Archives by: Gary Hoag

Fear the Lord, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. Psalm 34:9-10

“Poor worldlings! They labor and toil to acquire an increase of wealth and property, but never enjoy repose: the more they accumulate riches, the greater their disquietude and vexation… The rich of this world are, of all men, the most miserable; because, the more they possess the more they desire to possess. They never succeed in attaining all the objects of their wishes, and therefore they are far poorer than men who have but a competency, and seek God alone. These are truly rich, because they are content with their condition, and find God in every good.”

Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) in Sermon XIII “On the unhappy life of sinners, and on the happy life of those who love God,” part 3, in Sermons: For all the Sundays in the Year (London: Aeterna Press, 2015).

I am hearing troubling advice from so-called Christian financial advisors. They are saying that the answer to the desire to accumulate is to come up with a “financial finish line.” They basically defined that as setting a goal for income and wealth accumulation. They suggest that people need to answer the question, “How much is enough?” in financial terms.

What would Jesus say in response? Here’s what He said to the person who set a “financial finish line” in Scripture. “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:20-21

What’s the flaw in “financial finish line” thinking? There are many. Ligouri notes a few. They “never enjoy repose” or rest. They take on greater “disquietude and vexation” which means they fill life with restlessness and frustration. Worst of all, they “never succeed in attaining all the objects of their wishes.” They would do well to read Psalm 49 to gain perspective.

Anyone who answers the question, “How much is enough?” and links it to money is afflicted with the love of money (1 Timothy 6:10). There is only one correct answer to the “How much is enough?” question. The answer is “God! God is enough!” If you think you need to accumulate any sum of money, you are “the rich fool” and a “poor worldling” to be pitied.

Do yourself a favor. Abandon the financial finish line thinking and choose instead to fear the Lord. To the person who accumulated riches, Jesus pointedly said, “Go, sell and give, then come and follow” (Mark 10:21). You won’t figure it out until you live it out, that letting go of money opens your hands to take hold of the only thing, the only One, that is enough: God!

Here’s my alternative biblical advice which works for everyone on earth. Store up accumulated wealth in heaven right now in obedience to Jesus. Work productively as long as God gives you life. Save money only to pay cash for purchases. Enjoy living on a mina (three month’s income) as a faithful slave of Christ and return any gain to our good Master.

For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. Romans 8:13

“God hides the prize of eternal glory in our mortifications and in the victory over overselves, which we always strive for with great gentleness.”

Jane Frances de Chantel (1572-1641) in The Quotable Saint by Rosemary Ellen Guiley (New York: Visionary Living, 2002) 181.

The Apostle Paul stated plainly that living for the flesh leads to death and only through mortification by the Spirit do we grasp life.

This way to life is to have victory over ourselves. It’s also a win we must experience in order to grow in generosity and only possible by the Spirit.

But why pursue this victory over ourselves with gentleness? It’s not easy. It takes time and we need to extend grace and kindness to each other.

In plain terms, the person who tends to be hardest on you is yourself. To pursue this victory with gentleness is to season the battle with grace.

The prize for mortification is life. To only only way to get it is to have victory of ourselves. Holy Spirit, help each of us win this battle. Amen.

“If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.” Isaiah 7:9b

“In times of dryness and desolation, we must be patient, and wait with resignation the return of consolation, putting our trust in the goodness of God. We must animate ourselves by the thought that God is always with us, that He only allows the trials for our greater good, and that we have not necessarily lost his grace because we have lost the taste and feeling of it.”

Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556) in Spiritual Exercises.

Do you “wait with resignation” and trust in the goodness and generosity of God to sustain you? The hard part about waiting for most people is the temptation to take matters into our own hands.

So what is the solution? It’s clear. We must “animate ourselves by the thought that God is always with us.” This truth linked to the Christ of Christmas must carry us throughout the year.

Perhaps take a moment to create a centering prayer to help you wait with resignation? “Lord Jesus, thank you that you are with me and care for me.” You can pray that or write your own.

Whatever the prayer, consider this rhythm as a pathway to animate your faith and to inspire others. Our only hope for living, giving, serving and loving generously is to be sustained by faithful care of our living God.

“How will anyone know that You are pleased with me and with Your people unless You go with us? What else will distinguish me and Your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.” Then Moses said, “Now show me Your glory.” And the Lord said, “I will cause all My goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim My name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” Exodus 33:16-19

“For needful it was that neither His light should be unseen, nor His glory without witness, nor His goodness unenjoyed, nor that any other quality observed in the Divine nature should in any case lie idle, with none to share it or enjoy it. If, therefore, man comes to His birth upon these conditions, namely to be a partaker of the good things in God, necessarily he is framed of such a kind as to be adapted to the participation of such good. For as the eye, by virtue of the bright ray which is by nature wrapped up in it, is in fellowship with the light, and by its innate capacity draws to itself that which is akin to it, so was it needful that a certain affinity with the Divine should be mingled with the nature of man, in order that by means of this correspondence it might aim at that which was native to it.”

