Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights. Habakkuk 3:17-19
“Buy yourselves this knowledge, if you can, you kings, rulers, men of wealth, from the rising to the setting sun. You who are rich in worldly wisdom, get the gift of the plowman prophet, which could not be taken away from him who had received it. For the possessions which you so eagerly desire are beset with countless risks; thieves who break into houses, tyrants who confiscate, flatterers who plot, the sea that overwhelms, and the earth that quakes and yawns.
Therefore let the right hand of God be the hope and treasury of men, the hand that led his people out of Egypt, and in the desert provided abundance of good things, which brought Habakkuk to Daniel, and preserved Ishmael when he had been cast down from his mother’s arms; which provides for those of every generation; and which, finally, multiplied five barley loaves so that they equaled a great harvest, and one loaf supplied a thousand hungry men and filled a basket with fragments besides. Now to our God be glory forever and ever. Amen.”
Asterius of Amasea (350-410) in his sermon, “Against Coveteousness.” This ends my exploration of a great sermon. Read it in its entirety here. This morning, I fly to Kentucky. I will facilitate meetings with seminary administrators from across the USA at Asbury Seminary over the next few days.
Today is a special day. GTP turns 3. We got our 501c3 status on 3 April 2019. On Facebook page we will release a series of infographics starting today. Like Global Trust Partners and check out our celebration of God’s faithfulness this week. We’ve given what we have and God has done wonders.
Alternatively, those who desire possessions beset themselves with countless risks, so don’t let that be you. Instead place your trust in the “right hand of God” as your “hope and treasury” for all that you need. Notice the one who does shares what he or she has. God makes it enough.
This sermon has been rich with biblical images and has reminded me of many things but one lesson stands out. Our trust is either in ourselves or in God. There’s no middle ground. And we show where we place our trust by our pursuits and what we do with what we attain.
The coveteous person accumulates and confiscates. The caring person distributes and shares. The coveteous person lives enslaved to scarcity. The caring person enjoys an abundance of God things from the right hand of God. It’s been rewarding to share this message to the world through GTP.
My prayer for all of us having explored this powerful sermon is that we will all flee from coveteousness and instead give what we have to God. And when we do, I pray that God will sustain local ministry and multiply our gifts from His right hand for His glory. Amen.