Archives by: Gary Hoag

However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” — the things God has prepared for those who love Him. 1 Corinthians 2:9

“There is no need to be worried by facetious people who try to make the Christian hope of ‘Heaven’ ridiculous by saying they do not want ‘to spend eternity playing harps’. The answer to such people is that if they cannot understand books written for grown-ups, they should not talk about them. All the scriptural imagery (harps, crowns, gold, etc.) is, of course, a merely symbolical attempt to express the inexpressible.

Musical instruments are mentioned because for many people (not all) music is the thing known in the present life which most strongly suggests ecstasy and infinity. Crowns are mentioned to suggest the fact that those who are united with God in eternity share His splendor and power and joy. Gold is mentioned to suggest the timelessness of Heaven (gold does not rust) and the preciousness of it. People who take these symbols literally might as well think that when Christ told us to be like doves, He meant that we were to lay eggs.”

C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) in Mere Christianity (New York: HarperCollins, 1980) 137.

As we think about what is needful from the perspective of C.S. Lewis in this classic work, the inexpressible comes into view. That is to say, it is needful to understand that the awesomeness of Heaven is inexpressible.

So when God calls us to live generously and store up treasure in Heaven and anticipate reward, we must not see this as a good exchange but the best possible exchange.

Imagine if I offered you the chance to buy today the Amazon, Apple, or Microsoft stock at first offering price. You would buy it immediately, right? Why? You know it has grown exponentially!

Now apply that thinking to Heaven. The call not to store treasures here but to store them there is an even better offering. What you will attain there coupled with reward is unimaginably good.

So why don’t people jump at the opportunity to live, give, serve, and love with radical sacrificial generosity? There are many reasons ranging from unbelief to worldliness.

Perhaps Lewis says it best in concluding that, sadly, people take symbols literally, and I would add, they treat the commands of Jesus as suggestions.

Lord have mercy on those who will experience inexpressible regret in Heaven for their failure to obey while they had the opportunity. Don’t let that be you.

The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9

“I hope no reader will suppose that ‘mere’ Christianity is here put forward as an alternative to the creeds of the existing communions — as if a man could adopt it in preference to Congregationalism or Greek Orthodoxy or anything else. It is more like a hall out of which doors open into several rooms. If I can bring anyone into that hall I shall have done what I attempted. But it is in the rooms, not in the hall, that there are fires and chairs and meals.

The hall is a place to wait in, a place from which to try the various doors, not a place to live in. For that purpose the worst of the rooms (whichever that may be) is, I think, preferable. It is true that some people may find they have to wait in the hall for a considerable time, while others feel certain almost at once which door they must knock at. I do not know why there is this difference, but I am sure God keeps no one waiting unless He sees that it is good for him to wait.

When you do get into your room you will find that the long wait has done you some kind of good which you would not have had otherwise. But you must regard it as waiting, not as camping. You must keep on praying for light: and, of course, even in the hall, you must begin trying to obey the rules which are common to the whole house. And above all you must be asking which door is the true one; not which pleases you best by its paint and paneling.

In plain language, the question should never be: ‘Do I like that kind of service?’ but ‘Are these doctrines true: Is holiness here? Does my conscience move me towards this? Is my reluctance to knock at this door due to my pride, or my mere taste, or my personal dislike of this particular door-keeper?’

When you have reached your own room, be kind to those who have chosen different doors and to those who are still in the hall. If they are wrong they need your prayers all the more; and if they are your enemies, then you are under orders to pray for them. That is one of the rules common to the whole house.”

C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) in Mere Christianity (New York: HarperCollins, 1980) XIII-XIV.

Over the weekend I messaged back and forth with a faithful Daily Meditations reader. He expressed a desire for people he knows to embrace the message of a particular post. Here was my reply.

“Let me tell you the hardest thing about living a surrendered life. You want more for those around you. You have tasted the life that is truly life and understand that it requires perpetual surrender. But others are not where you are? And you have been where they are. Your role is to help them grasp life in the economy of God with love, a pure heart, and sincere faith. And you realize just how much is out of your control so you pray more than ever.”

