Archives by: Gary Hoag

One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and the one who waters will himself be watered. Proverbs 11:24-25

“Am I living generously? I’m not just talking about my finances here. It’s more a posture of my heart.

When I see a need do I generously give my time to come alongside another and meet it?

Do I generously give affirmation to those around me…not withholding it, presuming they already know?

Am I generous with a kind smile, looking people in the eye and blessing them by really seeing them?

Do I generously lavish grace on someone who offends me?

Am I generous with relationships and resources – not hoarding them for myself, but being a conduit that passes them on, so many more are blessed?

Am I generous with me? Do I readily lay myself aside to put others needs before my own? Do I share myself vulnerably and openly and refuse to hold parts of me back in self-protection?

I want to be the one who gives freely…who doesn’t withhold what I should give…who waters others.

I don’t want God’s kindness, and love, and bountiful resources to stop with me.”

Mel and Amy Ellenwood included this list of questions and statements in their 18 November 2016 Ministry Update. I am thankful it was forwarded to me by my good friend, Jot Turner, who serves at the EFCA national office.

Today’s Scripture celebrates what takes place when we practice generosity. We don’t find ourselves empty, we end up enriched. This relates to far more than financial giving. It touches all aspects of life.

These questions and statements are powerful. They really impacted me when I read them. They opened my eyes to aspects of generosity where I have room for growth. I am thankful my friend shared them with me.

I hope you are reading this list before you go spend time with family and friends today. I pray that it leads you give affirmation or lavish grace on someone. Let’s live generously in a variety of ways today (and every day)!

Happy Thanksgiving from Colorado (where we shot the header photo while cutting down our Christmas tree yesterday)!

Since many will enjoy special time with family and friends over the next few days in America celebrating Thanksgiving, the focus of today’s meditation is a list to stimulate good discussion. Through our interaction, I hope we can encourage one another to live out our faith generously, so that when we scatter, our impact multiplies.

There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community. Proverbs 6:16-19

Seven Sacred Virtues to Replace the Seven Deadly Sins

1. Humility instead of pride
2. Generosity instead of covetousness
3. Restraint instead of lust
4. Kindness instead of anger
5. Moderation instead of gluttony
6. Charity instead of envy
7. Diligence instead of sloth

Marilyn vos Savant in The Speaker’s Quote Book: Over 5,000 Illustrations and Quotations for All Occasions, ed. Roy B. Zuck (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2009) 562.

Here’s an interesting set of facts. Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, penned today’s passage in Proverbs containing the seven deadly sins. Marilyn vos Savant, known widely as the world’s smartest woman, added the seven complementary virtues. Seriously, she’s in the Guinness Book of World Records for posting a 228 score on an IQ test.

Perhaps over a meal with family and friends, take turns going around the table and sharing about why we must pursue these virtues and avoid these sins. Perhaps print the list, cut it into seven pieces, put them in a bowl in the middle of the table and take turns pulling one out and testifying in your own words the significance of each virtue and the dangers of each vice.

We plan to do intentional activities like this one with our loved ones. We are so excited that our daughter, Sophie, flew in last night with her boyfriend, Peter, from California. We have more relatives arriving today: my brother, David, and his wife, Joanna, are visiting from Florida, and my niece, Jamie, and her husband Ryan, are arriving from Arizona.

We have so much for which to give thanks. Most of all that exhibiting these virtues and avoiding these sins is possible because of God’s work in us through Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Then [Jesus] said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. Luke 9:23

“The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand, we are obliged to act accordingly. Take any words in the New Testament and forget everything except pledging yourself to act accordingly. My God, you will say, if I do that my whole life will be ruined. How would I ever get on in the world? …

I open the New Testament and read: “If you want to be perfect, go, sell all your goods and give to the poor, and come, follow me.” Good God, if we were to actually do this, all the capitalists, the office holders, and the entrepreneurs, the whole society in fact, would be almost beggars! … I have wanted to make people aware and admit that I find the New Testament very easy to understand, but thus far I have found it tremendously difficult to act literally upon what it plainly says.”

Søren Kierkegaard in Provocations: Spiritual Writings of Kierkegaard (New York: Plough, 2014) 197-199.

Why share this provoking thought today? I want everyone to understand, through the candor of a brilliant Danish philosopher, that while the NT is easy to understand, following it is really hard. Obedience costs us everything, so rather than obey, like selfish scheming swindlers, we act like we don’t understand or as if no one is watching. Humor me. Coming out of a weekend of scholarly discourse, I feel the need to speak with prophetic candor some comments with which I believe Kierkegaard would concur.

