters teaching them about Christian sharing (cf. 2 Corinthians 8-9).

In the context of the Gentile world, such behavior would have been countercultural. The cultural response to neighbors who were suffering from famine would have been to take advantage of them. For example, if famine came and your crops were wiped out and mine were fruitful, in return for taking over your land, I would give you a portion of my harvest. You survived, but essentially “lost everything” because your land was now mine. Though Jews were not supposed to take advantage of one another, the practice of taking over family lands also occurred among God’s people, which is why the “jubilee,” prescribed in the OT law, required the people to return land to families so that people were not subject to one another for generations (cf. Leviticus 25:10).

Also in Jewish tradition, it was commonly thought that the rich were the ones expected to give generously and the recipients of their alms were the destitute poor, that is, the ptoichoi, so Paul is really shaking things up to call the penes to share with each other. Christian sharing is not about the rich fulfilling their obligation outlined in the OT law to help the poor. In times of crisis, even if other workers take advantage of fellow workers, working class followers of Christ live differently! They willingly and cheerfully live simply and share richly with each other!

In modern terms, Paul is saying something like this: “As working class followers of Christ who live paycheck to paycheck, when you hear of someone who is suffering, help them out. Do this by living simply and sharing whatever surplus you have that is more than you need to live on so that your fellow workers who have fallen on hard times have sufficient resources to live. Most importantly, when you abandon the world’s thinking regarding money and serve as cheerful givers, God is absolutely tickled because people see His love through you and give thanks to Him for your obedience.”

Father in heaven, show me a fellow worker who is going through hard times with whom I might share richly today.

Speaking of sharing, I have learned much about it from my Korean brothers and sisters. They don’t just think about the needs of others, Korean churches desire to lead the world in sacrificing so that others may see God’s love through them. Today, I am flying to Washington DC to worship at one of the largest Korean churches in America tomorrow and then to facilitate meetings for ECFA with Korean-American leaders on Monday. Pray with me for a fruitful trip. Thank you.

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit–fruit that will last–and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. John 15:16

“We are called to do more than simply act in the manner that Jesus acted. There is, in some mysterious way, a link between our very actions and the purposes of God in and through Jesus…We partner with God in the redemption of the world. This is not just an issue of theology or of spirituality; it is an issue of a thoroughly reorienting missiology. It will provide God’s people with a new sense of purpose. A divine connection to daily actions. We need to grasp the fact that in God’s economy our actions to have eternal impact. We do extend the kingdom of God in daily affairs and activities and actions done in the name of Jesus.”

Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch in The Shaping of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21st-Century Church (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2003) 115.

I am heading home this morning from a fruitful week of work in New England with a thankful heart. I snapped the photo (above) at sunrise at Boston Airport. It was so beautiful.

When we live and work generously in God’s economy, according to His design for all things, our fruit lasts. What we do has an eternal impact. So if, like me, you find yourself a bit weary at the end of a week of work, let’s pause for a minute together. Let’s remind ourselves today that our work, when done for God, glorifies God serves others in the short run now, and has an eternal impact in the long run. All our work matters to God and should be done for God and celebrated as the blessing that it is.

Thank you God, that you give us the privilege of serving as workers in your beautiful world. May our work, empowered by your Holy Spirit, bring you glory and bless others generously. Make it so I pray in the name and power of Jesus. Amen!

When the righteous [tsaddiqim] prosper, the city rejoices; when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy. Proverbs 11:10

“The average middle-class (or wealthier) Christian in America has been blessed with much from God — skills, wealth, opportunity, vocational position, education, influence, networks. We are, in short, the prospering. The purpose of all these blessings is simple to state and difficult to live: we are blessed to be a blessing. Our generous heavenly Father desires us to deploy our time, talents, and treasure to offer other foretastes of the coming kingdom. Those who do so are called the tsaddiqim, the righteous.”

Amy Sherman in Kingdom Calling: Vocational Stewardship for the Common Good (Downers Grove: IVP, 2011) 45.

