Archives by: Gary Hoag

For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 1 Timothy 6:7-8

“For we brought nothing into the world. He adds this for the purpose of setting a limit to the sufficiency. Our covetousness is an insatiable gulf, if it be not restrained; and the best bridle is, when we desire nothing more than the necessity of this life demands; for the reason why we transgress the bounds, is, that our anxiety extends to a thousand lives which we falsely imagine. Nothing is more common, and indeed nothing is more generally acknowledged, than this statement of Paul; but as soon as all have acknowledged it, (as we see every day with our eyes,) every man swallows up with his wishes his vast possessions, in the same manner as if he had a belly able to contain half of the world.

And this is what is said, that, “although the folly of the fathers appears in hoping that they will dwell here forever, nevertheless their posterity approve of their way” (Psalm 49:13). In order, therefore, that we may be satisfied with a sufficiency, let us learn to have our heart so regulated, as to desire nothing but what is necessary for supporting life. Having food and raiment. When he mentions food and raiment, he excludes luxuries and overflowing abundance; for nature is content with a little and all that goes beyond the natural use is superfluous. Not that to use them more largely ought to be condemned on its own account but lusting after them is always sinful.”

John Calvin in Commentary on Timothy, Titus, Philemon (CCEL) 127.

Craig Blomberg crushed it last night speaking on the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard in Matthew 20:1-16 (pictured speaking above to 3,000 people at the Annual ETS Conference. His remarks celebrated God’s grace, generosity, and so much more.

As I continue reading Calvin on 1 Timothy, I must say that have read dozens of commentators on this text but few more eloquent.

Think about it: The reason God wants us to find contentment in basic necessities and set a limit to sufficiency relates to the fact that our covetousness is an insatiable gulf.

He wants us to find contentment in Him, the only One that satisfies, rather than seek it in superfluous things that cannot ever bring us the satisfaction they promise.

Let’s test ourselves. Think about all you have. Is there anything you think you could not do without it? Name it. Put the best bridle on it. Now surrender that thing to God immediately.

Naked each of us came and naked we will depart. And it could happen any day. The Surrender Novena, repeated daily, puts everything in perspective. Jesus, I surrender myself to you. Take care of everything.

When we surrender, we acknowledge that He is all we need. We give thanks for food and clothing. And we live simply to give generously. Whatever else we think you need. My best advice: Let it go. Let it go.

I am testing different font sizes. If this comes through larger, praise God. If not, please forgive me.

Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment. 1 Timothy 6:6

But godliness with sufficiency is great gain. In an elegant manner, and with an ironical correction, he instantly throws back those very words in an opposite meaning, as if he had said — “They do wrong and wickedly, who make merchandise of the doctrine of Christ, as if ‘godliness were gain;’ though, undoubtedly, if we form a correct estimate of it, godliness is a great and abundant gain.”

And he so calls it, because it brings to us full and perfect blessedness. Those men, therefore, are guilty of sacrilege, who, being bent on acquiring money, make godliness contribute to their gain. But for our part, godliness is a very great gain to us, because, by means of it, we obtain the benefit, not only of being heirs of the world, but likewise of enjoying Christ and all His riches.

With sufficiency. This may refer either to the disposition of the heart, or to the thing itself. If it be understood as referring to the heart, the meaning will be, that “godly persons, when they desire nothing, but are satisfied with their humble condition, have obtained very great gain.” If we understand it to be “sufficiency of wealth” (and, for my own part, I like this view quite as well as the other,) it will be a promise, like that in the book of Psalms.

“The lions wander about hungry and famished; but they that seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing” (Psalm 34:10). The Lord is always present with His people, and, as far as is sufficient for their necessity out of His fullness He bestows on each His portion. Thus true happiness consists in piety; and this sufficiency may be regarded as an increase of gain.”

John Calvin in Commentary on Timothy, Titus, Philemon (CCEL) 126-127.

In Christ we have sufficiency. In plain terms, that means all we have ever needed, all we ever need now, and all we will ever need in the future.

Those who serve him for gain not only don’t get it. They are guilty of sacrilege rather than sufficiency. They think the gifts of God sustain them rather than God.

Has this thinking creeped into your heart. It can happen to any of us. Today’s post aims to get you thinking, just like the speakers I will hear at the Evangelical Theological Society conference today in Boston.

