Archives by: Gary Hoag

Then [Jesus] said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” Luke 12:15

“A native of the United States clings to this world’s goods as if he were certain never to die; and he is so hasty in grasping at all within his reach, that one would suppose he was constantly afraid of not living long enough to enjoy them. He clutches everything, he holds nothing fast, but soon loosens his grasp to pursue fresh gratifications…

At first sight there is something surprising in this strange unrest of so many happy men, restless in the midst of abundance. The spectacle itself is, however, as old as the world; the novelty is to see a whole people furnish an exemplification of it. Their taste for physical gratifications must be regarded as the original source of that secret inquietude which the actions of the Americans betray, and of that inconstancy of which they afford fresh examples every day.

He who has set his heart exclusively upon the pursuit of worldly welfare is always in a hurry, for he has but a limited time at his disposal to reach it, to grasp it, and to enjoy it. The recollection of the brevity of life is a constant spur to him. Besides the good things which he possesses, he every instant fancies a thousand others which death will prevent him from trying if he does not try them soon. This thought fills him with anxiety, fear, and regret, and keeps his mind in ceaseless trepidation, which leads him perpetually to change his plans and his abode.”

Alexis De Tocqueville (1804-1859) in Democracy in America, volume 2 (New York: D. Appleton & Company, 1899) 622-623.

My friend, John Stanley, alerted me to Fred Smith’s blog post on this topic, so I went back to this classic source to read it in context and offer a more lengthy quote. Though De Tocqueville was not a Christian mystic, which is the segment of authors I am reading these days, he is referred to often as a “seer” for his wise perceptions about society and, particularly, the wealthy and prosperous.

De Tocqueville yet again does not disappoint! Over 150 years ago he sketched this picture of America. See why people give him the “seer” label? Notice what language describes the person gripped by greed and materialistic gratification. They exhibit “secret inquietude” or restless dissatisfaction daily which results in “ceaseless trepidation” which in plain terms is fear! Choosing generosity over materialism is also choosing peace over debilitating anxiety!

I plan to take this book with me when I teach and speak in Australia in the first half of June. In various settings, I want to ask Aussies to share their reaction to it. Why do this? I am finding that when adult learners hear such graphic pictures of reality, they become motivated to consider their own situation and choose a different course. Jesus warned us about this long before De Tocqueville, and today I echo the warning. Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed!

Better a little with the fear of the LORD than great wealth with turmoil. Proverbs 15:16

“The purpose of the monastic life is never to amass wealth for the sake of the self…The monastic idea is about the ability to understand the difference between need and want, between having what is necessary rather than doing without what is necessary — simply for the sake of doing without…

It is not the use of the goods required to make contemporary life possible — cars, computers, electronics, telephones… It is the over-consumption — the unmitigated greed that drives a person to have in undue measure what others have little or nothing of, to want for the self rather than for humanity…

It is the delusion of having to have at our disposal ten kinds of potato chips, thirty pairs of shoes, the biggest and best of everything, that, in the end, wars against the desire of the heart to live a simple life… When we find that we have accumulated good things in multiples and use few of them ever, it is time to give some of them away to those who have none.

It is not necessary to look poor to live a simply life. But it is necessary to love simplicity, to gather only what is necessary for ourselves, not necessarily to have the best, the most, the latest, or the most expensive, let alone to have all there is of anything.”

Joan Chittister in The Monastery of the Heart: An Invitation to a Meaningful Life (Collegeville: BlueBridge, 2011) 89-93.

Chittister helps us see that loving simplicity frees us from greed and positions us for generosity. We must learn to discern between needs and wants. We must be focused on “having what is necessary” so we are not consumed by that which is unnecessary.

Is it time for some Spring cleaning at your home? 

Not sure where to start? My wife suggests that you take one room at a time. Simplifying does not leave you empty. Sharing all you have that is not necessary positions you to focus on what you really need and helps you begin see what others really need too.