Why do I share this? Only a couple days later, I read this excerpt from Lewis. My friend has picked the door. Others are out in the hall. God extends patience to them. We need do the same thing. We forget that He was patient with us.

Generosity is a journey that only reaches its destination in the kingdom where we store up treasures. Those who chose the door that reflects obedience to the teachings of Jesus can anticipate eternal reward.

For those in the hall or who have chosen the wrong doors, we need to extend to them what Christ has extended to us: patience. Their decisions are out of our control. Our work is prayer and showing them the way with love, a pure heart, and sincere faith.

Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God. Matthew 19:24

“We must, therefore, not be surprised if we find among the Christians some people who are still nasty. There is even,
when you come to think it over, a reason why nasty people might be expected to turn to Christ in greater numbers than nice ones. That was what people objected to about Christ during His life on earth: He seemed to attract ‘such awful people’. That is what people still object to and always will. Do you not see why? Christ said ‘Blessed are the poor’ and ‘How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom,’ and no doubt He primarily meant the economically rich and economically poor. But do not His words also apply to another kind of riches and poverty?

One of the dangers of having a lot of money is that you may be quite satisfied with the kinds of happiness money can give and so fail to realize your need for God. If everything seems to come simply by signing cheques, you may forget that you are at every moment totally dependent on God. Now quite plainly, natural gifts carry with them a similar danger. If you have sound nerves and intelligence and health and popularity and a good upbringing, you are likely to be quite satisfied with your character as it is. ‘Why drag God into it?’ you may ask. A certain level of good conduct comes fairly easily to you. You are not one of those wretched creatures who are always being tripped up by sex, or dipsomania, or nervousness, or bad temper.

Everyone says you are a nice chap and (between ourselves) you agree with them. You are quite likely to believe that all this niceness is your own doing: and you may easily not feel the need for any better kind of goodness. Often people who have all these natural kinds of goodness cannot be brought to recognize their need for Christ at all until, one day, the natural goodness lets them down and their self-satisfaction is shattered. In other words, it is hard for those who are ‘rich’ in this sense to enter the Kingdom.”

C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) in Mere Christianity (New York: HarperCollins, 1980) 213-214.

Are you nice or nasty? Here Lewis does a brilliant job (as always) to open our eyes to the fact that we may rank among those trusting in the wrong kind of goodness. It is needful to get this right.

Nice people tend to think that they have everything under control. They have little need for God as they have most things sorted. Their material and social wealth puts them in a seemingly secure place.

Their generosity flows from their surplus. They value comfort. Their bank balances show where they place their trust. They give to o their church and charities. But are they generous? Will they enter the kingdom?

Nasty people know they don’t have everything under control. They have great need for God as the circumstances of life have overwhelmed them. Their material and social poverty has them scraping by to survive.

Their give from their poverty. They know only sporadic comfort. They have little treasure on earth, but they understand the sacrifice of Christ for them so they give sacrificially. Are they generous? Will they enter the kingdom?

Many have said that Jesus comforted the afflicted and afflicted the comfortable. Are you afflicted or nasty today? Turn to Jesus and find generous help. Are you comfortable or nice? Let go of that or you may miss the kingdom!

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Colossians 3:5

“Now what was the sort of ‘hole’ man had got himself into? He had tried to set up on his own, to behave as if he belonged
to himself. In other words, fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement: he is a rebel who must
lay down his arms. Laying down your arms, surrendering, saying you are sorry, realising that you have been on the wrong
track and getting ready to start life over again from the ground floor—that is the only way out of our ‘hole’. This process of surrender—this movement full speed astern—is what Christians call repentance. Now repentance is no fun at all. It is something much harder than merely eating humble pie. It means unlearning all the self-conceit and self-will that we have been training ourselves into for thousands of years. It means killing part of yourself, undergoing a kind of death.”

C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) in Mere Christianity (New York: HarperCollins, 1980) 56.