When “the righteous” [tsaddiqim] serve as conduits of God’s blessings, the city really does rejoice! I know one city in America where there is rejoicing daily because of the generosity of the righteous: Skowhegan, Maine.  After my pastors conference concluded yesterday at Camp Spofford, I drove from Spofford Lake (pictured above) outside of Keene, New Hampshire, to Skowhegan, Maine, to attend the first meeting of the newly formed board for Shelter by Jesus.

Shelter By Jesus is a place where “the righteous” have build a home for the homeless to find healing and hope in Jesus Christ. The shelter has a church service every day (I got to preach last night) and hundreds of people each year come to faith in Christ. The city rejoices because rather than hoarding God’s blessings, the saints up here in Skowhegan, empty themselves in Christian service to bind up the wounds of the broken and help get them back to working and living.

Father in heaven, thank you for blessing us to be a blessing. It is easy for us to receive your blessings and hard for us to serve as conduits. Forgive us for the times we think and act as though we earned them or they belong to us. May our generosity lead many to faith and cause our cities in America and around the world to rejoice because “the righteous” are living out the faith. Make it so by your Holy Spirit we pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Whoever heard me spoke well of me, and those who saw me commended me, because I rescued the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had none to assist them. The one who was dying blessed me; I made the widow’s heart sing. I put on righteousness [tzadeqah] as my clothing; justice was my robe and my turban. I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame. I was a father to the needy; I took up the case of the stranger. I broke the fangs of the wicked and snatched the victims from their teeth. Job 29:11-17

“The righteous . . . are by definition those who are willing to disadvantage themselves for the community while the wicked are those who put their economic, social, and personal needs ahead of the needs of the community . . . Biblical righteousness is inevitably “social,” because it is all about relationships. When most modern people see the word “righteousness” in the Bible, they tend to think of it in terms of private morality, such as sexual chastity or diligence in prayer and Bible study. But in the Bible tzadeqah [the Hebrew term for “righteousness”] refers to day-to-day living in which a person conducts all relationships in family and society with fairness, generosity, and equity.”

Tim Keller as cited in Kingdom Calling: Vocational Stewardship for the Common Good by Amy Sherman (Downers Grove: IVP, 2011), 16, 47.

As I enjoy rich dialogue with New England pastors, we share a passion that our righteousness, both biblically and practically speaking, must shape the society around us. If it doesn’t, then what we have is not biblical righteous, but rather some form of self-righteousness, which is no righteousness at all! Biblical righteousness will exhibit fairness, generosity, and equity in all aspects of our lives.

Self-righteousness says, “I earned what I have, fair and square. It’s mine to do as I please. The destitute got what they deserve from poor choices. They are not my problem.” Alternatively, biblical righteousness, as Job recounts, is like the clothing that garbs the one who lives not for himself or herself, but rather to serve others and lift them up out of difficult situations!

As I am on the road for this entire week and am missing my wife, Jenni, I left two words on the counter back home as a reminder: “to serve” (cf. Matthew 20:25-28). That’s not only what I am up to this week, but also what I know she is doing. What about you? It is why we are all here on this earth: “to serve” in a manner that exhibits biblical righteousness and generosity.

“But He answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the one 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?'” Matthew 20:13-15

“The employer in Jesus’ story did not cheat the full-day workers by paying everyone for one hour’s work instead of twelve. No, the full-day workers got what they were promised. Their discontent arose from the scandalous mathematics of grace. They could not accept that their employer had the right to do what he wanted with his money…

Significantly, many Christians who study this parable identify with the employees who put in a full day’s work, rather than the add-ons at the end of the day. We like to think of ourselves as responsible workers, and the employer’s strange behavior baffles us as it did the original hearers. We risk missing the story’s point: that God dispenses gifts, not wages. None of us gets paid according to merit, for none of us comes close to satisfying God’s requirements for a perfect life. If paid on the basis of fairness, we would all end up in hell.”

Philip Yancey in What’s So Amazing About Grace? (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1997) 62.

I am thinking about the teachings of Jesus linked to work this morning as I am spending a few days with 20 pastors at Camp Spofford in New Hampshire discussing ways to help people connect their faith and work in God’s economy.