We read the NT and often see only the pain and not the gain and so we fail to follow. We only see the pain of letting go in Matthew 19:21 (which Søren quotes above) and miss the gain that Christ promises in return “a hundred times as much” and “eternal life” in Matthew 19:29. We rationalize away through self-talk that the tough texts neither apply to us nor make any sense, so we functionally ignore them. In so doing, we miss, that Jesus is not calling us to a life of destitution but a posture of distribution.

Thanksgiving week, at least for Americans, is perhaps the greatest timeframe when we must “turn from our selfish ways.” We tend to over indulge on food. We focus on entertaining ourselves rather than serving others. We spend money we don’t have on things we don’t need. All the while, Jesus calls us to abandon that path for a different one. Let’s not ignore Him because all we see is sacrifice. His way leads to abundance and life as God designed for us to live it.

Father, we give our Thanksgiving week and our whole lives to you anew and afresh today. Give us courage to follow your teachings regardless of how difficult they seem and no matter what anyone else does. Help us, by your Holy Spirit, let go of things we cannot hold on to to gain the things we can ever lose. Bless us with priceless time with family and friends and help us not forget to care for our neighbors, especially those in need, so we reflect your love to the world. Hear our prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen. 

Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done. Proverbs 19:17

“Those who are rich because of God’s generosity have a responsibility to be generous toward others…The purpose of God’s gifts is not that they be stored up, but that they be used as a foundation, used, that is, in such a way that God will reward their users with the gift of true life.”

Raymond F. Collins in I & II Timothy and Titus: A Commentary (Louisville: WJKP, 2002) 171-172.

In America we are looking toward Thanksgiving this Thursday. We will also be bombarded with Black Friday advertisements and opportunities to be generous on Giving Tuesday.

What’s responsible behavior look like in response?

Take time to give thanks for all God’s material and spiritual blessings. Buy the things you need (at deep discounts), and give generously. God is watching and will reward the faithful.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Matthew 5:7

“The pastor must not be afraid of those who have great wealth but address them with candor and care for their souls, bringing them into the concrete awareness of their opportunities for works of mercy.”

Thomas C. Oden in First and Second Timothy and Titus: Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching (Louisville: WJKP, 1989) 104.

I return home tonight from IBR/SBL. My brain is full. While most of the sessions have been purely academic, some have contained a pastoral side with liturgy, reminding me why we do further study: to pastor or shepherd souls.

Oden has that skill in his writing. Here he coaches us to use “candor and care” in addressing the wealthy. We must not be intimidated by them, but bring them into “concrete awareness of their opportunities for works of mercy.” For examples, this could mean coaching them in navigating challenges with difficult people at work or inviting them on to minister to broken and hurting people with you.

Speaking of writing, my scholarly book is on sale this week at the conference for $29.70 (regularly $49.50): Wealth in Ancient Ephesus and the First Letter to Timothy. Click on the title or visit the Eisenbrauns website and type “Hoag” in the search bar to purchase a copy for yourself and/or the pastor in your life.

As she got up to glean, Boaz gave orders to his men, “Let her gather among the sheaves and don’t reprimand her. Even pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up, and don’t rebuke her.” Ruth 2:15-16

“Boaz provides another model of the generosity of the godly rich. He extends numerous extra favors to Ruth, despite her being a foreigner, allowing her to glean extra in his fields and giving her various special gifts (Ruth 2). When Ruth approaches him by night with what amounted to a proposal of marriage, Boaz continues to go out of his way not to take advantage of her (ch. 3). When her nearest guardian-redeemer decides he cannot take Ruth into his family, Boaz generously and happily does so (ch. 4). Still Naomi and Ruth have had to work hard and plan shrewdly to arrive at this point. Gleaning, like the other events of the narrative, “involves the recipients in the the work … maintaining a balance between generosity and dignity. The landowner is not burdened with extra work in being generous to the poor, and the poor have the privilege of working to supply their needs.”

Craig Blomberg in Christians in an Age of Wealth: A Biblical Theology of Stewardship (Biblical Theology for Life; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2013) 98.

Blomberg is one of many brilliant biblical scholars down here at the IBR/SBL meetings in San Antonio (the famous downtown River Walk is pictured above). Don’t miss his point, especially if you are among the “godly rich” as he puts it: Use what you have not to take advantage of those in need, but to create opportunities for them. Also follow God’s design by inviting them into the work of supplying their needs.

These principles don’t just hold true for the “godly rich” (as many of us may not fit in the same category as Boaz)! If you are a parent or have influence on others, never tire (as Paul puts it in 2 Thessalonians 3:11-13) of doing what is good and teaching others (in your words and by your example) how to work, live, and give. In so doing, you will model and maintain the balance of generosity and dignity.