In today’s Scripture, greed falls at the end of the list because money is the thing that most competes for the place of God in our hearts. Those who live according to the earthly nature are slaves to money.

We need to put this old thinking to death. But, frankly speaking, the longer a person lives according to the earthly way of thinking the harder it is for unlearning to happen.

As Lewis puts, such people are imperfect creatures in a “hole.” He also describes them as one “the wrong track.” They need to “start life all over again.”

You don’t add Jesus to life, you surrender and change directions. Most people, sadly, stay stuck because they remain slaves to money.

At Generosity Monk, we are building a new website. Take a moment to pray for our team as we work on this.

It will have a chatbot feature called, “Ask the Generosity Monk.” All my books and blogs have been uploaded to an AI tool powered by Chatbase. You will be able to ask it a question and it should answer how I would answer. Why do this?

I get asked questions every day. But often people say they are hesitant to ask questions because, in the words of Lewis, it reveals the “hole” in which they find themselves. This feature will cost me upwards of $1400 per year.

Why spend that money? If I can help tens, hundreds, or thousands of people unlearn slavery to money and go “full speed astern” by making money their slave as a faithful steward of God, it will be worth it.

To invest in this and other features, make a gift today to the Generosity Monk Fund at this link. Deploy me and my fellow servants at Generosity Monk to help people put their earthly ways to death. Thanks in advance for your support.

But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. Hebrews 3:13

“This is the terrible fix we are in. If the universe is not governed by an absolute goodness, then all our efforts are in the long run hopeless. But if it is, then we are making ourselves enemies to that goodness every day, and are not in the least likely to do any better tomorrow, and so our case is hopeless again. We cannot do without it, and we cannot do with it. God is the only comfort, He is also the supreme terror: the thing we most need and the thing we most want to hide from. He is our only possible ally, and we have made ourselves His enemies. Some people talk as if meeting the gaze of absolute goodness would be fun. They need to think again. They are still only playing with religion. Goodness is either the great safety or the great danger — according to the way you react to it. And we have reacted the wrong way.”

C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) in Mere Christianity (New York: HarperCollins, 1980) 31.

Over the next week, I have decided to sit at the feet of my favorite professor to see what is needful for living a life of Christian generosity. Today he opens my eyes to an interesting notion.

God is the absolute goodness, the great generosity of the universe. Rather than surrender to Him and obey His every word, most people ignore what He says and act like they know better, especially related to money.

Such people are only playing at religion. God will become for them what they have chosen, either a great safety or a great danger. What will God be for you? Are you ready to meet Him to give an account for your stewardship?

It is needful to ask this question today, while it is still called today. Will God be your only comfort or the supreme terror? I exhort you to beware of the deceitfulness of sin and choose wisely.

Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:15-16

“Servants think of ministry as an opportunity, not an obligation. They enjoy helping people, meeting needs, and doing ministry. They “serve the Lord with gladness” (Psalm 100:2). Why do they serve with gladness? Because they love the Lord, they’re grateful for his grace, they know serving is the highest use of life, and they know God has promised a reward. Jesus promised, “The Father will honor and reward anyone who serves me” (John 12:26). Paul said, “He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other Christians” (Hebrews 6:10). Imagine what could happen if just 10 percent of all Christians in the world got serious about their role as real servants. Imagine all the good that could be done. Are you willing to be one of those people? It doesn’t matter what your age is, God will use you if you will begin to act and think like a servant.”

Rick Warren in The Purpose Driven Life: What On Earth Am Here For?” (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002) 270.

What a journey this week!

We have been challenged to shift from building wealth to building God’s kingdom. As a first step we discovered that this shift requires us to pursue meaning over money and richness over riches. We exchange what the world says is the good life for a better life.

From there we grasped that God gave us our abilities not just to make a living but also to minister with Him in the world. But to serve God as our CEO and Master, following the example of Jesus, we learn our role is to serve others. And real servants serve God with a mindset of five attitudes.