God help us think and act Christianly not culturally so our service demonstrates your sufficiency rather than sacrilege. Show us by your Spirit where we need to make changes I ask in Jesus name. Amen.

As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches but rather on God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 1 Timothy 6:17

“Command (or charge) those who are rich. There being many among Christians who were poor and in a mean condition, it is probable that they were despised (as usually happens) by the rich; and especially this might be common at Ephesus, which was a wealthy city; for in such cities, for the most part, pride is more extensively prevalent. And hence we infer how dangerous is a great abundance of riches. Nor are there wanting good reasons why Paul addresses so severe an admonition to the rich; but it is for the purpose of remedying faults which almost always follow riches in the same manner as the shadow follows the body; and that through the depravity of our natural disposition, for out of the gifts of God we always draw an occasion for sinning.

That they be not haughty, nor hope in the uncertainty of riches. He expressly mentions two things against which rich men ought to be on their guard, pride and deceitful hope, of which the former springs from the latter. Accordingly, Paul appears to have added, in the same place, “nor hope in the uncertainty of riches,” in order to point out the source of all pride. For whence comes it, that rich men grow insolent, and take extreme delight in despising others, but because they imagine that they are supremely happy? Vain confidence goes first, and then arrogance follows.

Rich in this world. When Paul wishes to correct those faults, he first speaks contemptuously of riches; for the phrase, in this world, is intended to lower them in our esteem. All that is in the world has the taste of its nature; so that it is fading, and quickly passes away. The uncertainty and vanity of the hope that is placed in riches are shewn by him from this consideration, that the possession of them is so transitory that it is like a thing unknown; for, while we think that we hold them, they slip out of our hands in a moment. How foolish is it, therefore, to place our hope in them!

But in the living God. He who understands this will find no difficulty in withdrawing his hope from riches; for, if it is God alone who supplies us with everything for the necessary purposes of life, we transfer to riches what is this prerogative, when we place hope in them. Now observe that there is an implied contrast, when he affirms that God giveth abundantly to all. The meaning is, that, although we have a full and overflowing abundance of all things, yet we have nothing but from the blessing of God alone; for it is that blessing alone which imparts to us all that is needful.

Hence it follows, that they are egregiously mistaken, who rely on riches, and do not depend entirely on the blessing of God, in which consists a sufficiency of food and of everything else. Hence also we conclude, that we are forbidden to trust in riches, not only because they belong to the use of mortal life, but likewise because they are nothing but smoke; for we are fed, not by bread only, but by the blessing of God (Deuteronomy 8:3). When he says πλουσίως εἰς ἀπόλαυσιν, abundantly for enjoyment, he describes how kind God is to us, and even to all men, and to the brute beasts; for his kindness extends far and wide beyond our necessity (Psalm 36:6).”

John Calvin in Commentary on Timothy, Titus, Philemon (CCEL) 137-138.

I am attending the ETS (Evangelical Theological Society), IBR (Institute for Biblical Research), and SBL (Society of Biblical Literature) conferences in Boston, Massachusetts.

I will deliver a paper entitled “Wealth and Worship in Ancient Ephesus” on Thursday. I will share it with Daily Meditations readers on that day.

That said, this week, I will explore and share the comments on texts that relate to stewardship and generosity in a commentary that I just located in PDF form from church history, this gem from John Calvin.

Today two things stand out to me. When we amass wealth, we can easily become prideful or haughty in how we see ourselves as compared to other people. I see how that riches wrongly handled can ruin our relationships with people.

But notice also that when we misplaced hope to pride, we become egregiously mistaken. We forget God is the one who supplied everything. Notice how riches not rightly stewarded can damage our relationship with God.

Pray for me as I travel to learn through interaction with biblical scholars and commentators on biblical passages and speak on texts in 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Ephesians. Thanks.

And be blessed by Calvin’s comments this week. Today, the charge to the rich relates to most everyone reading this. It aims not to rob us but to help us rightly relate to riches with humility, enjoyment, and generosity.

I envision Paul would say, find joy put them to work while maintaining a posture of perpetual dependence on God.

