Archives by: Gary Hoag

The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of His bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. Deuteronomy 28:12

“Deuteronomy understands that the abundant rain from the heavens is an indication of God’s blessings. The New Testament understands the divine desire to do good as extending to the unbelieving world when Jesus calls His followers to mirror the love of God, who “causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:45).

Gerald H. Wilson in Psalms, volume 1 (NIVAC; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002) 374.

God sends rain to bless the work of our hands. It’s a beautiful picture of the way in which we have a responsibility in God’s economy. But it also rightly implies that fruitfulness is impossible apart from Him.

Notice in today’s Scripture that rain helps us be productive so that we lend or share but do not borrow. So why would God provide rain for the unrighteous as well? Why would He cause the sun to shine on them too?

He wants them to know Him! When I walked in God’s creation yesterday (pictured above) I marveled at the beauty of God’s handiwork and how rain brings life to everything. Take time during COVID-19 to see this.

Get up early and watch the sun rise. Sit out on a porch or covered area during a gentle rain. Or just ponder the power of God in this pandemic. God wants people to know His love and to submit His reign. His ways aim at to help them flourish.

Since we may not be going anywhere for awhile and since the seasons are changing in many places, have a conversation with a neighbor or friend at social distance. Talk about rain and your responsibility to be fruitful stewards who share richly.

Light shines on the righteous and joy on the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name. Psalm 97:11-12

“It is fitting that you arise with thankfulness and praise to God. This is fundamental and will be a natural (and supernatural!) beginning to your day after having retired in faith and prayer. The supposition is that when you wake rested you are apt to find the morning beautiful.

If you are not rested, you are likely to find it less pleasant; the light will be an insult to your eyes! Assuming you are rested, you are able to get up in time to enjoy the freshness of the new day.

You may walk out in your backyard or on your veranda where you can look upon the goodness and greatness of the world. Try to find a place where you can listen to the birds, of the soft breeze, or the patter of the rain. Drink it in for a moment, and just say, “Thank you God for this new day. Thank you for this new beginning.”

Dallas Willard in Life Without Lack: Living in the Fullness of Psalm 23 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2018) 201.

As I have been praying for rain for the global network I serve, I rejoice that God has sent some provision for GTP. He is so good and faithful.

He sent water in the form of rain where I live this weekend. Sunday it poured most of the day. I went for a long walk in it watching the earth drink it in.

We must do the same thing. We must pray for God to supply what we need and when He does, before we can be generous we must drink it in with gratitude.

Thanks God for giving us rain when we need refreshment and light to our eyes for a new day. Thanks for your generosity, new every morning. Amen.

I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit. Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land. Leviticus 26:4-5

“For maximum effect the rains must come at the right season. Verse 4 promises this, and the consequence is described in verse 5; the farmers will have to work non-stop to gather in all the crops. The grain was usually gathered in early summer, then there was a gap of two months until the grapes and olives were ready to pick. Once the rains began in late fall or early winter, sowing would commence. The magnificent harvests will mean that there will be no worry about food supplies. Jesus also promised that those who put God’s kingdom first need not worry about food and clothing (Matthew 6:25-33).”

Gordon Wenham in The Book of Leviticus (NICOT; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979) 329.

God promises His people in the Old Testament that He would provide what they needed in the right season. Likewise Jesus makes a similar promise to those who seek Him first.

The journey of generosity has times of hard work, times of rain, times of harvesting, and it always requires faith. This faith is rooted in God who promises to do His part in the right season.

As we start another week, let us pause to give thanks that we serve a dependable and generous God.  We who trust in Him need not worry. As He blesses us with provision, we get to bless others.

To share where I am at, I have been praying for rain for GTP, for God to supply through the gifts of His people. In precipitation terms, clouds are forming and it’s started to sprinkle. Would you pray with me?

Just as outlined in Leviticus, there are seasons for work, seasons for waiting for rain, and then comes the harvest. I’m in that praying for rain part and watching it start before the harvest.