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Colossians 4:2

“Let’s say I interviewed ten people, asking each the same question — “Do you trust God?” — and each answered, “Yes, I trust God,” but nine of the then actually did not trust Him. How would I find out which one of the ragamuffins was telling the truth? I would videotape each of the ten lives for a month and then, after watching the videos, pass judgment using this criterion: the person with an abiding spirit of gratitude is the one who trusts God.

The foremost quality of a trusting disciple is gratefulness. Gratitude arises from the lived perception, evaluation, and acceptance of life as grace — as an undeserved and unearned gift from the Father’s hand. Such recognition is itself the work of grace, and acceptance of the gift is implicitly an acknowledgement of the Giver. The grateful heart cries out in the morning, “Thank you, Lord, for the gift of a new day.” And it continues to express its gratitude as the blessings unfold.”

Brennan Manning (1934-2013) in Ruthless Trust: The Ragamuffin’s Path to God (New York: HarperCollins, 2000) 24-25.

Brennan Manning has put his finger on the criterion of having an abiding spirit of gratitude and the Apostle Paul teaches us how to preserve this condition: we must devote ourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

It’s fitting Paul would put this statement in the letter to the church in Colossae. It was a flourishing city situated on a trade route that was known for it’s cool spring water and varied wares. The Colossians had access to anything a person wanted in antiquity.

We, in America, enjoy a similar situation in modernity. That’s why we need to reset our thinking daily in prayer and be watchful and thankful, so the world does not distort us into thinking either that we earned what we have or that life is found in what we have.

All we have are gifts from the Giver. Everything we have ever possessed or will ever possess has come to us as a work of grace from God. We can neither trust God nor give like Him until this abiding spirit of gratitude permeates our lives.

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:21

“Christians are bound to the belief that all creation is dear to the Creator, and is the object of His cherishing care. The violent as well as the peaceful, the dictators as well as their victims, the Blimps as well as the pacifists, the Government as well as the Opposition, the sinners as well as the saints. All the children of the Eternal Perfect. Some inhabitants of this crowded nursery are naughty, some stupid, some wayward, some are beginning to get good. All are immersed in the single tide of creative love, which pours out from the heart of the universe and through the souls of self-abandoned men. God loves, not merely tolerates, these wayward violent half-grown spirits; and seeks without ceasing to draw them into His love. We, then, are called to renounce hostile attitudes and hostile thoughts towards even our most disconcerting fellow sinners to feel as great a pity for those who go wrong as for their victims, to show an equal generosity to the just and unjust. This is only-peace propaganda, which has creative quality, and is therefore sure of ultimate success. All else is a scratching on the surface, more likely to irritate than to heal.”

Evelyn Underhill (1874-1941) in Modern Guide to the Ancient Quest for the Holy (SUNY Press: Albany, 1988) 200. We returned home to Colorado yesterday afternoon. Most of our Spring snow had melted but the header photo was the view on our afternoon walk. There’s nothing like a walk on a sunny day or a good book to lift our gaze heavenward in praise!

Frankly, I feel like a child who only beginning to learn to how to extend “equal generosity” to everyone. Underhill’s thoughts drip of the love and goodness of Christ. She graciously reminds us of God’s “cherishing care” for “this crowded nursery” of humanity and leads me to give thanks for “the single tide of creative love” that draws each of us to Him.

Underhill also rightly points the way to exhibiting “equal generosity” to others. We must renounce all hostile attitudes and thoughts towards everyone. Any other posture toward people will not only fail, it will cause more damage. All this merely affirms what the Apostle Paul teaches us: Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good! God help us do this!

This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.” Isaiah 30:15

“What we plant in the soil of contemplation, we shall reap in the harvest of action. What a man takes in by contemplation, that he pours out in love.”

Meister Eckhart (c. 1260-1328) in Civilization’s Quotations: Life’s Ideal, edited by Richard Alan Krieger (New York: Algora, 2002) 185.

Today marks my shift from Puritan preachers to Christian mystics with this post. What’s contemplative prayer have to do with generosity? Everything!