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always exceling in the work of the Lord because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:58

“Community is the place where people give to one another. We are not God, but we can be mediators (in a limited way) of the unlimited love of God. Community is the place of joy and celebration where we can say to one another, “Be of good cheer: the Lord has overcome the world, the Lord has overcome the evil one. Do not be afraid.” In that sense the victory has already come. It is the victory of the cross, it is the victory of the naked one on the cross, a victory over death. Love is stronger than death, and community is the place where you and I continue to let the world know that there is something to celebrate, something to be joyful about, something to be ecstatic about – ecstasy, ecstasies, in the sense of moving out of the static place of death. Community is the place from which we speak the Good News to the world: “Don’t be afraid. Look, it has already happened. Christ is risen.”

Henri J. M. Nouwen in The Only Necessary Thing: Living a Prayerful Life, compiled and edited by Wendy Wilson Greer (New York: Crossroad, 1999) 129-130.

Does your generosity include the dispensing of love. Because of the communion we enjoy at the foot of the cross, Jesus has made us “mediators (in a limited way) of the unlimited love of God.”

One of my mentors, Rob Martin, calls this the communion of giving and receiving. We give and receive because of the victory of Jesus on the cross and because of God’s matchless love toward us.

We cannot share, however, what we do not have. We cannot bless others with this love unless we have received it. Take a moment and thank God for His grace lavished on you through Jesus and consider how it might inspire your growth in generosity.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert, and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Ephesians 6:18

“To pray unceasingly, as Paul asks us to do, would be completely impossible if it meant to think constantly about God… To pray, I think, does not mean to think about God in contrast to thinking about other things, or to spend time with God instead of spending time with other people. Rather it means to think and live in the presence of God. As soon as we begin to divide our thoughts into thoughts about God and thoughts about people and events, we remove God from our daily life to a pious little niche where we can think pious thoughts and experience pious feelings.

Although it is important and even indispensable for the spiritual life to set apart time for God and God alone, prayer can only become unceasing prayer when all our thoughts – beautiful or ugly, high or low, proud or shameful, sorrowful or joyful – can be thought in the presence of God. Thus, converting our unceasing thinking into unceasing prayer moves us from a self-centered monologue to a God-centered dialogue.

To pray unceasingly is to lead all our thoughts out of their fearful isolation into a fearless conversation with God. Jesus’ life’s a life lived in the presence of God His Father. Jesus kept nothing, absolutely nothing, hidden from His Father’s face. Jesus’ joys, fears, His hopes, and His despairs were always shared with His Father.”

Henri J. M. Nouwen in The Only Necessary Thing: Living a Prayerful Life, compiled and edited by Wendy Wilson Greer (New York: Crossroad, 1999) 107-108.

Would you describe your prayer like as a self-centered monologue to a God-centered dialogue?

I found it fascinating how Nouwen deconstructs the way we wrongly tend to approach prayer as thinking about God. Instead, he shows us how to invite God into every moment of every day, thinking and living in His presence.

I see how this becomes both indispensable for the spiritual life and our experience of intimacy with God.

And I notice how this will shape our generosity in exponential ways. Imagine God telling us to do things as a result of what we see with Him. He will undoubtedly nudge us to move toward brokenness with compassion and help.

Many have said they have appreciated my focus on prayer this. I hope that is true for you.

Why do it? In shifting from President & CEO to Founder, I actually think my best years are still yet ahead of me. But I need discernment to develop new rhythms and to reach radical new levels of generosity.

Join me. I call it my journey from “fearful isolation into a fearless conversation with God.”

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

“When we think about prayer, we usually regard it as one of the many things we do live a full and mature Christian life… If we are fervent in our conviction that prayer is important, we might even be willing to give a whole hour to prayer every day, or a whole day every month, or a whole week every year. Thus prayer becomes a part, a very important part, of our life.

But when the apostle Paul speaks about prayer, he uses a very different language. He does not speak about prayer as a part of life, but as all of life. He does not mention prayer as something we should not forget, but claims it is our ongoing concern. He does not exhort his readers to pray once in a while, regularly, or often but without hesitation admonishes them to pray constantly, unceasingly, without interruption.

Paul does not ask us to spend some of every day in prayer. No Paul is much more radical. He asks us to pray day and night, in joy and in sorrow, at work and at play, without intermissions or breaks. For Paul, praying is like breathing. It cannot be interrupted without mortal danger.”