If you are a ministry worker, board member, or fellow servant who can likely relate, reply with your story. I will pray with you. Together our faith will grow as God brings rain in the right season.

But if I were you, I would appeal to God; I would lay my cause before Him. He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted. He provides rain for the earth; He sends water on the countryside. The lowly He sets on high, and those who mourn are lifted to safety. Job 5:8-11

“If I were you,” He says, “I would turn my face toward God and seek His face. I would trust in Him. And I would try not to be too clever.” He is the God who gives water to enable crops to grow; He is the God who lifts up humble and lowly people. But He is also a God we cannot understand; He does many things, and we cannot search them out and understand them. So let’s not try to be to clever and arrogantly think we can be wiser than God.”

Christopher Ash in Job: The Wisdom of the Cross (PTW; Wheaton: Crossway, 2014) 110.

The problem of humanity, especially in times of crisis, is that rather than take a trusting posture, we act too clever instead. We try to work things out rather than wait on God. Make it rain, God. Lift up the lowly.

Father, forgive us for trying to figure everything out. Teach us simply to trust You in crisis, so that when you bring rain, we can be generous to others. Give us the patience of Job. Hear my prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. James 5:17-18

“The rhetorical function of this example is not to make Elijah a hero but to encourage the messianic community that they too can pray for miracles and that God hears their voice as he did in the days of Elijah. In fact, James’ point is bigger: those who do God’s will are exhorted to pray as Elijah did, with fervency, and they too can bring healing, both physical and spiritual, to the community.”

Scot McKnight in The Letter of James (NICNT; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2011) 451-452.

There are a lot of ministry workers worldwide who desire to be agents of help, hope, and healing, but their material resources are limited.

In real-time we put to work what we have while also praying with fervency for things not to happen and praying for things to happen.

When we live and lead this way, it strengthens our faith, keeps us humble, and brings spiritual and physical healing that glorifies God.

That’s why Elijah was here, and it’s why we are here too, so that our generous service points people not to us but to the power of God.

Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.
Hebrews 13:1-3

“[These verses] demonstrate that true Christian commitment involves living out our commitment to Christ in the nitty-gritty of daily living. Beds and bankrolls cannot be separated from theology. This is where the reality of our relationship with God is manifested. The dusty and crowded sidewalks, the kitchen tables, the lunchrooms and lounges, are the places where we must “confess His name” and “do good and…share with others” (13:15-16) if we are to live authentically as believers. We must work out these principles in daily practice.”

George H. Guthrie in Hebrews (NIVAC; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998) 446.

When I read this, I reflected on how much I miss these places during the COVID-19 crisis: “dusty and crowded sidewalks, the kitchen tables, the lunchrooms, and lounges.”

When the crisis lifts, let’s cherish the moments we get in these places. Let’s not take for granted the gift of community. Let’s live out our generosity in these nitty-gritty areas of life.

Authentic Christianity treats everyone, from friend to foe, as a target for generosity. If you know anyone in need of love, help, or hospitality right now, draw near and aid them right away.

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess His name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Hebrews 13:15-16

“To the sacrifices of praise is added the sacrifice of kind and loving action… Here we have the proper ritual of Christianity… Christianity is sacrificial through and through; it is founded on the one self-offering of Christ and the offering of His people’s praise and property, of their service and their lives. It is caught up into the perfection of His acceptable sacrifice, and is accepted in Him.”

F. F. Bruce in The Epistle to the Hebrews, revised edition (NICNT; Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1990) 384.

Praise and property. Our Lord loves it when we praise Him. He also celebrates when we back that with property. In challenging times, let’s praise God for sustaining us and combine that with kind and loving action.

Notice the text says “do not forget to do good and share” because the culture certainly won’t remind us of this. It says to hoard everything including toilet paper in crisis. But, when we live differently and do good and share, God is pleased.