1. Servants think more about others than about themselves.
2. Servants think like stewards, not owners.
3. Servants think about their work, not what others are doing.
4. Servants base their identity in Christ.
5. Servants think of ministry as an opportunity, not an obligation.

Today’s Scripture instructs us to make the most of every opportunity to serve others. Why? Every generation has evil days. But through our service, we minister with God and expand His kingdom.

We do this with gladness and generosity. Our enthusiasm to serve flows from gratitude for the grace we have received from God. And we can anticipate unfathomable reward because God sees and promises not to forget our service.

Are you willing to be a kingdom builder?

God, I want to pursue richness over riches. Help me work to make a living and to minister with you in the world. With you as my CEO and Master, shape me as a servant and kingdom builder by your Holy Spirit, I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under His power, and that He had come from God and was returning to God; so He got up from the meal, took off His outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around His waist. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around Him. John 13:3-5

“Servants base their identity in Christ. Because they remember they are loved and accepted by grace, servants don’t have to prove their worth. They willingly accept jobs that insecure people would consider “beneath” them. One of the most profound examples of serving from a secure self-image is Jesus’ washing the feet of his disciples… If you’re going to be a servant, you must settle your identity in Christ. Only secure people can serve. Insecure people are always worrying about how they appear to others. They fear exposure of their weaknesses and hide beneath layers of protective pride and pretensions. The more insecure you are, the more you will want people to serve you, and the more you will need their approval. When you base your worth and identity on your relationship to Christ, you are freed from the expectations of others, and that allows you to really serve them best.”

Rick Warren in The Purpose Driven Life: What On Earth Am Here For?” (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002) 269-270.

Look at how Jesus served in the security and confidence of the power and authority given to Him by the Father. And He gave that same power and authority to the first disciples and it passes to us too.

To let this sink in, read the Scripture again. But this time, put your name in place of Jesus.

It’s a powerful exercise, isn’t it? It reminds us that we are only on this earth for a short time. To make the most of our time here and to position us for service, we fix our identity in Christ and follow His example.

This gives us security that money can’t buy and frees us from worrying about how we appear before others.

Perhaps you are reading this and you would admit that you are hiding and you don’t want others to see your weaknesses? Or you want people to serve you because you need their approval? There’s a better way to live.

It’s the path of surrender. Jesus surrendered all things to the Father, and the Father took care of everything. When we do this to we find security, tap God’s power, and have joy to serve. Do you want this?

Pray this prayer. It’s called the Surrender Novena. Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything. Write it in a place you can see it often. Pray it periodically each day. See what happens.

As Jesus and His disciples were on their way, He came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to Him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what He said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to Him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed — or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42

“Servants think about their work, not what others are doing. They don’t compare, criticize, or compete with other servants or ministries. They’re too busy doing the work God has given them. Competition between God’s servants is illogical for many reasons: We’re all on the same team; our goal is to make God look good, not ourselves. . . There’s no place for petty jealousy between servants. When you’re busy serving, you don’t have time to be critical. Any time spent criticizing others is time that could be spent ministering. When Martha complained to Jesus that Mary was not helping with the work, she lost her servant’s heart. Real servants don’t complain of unfairness, don’t have pity-parties, and don’t resent those not serving. They just trust God and keep serving. It is not our job to evaluate the Master’s other servants. . . It is also not our job to defend ourselves against criticism. Let the Master handle it.”

Rick Warren in The Purpose Driven Life: What On Earth Am Here For?” (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002) 268-269.

Today we learn the third of five new attitudes of kingdom builders: “Servants think about their work, not what others are doing.” Like Mary at the feet of Jesus, nothing distracts us. Yet, most of us, like Martha, are distracted.

In addition, we compare, complain, criticize, and compete. This leads us to rationalize our disobedience. Rather than obey Jesus and keep undistracted focus on Him, we just try to do better than those around us and think we have done our part.

That’s not what Jesus wants. What if each of us focused on doing the work God has given us? What if we aimed at making God look good, not ourselves? What if we stopped comparing and walked in radical obedience?