From my personal experience with my ‘daily office’, the generous life flows out of my experience of the Source of all goodness each morning. Others choose to contemplate on their bed at night. A dear friend of mine has a job that requires lots of driving, so as a ‘mobile monk’ he prays virtually all day on the road. When you contemplate does not matter; what matters is taking time for contemplation on a regular basis.

Most people don’t stop to think in quietness. They don’t rest and reflect and consider charting a new course. This is not my assessment. It’s what the Sovereign LORD says in today’s Scripture.

As generosity is a fruit of the Spirit’s work in us (Galatians 5:22-23), if you want to live a generous life, start by sowing some time in contemplation with the Lord daily and see what loving action follows.

For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. Psalm 84:11

“If any thing be good, an upright man may expect it from God’s providence; if it be not good, he should not desire it… No righteous man would in his sober wits be willing to make an exchange of his smartest afflictions for a wicked man’s prosperity, with all the circumstances attending it. It cannot therefore be bad with the righteous in the worst condition. Would any man be ambitious of snares that knows the deceit of them? Can any but a madman exchange medicines for poison?

Is it not more desirable to be upon a dunghill with an intimate converse with God, than upon a throne without it? They gain a world in prosperity, a righteous man gains his soul by afflictions, and possesses it in patience… God strips good men of the enjoyment of the world, that he may wean them from the love of it; keeps them from idolatry, by removing the fuel of it; sends afflictions that he may not lose them, nor they their souls.”

Stephen Charnock (1628-1680) in “On Divine Providence; Existence and Attributes of God” in The Complete Works of Stephen Charnock, volume 1 of 5 (iBooks) 246-249.

Jenni, Sammy, Sophie and I flew down to Los Angeles and drove to Port Hueneme, California, to celebrate with her family the retirement of her brother, Captain Brant Pickrell, who has served 30 years with the U.S. Navy. Ah, palm trees and sunshine! Captain Pickrell would undoubtedly concur with the wisdom in today’s post!

God wants us to trust Him for all that is good, not desire any thing that is not good, and never get the two confused. He desires communion with us and for us to realize that afflictions and patience are required for our own growth and maturity. What’s this got to do with generosity?

Puritans like Charnock help us learn that trust in the goodness of God positions us to live lives filled with goodness and generosity. In Brant’s case, he’s trusting God for the right role for him in the next stage of his journey. God wants Brant (and the rest of us) not to love our possessions or our situation but to love Him deeply.

As our own income and situation are quite inconsistent at times, I am deeply thankful for this reminder. I pray it encourages you too. Our God is a sun and shield. He gives grace and glory. He withholds nothing from those who walk uprightly! Let’s give thanks for our “intimate converse with God” and depend on His goodness together!

The smooth tricks of scoundrels are evil. They plot crooked schemes. They lie to convict the poor, even when the cause of the poor is just. But generous people plan to do what is generous, and they stand firm in their generosity. Isaiah 32:7-8.

“[Disciples of Christ] seek not the world for worldly ends, that they may rise higher and fare better, more deliciously, or that they may have more esteem and reputation (these are the low unworthy ends of sensualists and worldlings for themselves and their posterity); but that they may do more good, and be more serviceable, and more honour their profession, and show the sincerity of their aims by really and freely employing what they get for those noble and generous purposes.”

David Clarkson (1622-1686) in The Practical Works of David Clarkson, vol. 2 of 3 (Edinburgh: James Nichol, 1865) 383.

The candid tone of the Puritan preachers continues to grab my attention, though I will likely complete my exploration of the Puritans thinking soon. I plan to shift to Christian Mystics from church history next by reading authors like: Teresa of Ávila, Meister Eckhart, Julian of Norwich, John of the Cross, Evelyn Underhill, Thomas Merton, Beatrice of Nazareth, and Gregory of Narek, to name a few.