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” Luke 10:36-37

“The twist in this particular story underscores the point that generosity is a simple act of caring. Your status in society and your particular beliefs take second place to how you behave toward others. Samaritans were considered inferior by the prevailing culture in which Jesus lived…

Jesus identified the Samaritan as the hero, the truly compassionate person, in contrast to those who are typically seen as more honorable and respected. Doing good transcends your particular group, doctrine, or religious affiliation. This attitude is at the very heart of what it means to practice generosity…”

Dave Toycen in The Power of Generosity (Waynesboro: Authentic Media, 2004) 15.

Compassionate generosity is voluntary, simple, and yet profoundly impactful because it transcends cultural patterns and touches people with just what they need.

How Samaritan or how transcendant is your giving?

It’s a good question for each of us to ask ourselves. Because Jesus says “go and do likewise” He is saying He wants us to be heroes right where he has placed us.

We can do this by giving compassionately and voluntarily. God give us eyes to see, hearts to give, and hands to serve like the Samaritan. Amen.

“David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, “Praise be to You, Lord, the God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is Yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; You are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from You; You are the ruler of all things. In Your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. Now, our God, we give You thanks, and praise Your glorious name.

But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from You, and we have given You only what comes from Your hand. We are foreigners and strangers in Your sight, as were all our ancestors. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope. Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building You a temple for Your Holy Name comes from Your hand, and all of it belongs to You. I know, my God, that You test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things I have given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly Your people who are here have given to You.” 1 Chronicles 29:10-17

“This magnificent prayer begins with praise and adoration of the Lord. God had blessed David richly, so he blesses God thankfully! His words are a short course in theology. He blesses the God of Israel and acknowledges His greatness, power, glory, victory, and majesty. God owns everything!

God is sovereign over all! His name is great and glorious! But who are David and his people that they should be able to give so lavishly to the Lord? After all, everything comes from Him, and when we give, we only return to the Lord that which He has graciously already given to us.

In contrast to the eternal God, David declares that he, the king, is like any other human, an alien and stranger on the earth. God is eternal, but human life is brief and nobody can prevent the inevitable hour of death. Since all things come from God, and life is brief, the wisest thing we can do is give back to God what He gives to us and make an investment in the eternal.”

Warren Wiersbe in Be Restored: Trusting God To See Us Through (Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 2002) 212-213.

What is the wisest thing we can do with the blessings we have received from God? The answer is clear: return them voluntarily to the Lord through generous giving.

It seems like COVID-19 may be with us for a long time. As needs rise up around us, we can be tempted to ignore them and focus on ourselves and our own needs. After all, we are all only on this earth for a short time.

In these moments we must remember forr things: (1) All we have came from God. (2) All we have belongs to God. (#) God will test our hearts. (3) He celebrates willing giving with honest intent.

What does He see when He looks at you? 

David’s giving to God’s house aimed to demonstrate to God that God was his top priority. Let’s agree that the wisest thing we can do, especially during COVID-19, is to give generously with the same intent.

But who am I, and who are my people, that we make such voluntary offerings as these? For all things come from You, and from Your own hand we are giving to You. 1 Chronicles 29:14

“All things in heaven and on earth, O Lord, are Yours. I long to give myself to You as a voluntary offering to remain forever Yours. With a sincere heart I offer myself this day to You, O Lord, to Your eternal service, to Your homage, and as a sacrifice of everlasting praise. Receive me with this holy offering of Your precious body which also I make to You this day, in the presence of angels invisibly attending, for my salvation and that of all Your people.”

Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471) in The Imitation of Christ (Wheaton, IL: Christian Classics Ethereal Library, 1998) 168.

Voluntary giving  appears as an expression on the lips of David in today’s Scripture.

I am convinced that voluntary giving reflects the heart of God like no other giving because it models His love toward us. As I explore this idea in Scripture this week, I am struck by the fact that it flows from a sincere heart and reflects sacrifice for the giver.

God give us hearts that cherish you above all else so that our giving is voluntary like yours. Amen.