What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short. From now on…those who buy something [should live] as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away. 1 Corinthians 7:29-31

“Some religious orders solve the problem [of the love of money] by calling on their members to renounce all material possessions. At the other extreme, communism calls for private property to be abolished altogether in favor of state or communal ownership. The problem, however, is not that we as individuals have things, but that we hold on to them so tightly…the Bible’s solution to the love of money is to help us loosen our grip on our possessions and get a grip on something which far exceeds them in value.”

Brian Rosner in Beyond Greed (Kingsford, Australia: Matthias Media, 2004) 63.

Brian is one of many biblical scholars I hope to connect with in San Antonio this weekend. I arrived last night and will attend the IBR/SBL conference through Sunday night. This book is required reading for a class I am teaching this Spring at Denver Seminary: NT590: Life in the Economy of God. You don’t have to attend a scholarly conference like this one or take my seminary class if this topic interests you. I suggest you buy this book and read it! It’s fantastic!

Rosner rightly reminds us that moving beyond greed is not about renouncing things as bad when God created them and declared them to be good, and it does not demand that we exchange private property for some form of communal living. He moves us beyond greed and exhorts us to “get a grip” on Christ. Then as faithful stewards, he calls us to use all we have in accordance with God’s purposes: enjoyment and sharing. Taking hold of Christ makes letting go a no-brainer decision!

Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!” Acts 8:20

A paper offered a prize for the best definition of the value of money. The following was the successful answer: “Money is a universal provider of everything but happiness, and a passport everywhere but to Heaven.”

H. Pickering as recounted by Harold E. Will in Will’s Commentary on the New Testament including a Contemporary Rendition, vol. 9 (Grafton: 1995) 153.

We are approaching a big marketing season in which products will make promises only God can deliver. Life is not found in all those things. Buy what you need and remain focused on living, giving, serving, and loving generously.

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” Mark 12:41-44

“There is no reason to think [the widow] was the only such person present, but Jesus singles her out as an object lesson…[He] both commends the widow’s self-sacrificing generosity as an example for all God’s people and (probably more significant for its context in Mark) turns upside down the normal human valuation of people.

What matters in God’s sight is not what a person has (and therefore is able to give without pain) but the devotion which causes her to give at even great person cost, even though the amount of the gift may be completely negligible in comparison with the enormous wealth of the temple. The gift does not matter to God so much as the giver. And it is implied, this should also be the basis of his people’s valuation. By such a criterion, the first will often be last and the last first.”

R. T. France in The Gospel of Mark (The New International Greek Testament Commentary; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002) 493.

A pastor emailed me this week (on the heels of my recent posts linked to Matthew 6:1-4 where Jesus teaches that giving is a private affair) and asked for advice for teaching on giving since it is not a public exercise. I got the sense that he wanted advice on the “how” more than the “what” related to such teaching.

With R.T. France, I would suggest following the example of Jesus and use object lessons to show what God looks at and what God values. Jesus reminds everyone that God is watching, that every gift and every giver matter to God, and that He cares more about our hearts and what’s left in our pockets than what we look like on the outside and what goes in the offering.

The setting for this object lesson is also quite strategic for Jesus. In doing it in front of the place where the offerings were put, He branded the lesson on their minds to impact their lifelong giving. Likewise, use object lessons that point to illustrations people can understand and locate them in the context of giving so that the impact of your instruction shapes their generosity for years to come.

But God said to him, “Fool! This very night your soul will be demanded of you. And the things you have hoarded, whose will they be? It will be like this for everyone who stores up treasures for himself and is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:20-21

“God steps into this story, as God is wont to do, right in the midst of his moneymaking and merrymaking and calls him a fool. The man intended for his hoard of good things to contribute to living it up…This man has a bigger problem than bulging barns that he fails to face. He is mortal. Securing his economic future does not mean his future is secure…Since death is inevitable and its timing is unknown, that should inform what one should do with disposable wealth…

God is the sole owner of all that we possess, including our very selves…Because the man is a fool, he forgot that our lives are on temporary loan from God…God next asks the fool about all of the things he has prepared: “Whose will they be?”

…The rhetorical question connects the request of the bystander who is locked in a dispute with his brother over the family inheritance (12:13). One can imagine the family of the rich man in the parable gathering to mourn his sudden death and then arguing about who is going to get all the good things stashed away in the big barns.”

David E. Garland in Luke (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011) 515-516.

A friend asked me to research what people blessed with huge sums of money should do with those funds. This text is insightful. Some people may choose to hoard treasures for themselves. If they do, at some point, God may likewise label them as fools, require their souls of them, and their next of kin will fight over what they have left behind.

There’s an alternative! The message of the text linked to generosity is clear: choose instead to be “rich toward God” through enjoying and sharing God’s abundance according to God’s instructions. What will you do when you are blessed abundantly? Moneymaking and merrymaking can destroy people or become their greatest legacy when linked with generosity.