In Clarkson’s thinking, those who are focused on this world are “worldlings” who aim at “worldly ends” and self-advancement. In contrast, disciples of Christ are focused on blessing others “by really and freely employing what they get” from God. That statement presupposes the belief in providence, that all we have comes to us from God to be used following His purposes.

As Isaiah notes above, noble or generous people are not noble or generous by accident, they plan to be generous. They really and freely employ what they get from God and notice that Isaiah says that they stand firm in their generosity. That’s his way of saying that God the Supplier will fuel their intentional efforts to serve as faithful distributors. What about you? Are you really and freely employing what you get?

“Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do — blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. Matthew 6:1-4

“Some cover their pride with the pretence of high spiritedness, and please themselves in apprehensions of some magnanimity and generosity. But the truth is, it is not true magnitude, but a swelling out of the superabundance of pestilent humours. True greatness of spirit is inwardly and throughout solid, firm from the bottom, and the foundation of it is truth. Which of the two do ye think hath the better spirit, he that calls dust, dust, and accounts of dung as dung, or he that, upon a false imagination, thinks dust and dung is gold and silver, esteems himself a rich man, and raises up himself above others? Humility is only true magnanimity, for it digs down low, that it may set and establish the foundation of true worth. It is true, it is lowly, and bows down low. But as the water that comes from a height, the lower it comes down the higher it ascends up again, so the humble spirit, the lower it fall in its own estimation, the higher it is raised in real worth and in God’s estimation.”

Hugh Binning (1627-1653) in “A Treatise of Christian Love” (Edinburgh, 1743) excerpt from chapter five.

Magnanimity is synonymous with generosity, and from God’s perspective, true magnanimity cannot be found without humility. Today I want to honor our daughter, Sophie Victoria Hoag, as she turns 20 years old today. She’s a beautiful young woman whose life is solid, because her roots go deep in the firm foundation of God’s truth. She also exhibits true magnanimity with humility, caring what God sees and thinks of her above the estimations of people (cf. 1 Peter 3:3-4). In at least three ways, she reminds me of Hugh Binning.

Firstly, as the son of a prominent landowner, Hugh Binning could have used that status for personal gain. Instead, he humbled himself to serve others and help them grasp Christian love. That’s Sophie, always lovingly attuned to serving the needs of those around her with the blessings she has gratefully received from God. Secondly, Binning was committed to rigorous learning and religious exercises. That’s Sophie, dedicated to studying God’s Word. Thirdly, Binning became a brilliant young Scottish theologian and philosopher who had a way with words. It was commonly said, “There is no speaking after Mr. Binning.” That’s Sophie, she loves words and writing, and she exhibits wisdom beyond her years.

What about you? Would others say you have true magnanimity, this is, generosity coupled with humility? The way to get there is to bow down low, to esteem things as God esteems them, and to base your life on the foundation of truth. Humbly and generously use whatever you’ve got to serve others — wealth, status, knowledge, talents and abilities — in order to show Christian love. Binning uses colorful language like “dust” and “dung” to get our attention and help our thinking shift from false imagination to God’s estimation. What would God say about you?

Thou shalt not steal. Exodus 20:15

“Frugality and moderation in our expenses about ourselves ought to be used, lest the fountain should be drawn dry, whence such streams should flow, for helping and refreshing others. Bounty and mercy ought to be exercised in communicating our goods unto others, especially persons that are to be pitied; and of these, chiefly such are of the household of faith. For in this duty is the most of all exercised and most manifestly that virtue that is most contrary to theft; because as in theft we take unjustly to ourselves, what is not our own so in liberality and alms, we justly take from ourselves what is our own, and freely bestow it on another.”

William Ames (1576-1633) in the conclusion to the reading for the forty second Lord’s day on Exodus 20:15, “Thou Shalt Not Steal” in The Substance of Christian Religion (London: Thomas Davie, 1659) 255.