Henri J. M. Nouwen in The Only Necessary Thing: Living a Prayerful Life, compiled and edited by Wendy Wilson Greer (New York: Crossroad, 1999) 107.

What is the role of prayer in your life and related to your generosity?

Today Nouwen uses the example of Paul to inspire us not to compartmentalize it but do it continually. Imagine if we only breathed occasionally. We would be in mortal danger, right?

Sit with the Lord on this on this Saturday morning and make changes as the Spirit leads.

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12

“In a society that seems to be filled with urgencies and emergencies, prayer appears to be an unnatural form of behavior. Without fully realizing it, we have accepted the idea that “doing things” is more important than prayer and have come to think of prayer as something for times when there is nothing urgent to do…

Concentrated human effort is necessary because prayer is not our most natural response to the world. Left to our own impulses, we will always want to do something else before we pray. Often, what we want to do seems so unquestionably good – setting ups a religious education program, helping with a soup kitchen, listening to people’s problems, visiting the sick, planning a liturgy, working with prisoners or mental patients – that it is hard to realize that even these things can be done with impatience and so become signs of our own needs rather than of God’s compassion.

Therefore, prayer is in many ways the criterion of the Christian life. Prayer requires that we stand in God’s presence with open hands, naked and vulnerable, proclaiming to ourselves and to others that without God we can do nothing. This is difficult in a climate where the predominant counsel is “Do your best and God will do the rest.” When life is divided into “our best” and “God’s rest,” we have turned prayer into a last resort to be used only when all our own resources are depleted.

Discipleship does not mean to use God when we can no longer function ourselves. On the contrary, it means to recognize that we can do nothing at all, but that God can do everything through us. As disciples, we find not some but all of our strength, hope, courage, and confidence in God. Therefore, prayer must be our first concern.”

Henri J. M. Nouwen in The Only Necessary Thing: Living a Prayerful Life, compiled and edited by Wendy Wilson Greer (New York: Crossroad, 1999) 92-93.

When I became CEO of GTP, I wanted to make prayer our first concern.

I praise God in my tenure as president we developed a network of 3,582 prayer journal subscribers and 919 intercessors who joined us for monthly prayer in 76 countries.

If we accomplished a lot for God, it flowed from a posture of surrender and dependence.

What might this look like for the church or ministry where you serve? Is prayer peripheral or central to what you do? How might today’s post inspire you to make prayer the criterion of your Christian journey?

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13

“When we enter into solitude we will often hear these two voices – the voice of the world and the voice of the Lord – pulling us in two contrary directions. But if we keep returning faithfully to the place of solitude, the voice of the Lord will gradually become stronger and we will come to know and understand with mind and heart the peace we are searching for.

What do we do in our solitude? The first answer is nothing. Just be present to the One who wants your attention and listen! It is precisely in this “useless” presence to God that we can gradually die to our illusions of power and control and give ear to the voice of love hidden in the center of our being.

But “doing nothing, being useless,” is not as passive as it sounds. In fact, it requires effort and great attentiveness. It calls us to an active listening in which we make ourselves available to God’s healing presence and can be made new.”

Henri J. M. Nouwen in The Only Necessary Thing: Living a Prayerful Life, compiled and edited by Wendy Wilson Greer (New York: Crossroad, 1999) 82.

When I disciple people at GTP, I remind them that God does His most generous and abundant work through FAT – faithful, available, and teachable – people.

The voice of the world is loud and seeks to drown out the voice of the Lord. But the Lord whispers to us to be still and know Him. To take a posture of attentiveness and availability.

Think of the Good Samaritan. What made him so good? He was attentive and available. The priest and Levite that walked by the man in need were neither. They were fixed on their own agendas.

Not the Samaritan. He noticed the needy person (attentiveness) and moved toward him with compassion (available) and I am sure he did not make it to where he was going on schedule.

How does this post speak to you about your posture? Are you attentive? Are you available?

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

“Prayer is often considered a weakness, a support system, which is used when we can no longer help ourselves. But this is only true when the God of our prayers is created in our own image and adapted to our own needs and concerns. When, however, prayer makes us reach out to God, not on our own but on his terms, then prayer pulls us away from self-preoccupations, encourages us to leave familiar ground, and challenges us to enter into a new world which cannot be contained within the narrow boundaries of our mind or heart. Prayer, therefore is a great adventure because the God with whom we enter into a new relationship is greater than we are and defies all our calculations and predictions. The movement from illusion to prayer is hard to make since it leads us from false certainties to true uncertainties, from an easy support system to a risky surrender, and from the many “safe” gods to the God whose love has no limits.”