Gregory of Nyssa (335-394) in The Great Catechism, Part II, The Incarnation, Chapter 5.

Happy Boxing Day from Denver, Colorado (pictured above) to my friends and readers in Australia, Canada, the UK and other places where the holiday is observed.

Two things grip us when we reflect on today’s Scripture and the thoughts of Gregory on the incarnation. We are partakers of the good things of God and His design for us is our participation in His work.

Moses was boldly leading God’s people and pointedly asked God to show Himself faithful, to show His glory. Only when we pursue God and partake of His goodness and generosity, do we have anything to give to others.

This text contains the word “compassion” in it too. Spoiler alert: That’s the word I have chosen as my word for 2020. May we partake of the goodness, mercy and compassion of God and participate in dispensing it generously.

Father in heaven, make it so by the Holy Spirit today, in 2020, and beyond. Do it so the watching world will see Your glory, know that You are the living God, and see that You are with us! Hear my prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

“How beautiful, meek, and charitable is Jesus, the incarnate Wisdom! Beautiful from all eternity, He is the splendor of his Father, the unspotted mirror and image of His goodness. He is more beautiful than the sun and brighter than light itself. He is beautiful in time, being formed by the Holy Spirit pure and faultless, fair and immaculate, and during his life He charmed the eyes and hearts of men and is now the glory of the angels. How loving and gentle He is with men, and especially with poor sinners whom He came upon earth to seek out in a visible manner, and whom He still seeks in an invisible manner every day.”

Louis de Montfort (1673-1716) in The love of Eternal Wisdom, 126.

Happy Christmas everyone!

Take a moment today to gaze into the unspotted mirror of Jesus. There you will see the image of His goodness and generosity. It’s “beautiful, meek, and charitable” as Montfort aptly notes.

Let us celebrate that Jesus came to seek us out in a “visible manner” on earth, though we are poor sinners, and continues to pursue us in an “invisible manner” still today.

Let Him catch and charm you to the point that you give all that you are and all that you have to His service. Whatever you keep from Him you will lose, but whatever you give Him you will gain for eternity.

His teachings on money make no sense until we grasp that He wants us to let go of everything else so our hands are free to hold on to Him. He gets that this is hard for us poor sinners.

This Christmas, draw near to our beautiful, meek, and charitable King and He will draw near to you.

“You ask me to what you must avoid becoming attached: You must be attached to nothing, neither fortune, nor relations, nor directors, nor interior consolation; there must be nothing in the world which we are not ready to forego without trouble if God asks it of us.”

Claude de la Colombière (1641-1682) in a letter as recounted in The Quotable Saint, ed. by R. E. Guiley (New York, 2002) 4.

I am excited to have arrived safely home after a fruitful trip to Egypt, and I am blessed to enjoy some family time for Christmas. But why this post and how does it relate to generosity on the eve of Christmas?

For many, Christmas is about the giving of things that people may really want. This group of people needs to avoid becoming attached to things because they do not provide the satisfaction they promise.

Others find Christmas to be a painful and lonely time because they mourn the loss or separation from loved ones. This group has learned that attachment to people is not the path to lasting peace.

Christmas is about attaching to the greatest gift for all humankind, Jesus Christ. Attach to Him and find satisfaction, hope, help, peace, joy and everything that earthly attachments can’t deliver.

God often removes our earthly attachments for our growth. Most of the time, it’s really painful. So our generosity may be giving testimony to others how attaching to Christ has changed our lives and can transform theirs too.

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:48

“The perfect person does not only try to avoid evil. Nor does he [or she] do good for fear of punishment, still less in order to qualify for the hope of a promised reward.

The perfect person does good through love.

His [or Her] actions are not motivated by desire for personal benefit, so he [or she] does not have personal advantage as his [or her] aim. But as soon as he [or she] has realized the beauty of doing good, he [or she] does it with all his [or her] energies and in all that he [or she] does.

He [or She] is not interested in fame, or a good reputation, or a human or divine reward.

The rule of life for a perfect person is to be in the image and likeness of God.”

Clement of Alexandria (c. 150-215) as cited in Drinking From The Hidden Fountain: A Patristic Breviary. Ancient Wisdom for Today’s World by Tomáš Špidlík.

My trip to Egypt has gone well. The service was fruitful. About seven hours after this posts I will arrive home to celebrate Christmas with my family.

One highlight on the trip was that a person said that attending the weekend generosity retreat with Patrick Johnson and me was like listening to Jesus.