If you don’t mind reading old English, today’s reading comes from a brilliant four-page exposition of the seventh commandment, which is today’s Scripture passage. This excerpt from Ames illuminates our role with regard to that which we possess. As we own nothing, we must exercise frugality and moderation in spending that which God gives us on ourselves lest we be found unfaithful. God wants us to enjoy and share material blessings. Not to share with others, especially fellow believers, is stealing (cf. Ephesians 4:28). That may sound harsh, but even if we worked to earn it, God gave us that ability (cf. Deuteronomy 8:18), and thus, all we possess must be used according to God’s purposes.

God desires that those who have more than enough freely bestow their surplus to others with bounty and mercy. Sadly, however, most people are afraid to “communicate,” or in modern English, to “share,” because they fear they themselves will end up empty. Others talk themselves out of sharing saying to themselves that it will create dependencies, whereas God’s pattern is to create interdependent people who show love through sharing while depending on Him, rather than themselves, for their ongoing sustenance. The only way to take hold of life is to fear God rather than fearing being in need. Ames graciously reminds readers that those who fear God will be sustained by His providence.

Most people think the aim of meditations like this one is to help people prepare now, while they have capacity and ability, to give an account for their stewardship to God later. Undoubtedly, that’s part of it, but I would say a lesser part. The aim of meditations like this is to urge people to obey by spending simply on themselves and sharing with others rather than stealing from them because when we freely bestow with mercy and bounty in this way, we exhibit the the charity of God, we realize that sometimes we get to care for others and sometimes they get to assist us, and most importantly, we take hold of life because we no longer rely on ourselves but on God, which glorifies Him and shows the world He can be trusted.

For bodily exercise is profitable for a little, but piety is profitable for everything, having promise of life, of the present one, and of that to come. 1 Timothy 4:8

“Let it be your first care to set up Christ in your hearts; see that you make all your worldly interests to stoop to Him; that you be entirely and unreservedly devoted unto Him. If you wilfully, and deliberately, and ordinarily, harbor any sin, you are undone. See that you unfeignedly take the law of Christ as the rule of your words, thoughts, and actions, and subject your whole man, members, and minds, faithfully to Him…

Let piety be your first and great business: it is the highest point of justice to give God his due. Beware that none of you be a prayerless person; for that is a most certain discovery that you are a Christless and graceless person, or one that is a very stranger to the fear of God. Suffer not your Bibles to gather dust. See that you converse daily with the Word. That man can never lay claim to blessedness whose delight is not in the law of the Lord. Let meditation and self-examination be your daily exercise.

But piety without charity is but the half of Christianity, or rather impious hypocrisy. We may not divide the tables; see therefore that you do justly, and love mercy, and let equity and charity run like an even thread throughout all your dealings. Be you temperate in all things, and let chastity and sobriety be your undivided companions. Let truth and purity, seriousness and modesty, heaviness and gravity, be the constant ornaments of your speech. Let patience and humility, simplicity and sincerity, shine out in all the parts of your conversations. See that you forget and forgive wrongs, and requite them with kindness, as you would be found the children of the Most High.

Will you answer the calls of divine Providence? Would you remove the incumbent, or prevent the impendent calamities? Would you plant nurseries for the church of God? Would you that God should build your houses and bless your substance? Would you that your children should bless you? O then set up piety in your families, as ever you would be blessed or be a blessing. Let your hearts and your houses be the temples of the living God, in which his worship may be with constancy reverently performed”

Joseph Alleine in “Counsel for Personal and Family Godliness” in An Alarm to Unconverted Sinners (Glasgow: Charmers & Collins, 1824) 270-271, 276.

What a joy it has been for Jenni and me to celebrate Sammy’s graduation from college, to observe Sophie’s 20th birthday, and then Mother’s Day with my mother and father, Jack & Patsy Hoag, and with my wife’s parents, John & Wilma Pickrell. We are thankful for everyone’s commitment to God and, to the best of their ability, for how each person sets up piety with charity in our family. What about your family? Setting up piety with charity in your family will cost you everything, but the matchless gain is worth the sacrifice. You will be found as children of the Most High!