God, this journey is challenging me to do more than take a step or two toward you. It’s calling me to change how I think and act altogether and what I live for and give myself to. Help me live with undistracted focus on you. Amen.

No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Matthew 6:24

“Servants think like stewards, not owners. Servants remember that God owns it all. . . To become a real servant you are going to have to settle the issue of money in your life. Jesus said, “No servant can serve two masters. . . You cannot serve both God and money.” He didn’t say, “You should not,” but “You cannot.” It is impossible. Living for ministry and living for money are mutually exclusive goals. . . Money has the greatest potential to replace God in your life. . . [There are] two kinds of people: Kingdom builders and wealth builders. Both are gifted at making a business grow, making deals or sales, and making a profit. Wealth builders continue to amass wealth for themselves no matter how much they make, but kingdom builders change the rules of the game. They still try to make as much money as they can, but they do it in order to give it away. They use the wealth to fund God’s church and its mission in the world.”

Rick Warren in The Purpose Driven Life: What On Earth Am Here For?” (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002) 266-268.

Yesterday we learned the first of five attitudes in the kingdom builder mindset: Servants think more about others than about themselves. And saw how Jesus modeled this attitude for us.

Today we learn the second of five attitudes: Servants think like stewards, not owners. Notice the recurring verb here: think. Yesterday we learned that we need to think more about others than ourselves.

Our thinking guides our actions. Our strategies determine our results. Here we learn to think like stewards, not owners. That means we have a Master to please. He’s watching us. Someday we have to give a full report.

In the world, most people “think” more about themselves than others, and they “think” they own the things they possess. Some say, I will take care of my family first and then I will focus on the kingdom. Such people are slaves to money.

We should put God and His priorities first, and the rest will be added to us because God will take care of our families better than we could do it ourselves. The Master does not force us to serve Him instead of money. He invites us to. The choice is ours.

God, forgive me for thinking about myself and my family first and for thinking like an owner. Set me free from slavery to money, so I taste the joy of serving others with You as a Kingdom builder. As your steward, I trust you to care for me and my family. Amen.

“And whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:27-28

“We serve God by serving others. The world defines greatness in terms of power, possessions, prestige, and position. If you can demand service from others, you’ve arrived. In our self-serving culture with its me-first mentality, acting like a servant is not a popular concept. Jesus, however, measured greatness in terms of service, not status. God determines your greatness by how many people you serve, not how many people serve you. This is so contrary to the world’s idea of greatness that we have a hard time understanding it, much less practicing it… Service starts in your mind. To be a servant requires a mental shift, a change in your attitudes… Real servants serve God with a mindset of five attitudes. Servants think more about others than about themselves. Servants focus on others, not themselves. Real servants don’t try to use God for their purposes. They let God use them for His purposes.”

Rick Warren in The Purpose Driven Life: What On Earth Am Here For?” (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002) 257, 265, 266.

We started this exploration learning the importance of pursuing meaning over money and richness rather than riches. Then yesterday we learned that using our ability to build wealth for ourselves is foolish.

God wants us to use our ability to build wealth to make a living and to minister with Him in the world. But what does it look like, practically speaking, to build God’s kingdom instead of our own?

Today we find the answer or at least the first part of it. We serve God by serving others following the example of Jesus. Warren suggests that serving others requires a mindset change with five attitudes.

We will explore the five attitudes over the next five days.

The first one is this: Servants think more about others than about themselves. Warren adds that servants focus on others, not themselves. The operative word here is focus. Notice the focus of Jesus our role model. He served to the point of sacrifice.

He gave His life for us. He fulfilled God’s purpose for Him. And He wants us to do the same thing. Regardless of our role or vocation, we can do this through selfless service to others.

And when we do this, God takes care of us like He took care of Jesus.

God, help me have this attitude and focus. By your Holy Spirit, help me follow the example of Jesus and give my life to serving others. Use me for Your purposes and Your glory. Amen.