Yancey nails the heart of this text: “God dispenses gifts, not wages.” God’s economy is rooted in the scandalous (think: “shockingly heavenly”) mathematics of grace. Only once we grasp this math, can we rejoice that we get to be workers in God’s world.

Many times in my life I have thought like the all-day workers. There’s no grace there. I find a chip on my shoulder that thinks “I earned what I have” when in reality, all I have is the fruit of God’s grace. Rather than be envious today, let us all rejoice because God is so generous.

And let’s imitate His generosity in extending grace richly to others!

May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us– yes, establish the work of our hands. Psalm 90:17

“God is not a demander; God is a giver…God’s generosity holds true not just in the realm of salvation, when the well-being of souls is at stake. It also holds true in the realm of creation and therefore in the realm of everyday activities. If God is the source of our being, then we do all our work in the power that comes from God.

God gives, and therefore we exist and can work…None of our endeavors and concerns are too small for God…Moreover, our mundane work is part of our service to God. It is God who sustains us; it is God who gives us power and creativity; and it is ultimately God for whom we work. Hence it is quite appropriate to ask God to bless our endeavors.”

Miroslav Volf in A Public Faith: How Followers of Christ Should Serve the Common Good (Grand Rapids: Brazos, 2011) 26.

After a great weekend of ministry in Minnesota and only about 10 hours at home, I depart this morning for Boston to facilitate a Pastors Summit on the integration of faith and work in God’s economy at EFCA Camp Spofford in Spofford, New Hampshire through Wednesday.

Volf rightly notes that God’s generosity is the basis for our ability to do fruitful and creative work, from mundane to magnificent tasks. It’s all important to God and fueled by God. Our work matters to Him. God, generously bless our work today for You. Sustain and empower us for your glory. Amen!

So yesterday morning Sammy and I headed back to Rebecca Lake for more muskie fishing. En route he said, “I know why we didn’t land a a muskie yesterday. We didn’t listen to our favorite fly fishing music on the way.” He promptly turned on “The River” by Jordan Feliz. Today’s meditation is one of the many great songs on the album. Enjoy it on YouTube: Live it out!

Oh, and God was generous to us only a few minutes into our day. Sammy landed a 41 inch muskie – “the fish of 10,000 casts” – on his 9 wt TFO fly rod on a green double bunny muskie fly he tied with a Cam Sigler popper head.  It was a gift from God. We love this song because whether we are fly fishing or doing anything else, we want to live out our Christian faith. We hope it inspires you too.

Live it Out!

Hey! I feel a drum in my heart, in the beatings, breaking through
I feel a fire in my bones and I got to let it loose
Nothing of this world could ever give me the joy that comes from You
And I cannot contain it; gonna live it so they can see the truth

Ohh, this love that I know
I feel it deep in my soul, breaking my walls down
Wanna scream it loud
I’m gonna live it out, hey!
Yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah
I’m gonna live it out

Here’s my life, let it be a reflection of who You are
Here’s my hands and my feet, let ’em take You near and far
Nothing of this world could ever give me the hope that comes from You

And I just cannot hide it, gotta shine it so all can see the truth
Ohh, this love that I know
I feel it deep in my soul, breaking my walls down
Wanna scream it loud
I’m gonna live it out, hey!
Yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah
I’m gonna live it out
Yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah

‘Cause when I live it, I’m givin’ the world a piece of You
Anywhere I’m goin’, I’m showin’ just what Your love can do
‘Cause when I live it, I’m givin’ the world a piece of You
Anywhere I’m goin’, I’m showin’ just what Your love can do, yeah

Ohh, this love that I know
I feel it deep in my soul (deep in my soul), breaking my walls down
Wanna scream it loud
I’m gonna live it out, hey!
Yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah
I’m gonna live it out
Yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah

‘Cause when I live it, I’m givin’ (woo) the world a piece of You
Anywhere I’m goin’, I’m showin’ just what Your love can do
‘Cause when I live it, I’m givin’ (woo) the world a piece of You
Anywhere I’m goin’, I’m showin’ just what Your love can do