Henri J. M. Nouwen in The Only Necessary Thing: Living a Prayerful Life, compiled and edited by Wendy Wilson Greer (New York: Crossroad, 1999) 33-34.

My North Dakota hunting trip in November tied with my Wisconsin fly fishing trip in June as my top two outdoor adventures this year.

And my travels to many countries offer adventures filled with everything from abundant fruits and faith-stretching moments to real danger and miraculous deliverance.

But since my shift to Founder, I find prayer that I pray more than ever.

George Berlin in my Tuesday morning Bible Study gave me this book yesterday. I started reading immediately and this statement stuck out to me. The life if prayer is a great adventure.

Read this last part again.

“Prayer, therefore is a great adventure because the God with whom we enter into a new relationship is greater than we are and defies all our calculations and predictions. The movement from illusion to prayer is hard to make since it leads us from false certainties to true uncertainties, from an easy support system to a risky surrender, and from the many “safe” gods to the God whose love has no limits.”

The generosity that comes into view links to the invitation to intimacy with the God whose love has no limits. He leads me to true uncertainties and risky surrender.

While most opt for easy support systems and safe living, I give thanks today for the generosity of God who offers peace that transcends all understanding when we surrender everything to Him.

Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything.

But a man named Ananias, with the consent of his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property; with his wife’s knowledge, he kept back some of the proceeds and brought only a part and laid it at the apostles’ feet. “Ananias,” Peter asked, “why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, were not the proceeds at your disposal? How is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You did not lie to us[a] but to God!” Now when Ananias heard these words, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard of it. The young men came and wrapped up his body, then carried him out and buried him.

After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you and your husband sold the land for such and such a price.” And she said, “Yes, that was the price.” Then Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” Immediately she fell down at his feet and died. When the young men came in they found her dead, so they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. And great fear seized the whole church and all who heard of these things. Acts 5:1-11

“Ananias and Sapphira deserved punishment, for sure. They deserved a stiff sentence. But the death sentence Does the punishment fit the crime? What they did was bad, but was it that bad?

Let’s think about it. Exactly what did they do? They used the church for self-promotion. They leveraged God’s family for personal gain. They attempted to turn a congregation into a personal stage across which they could strut.

God has a strong word for such behavior: hypocrisy. When Jesus used it, people ducked for cover. He lambasted the Pharisees with this blowtorch:

All their works they do to be seen by men . . . They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, “Rabbi, Rabbi.” . . . But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men . . . Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers . . . You cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. (Matthew 23:5–7, 13–14, 25

Jesus never spoke to anyone else with such intensity. But when he saw the religious hypocrite, he flipped on the spotlight and exposed every self-righteous mole and pimple. “They love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men” (Matt. 6:5).

This is the working definition of hypocrisy: “to be seen by men.” The Greek word for hypocrite, hupokrites, originally meant “actor.” First-century actors wore masks. A hypocrite, then, is one who puts on a mask, a false face.

Jesus did not say, “Do not do good works.” Nor did he instruct, “Do not let your works be seen.” We must do good works, and some works, such as benevolence or teaching, must be seen in order to have an impact. So let’s be clear. To do a good thing is a good thing. To do good to be seen is not. In fact, to do good to be seen is a serious offense. Here’s why.

Hypocrisy turns people away from God.”

Max Lucado in Outlive Your Life: You Were Made to Make a Difference (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2010) 64-65.

Today’s post is long so I will be short. Sit with the Lord today related to this idea: “Hypocrisy turns people away from God.”

Ask the Holy Spirit to show you any hypocrisy in your generosity. Root it out. This is serious business. If you had cancer do you let it spread or treat it. You treat it so it does not kill you. Think of hypocrisy in the same way.

God convicted me of wrong motives in one aspect of my life while writing this. As I shift to Founder of GTP, I am learning to listen more and walk in greater humility while asking God to help me not have any hypocrisy.

Join me in this. Lest our living and giving turn people away from God.

And as today marks Veteran’s Day in USA, a day of remembering those who have served, reach out to express gratitude to at least one person in your life for their sacrificial service.