Slowly but surely, the Holy Spirit is conforming and perfecting me into the image of His Son, Jesus. You too I pray. Our role is to surrender to this work.

Father, make us perfect people by your Spirit and be glorified in our being or abiding in Christ and in our doing good with love, all for Your glory. Amen.

I

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22

“Let us therefore not only call Him Lord, for this will not save us: for He saith, “Not everyone that saith unto Me, Lord, shall be saved, but he that doeth righteousness.” So then, brethren, let us confess Him in our works, by loving one another, by not committing adultery nor speaking evil one against another nor envying, but being temperate, merciful, kindly. And we ought to have fellow-feeling one with another and not to be covetous. By these works let us confess Him, and not by the contrary. And we ought not rather to fear men but God.”

Clement, Bishop of Rome (c. 100) in 2 Clement 4:1-4. 

When we do righteousness, the early church bishop reminds us to do it with temperance, mercy, and kindness. What do these words mean? 

Temperance is moderation or self-restraint. Practicing it is living with intentionality or self-discipline. Extending mercy is not giving people what they deserve. Showing kindness is then giving them what may bless or surprise them with generosity. 

So, with Clement, as I approach the end of a fruitful Egypt trip, and as we come to the celebration of the arrival of our Savior—Christmas—let us be people who do what is right with a measure of discipline, behaving toward others not as they anticipate but with generosity.

We do this because our works are the greatest confession of our faith and the demonstration of our fear of God. Do you fear God?

However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me–the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace. Acts 20:24

“In her voyage across the ocean of this world, the Church is like a great ship being pounded by the waves of life’s different stresses. Our duty is not to abandon ship but to keep her on her course.” 

Boniface (672-754) in a letter to Cuthbert, Archbishop of Canterbury. This quote came to mind as I have spent time with people by the Red Sea in Egypt, and there are always ships out in the water.

Do you feel pounded by life’s different stresses? I do frequently. So what’s our role if we want to live generously? With Boniface, I believe it is to give our lives to keep the ship on course.

Many feel that the Church has lost it’s way. It’s off course. If so, who’s responsible? Think before you answer. No finger-pointing. What if we each gave our lives to helping her (the Church) get back on track?

They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. John 17:16

“For the Christians are distinguished from other men neither by country, nor language, nor the customs which they observe. For they neither inhabit cities of their own, nor employ a peculiar form of speech, nor lead a life which is marked out by any singularity. The course of conduct which they follow has not been devised by any speculation or deliberation of inquisitive men; nor do they, like some, proclaim themselves the advocates of any merely human doctrines. But, inhabiting Greek as well as barbarian cities, according as the lot of each of them has determined, and following the customs of the natives in respect to clothing, food, and the rest of their ordinary conduct, they display to us their wonderful and confessedly striking method of life. They dwell in their own countries, but simply as sojourners.

As citizens, they share in all things with others, and yet endure all things as if foreigners. Every foreign land is to them as their native country, and every land of their birth as a land of strangers. They marry, as do all [others]; they beget children; but they do not destroy their offspring. They have a common table, but not a common bed. They are in the flesh, but they do not live after the flesh. They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven. They obey the prescribed laws, and at the same time surpass the laws by their lives.

They love all men, and are persecuted by all. They are unknown and condemned; they are put to death, and restored to life. They are poor, yet make many rich; they are in lack of all things, and yet abound in all; they are dishonoured, and yet in their very dishonour are glorified. They are evil spoken of, and yet are justified; they are reviled, and bless; they are insulted, and repay the insult with honour; they do good, yet are punished as evil-doers. When punished, they rejoice as if quickened into life; they are assailed by the Jews as foreigners, and are persecuted by the Greeks; yet those who hate them are unable to assign any reason for their hatred.

To sum up all in one word — what the soul is in the body, Christians are in the world. The soul is dispersed through all the members of the body, and Christians are scattered through all the cities of the world. The soul dwells in the body, yet is not of the body; and Christians dwell in the world, yet are not of the world.”

The Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus, 5-6 (c. 130). Mathetes, “a disciple of the Apostles,” was likely a student of Paul or one of the Apostle’s associates. Special thanks to my dear friend John Stanley for sharing this with me. I posted a portion of this back in 2015, and shared a larger excerpt today from Egypt where I shot this photo of the Red Sea at sunrise.

Notice the beautiful simplicity and generous lifestyle celebrated here. The early church Christians lived as sojourners in this world. Likewise, let us be people who pass our days on earth as citizens of heaven. Let us enrich the lives of others, and always repay evil with good. Don’t get comfortable here as you were made for heaven.

As a frequent traveler, this post was especially meaningful for me. I have come to realize that Christians dispersed everywhere in the world are my brothers and sisters. My prayer is that our interaction helps them live like sojourners who show there’s more to life for than what this world offers through their words and actions.