Archives by: Gary Hoag

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17

“Do you see how God’s generosity is described here? It says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift” that is given to us is from “the Father of lights.” Our Father is the provider of gifts to His children. And His gifts are “good” and “perfect.” God the Father’s gifs are “good” because they are also what are best for us. And they are also “perfect” because God knows us perfectly. God the Father is never stingy, never holds back, but is incredibly generous. His gifts are always “good” and “perfect.”

If we began to number God’s gifts to us, we would end up with a pretty lengthy list. Every breath you breathe is a “good” and “perfect” gift from God. Every day you have life is also a gift. Even each second of the day is a gift from your Father. The people in your life are God’s gift to you to help you through life. You can look around you and just about everything you find is a gift from God…The reason He gives you these gifts is because He’s your Father and He is generous.”

Joel Bruce in Our Generous God: Discover God’s Generosity to You in Christ (Bloomington: Westbow, 2011) 61.

I am safely home and profoundly thankful for many “good” and “perfect” gifts from God. To name a few, I am thankful for the gift of life as I learned a woman in our church died of cancer while I have been teaching in South Korea. Every day of life is a “good” and “perfect” gift of God.

I am thankful for the gift of sleep. I slept seven hours on my flight over the Pacific. I have never slept seven hours on a flight! The stewardess had to wake me up. Of course, then when went to bed after I got home, I only slept about four hours and woke up wide awake, at 2:30am. God help me adjust.

I am thankful for the gift of grace, which in biblical terms is unmerited kindness. I emptied myself in service to my students on 8 days of teaching and in preaching 6 times and returned home enriched with joy and enthusiasm because of the love, prayers, and hospitality I received.

I am thankful for my gift of family. Jenni and I along with Sammy, Sophie fly to the East Coast tomorrow to spend the week at Camp Spofford in New Hampshire. I will give eight lessons on spiritual formation for families based on Deuteronomy 6:4-9, and ask them to help me with illustrations from our own journey.

I named a few things. What “good” and “perfect” gifts are you thankful for today? Share a short list with someone or take turns sharing whatever comes to mind.

But since you excel in everything — in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you — see that you also excel in this grace of giving. 2 Corinthians 8:7

“As you consider where your congregation is today and where you want to be with stewardship and generosity in the future, I suggest you identify the three or four key teachings you would like everyone to know and practice. Each year assess the impact of your efforts from the previous year, and determine what outcomes you would like to see in the year ahead.”

Keith A. Mundy in “How An Annual Stewardship Emphasis Can Strengthen Generosity In Your Congregation” in Giving: Growing Joyful Stewards in Your Congregation, vol. 19 (Richmond: ESC, 2017) 14-15.

Today’s my last day of class and then I make the long journey home from Seoul to Denver later this afternoon. Each one of my students plans to do their project on growing generosity related to a church setting, so this is one of many points I plan to make on my last day. I will miss them so much. I love these students from South Korea, India, Ghana, Pakistan and USA.

I am confident that each one grasps a biblical understanding of what it means to be a faithful and generous steward. By God’s direction they will discern what biblical truths to sow in the hearts of those they serve in the coming year. What about you? Are you responsible for stewardship efforts in your congregation? What teachings will you sow in your church this year?

Let’s say God leads you to teach your church about these four items this year: contentment, sharing with the poor, service, and missional outreach. I remind my students, that the best first step is to ask God to teach you and your church overseers about these areas so that your lives match whatever you are teaching and so you can pray together for growth in your congregation.

The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And He is not served by human hands, as if He needed anything. Rather, He himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man He made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from any one of us. ‘For in Him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are His offspring.’ Acts 14:24-28

“Like all of creation, human beings are made to desire God, on whom we depend for life, meaning, and direction. If we are oriented primarily toward the glory of God, then we, like a mirror, bear the image of God. We may certainly love, appreciate, and even desire and depend on other creatures, but we do so because we recognize that they belong to God. Because our desire is directed primarily toward God, our religious affections have a kind of coherence and wholeness. All of our other desires are organized around our central desire for God. All of our other relative dependencies point to our ultimate dependence on God.

Properly ordered desire for and sense of dependence on God organize the affections, thereby giving us a stable center of personality that can hold in harmony all of our other relationships. Well-ordered affections allow us to maintain the boundaries that preserve the integrity of our identities, even as we enter into relationships with others. Depending on God allows us to rely on others without being subordinated to them. Desiring God allows us to long for others without losing ourselves in them. Longing for and relying on God, in fact, always move us into appropriate relationships with other creatures.”

Kendra G. Hotz and Matthew T. Mathews in Shaping the Christian Life: Worship and the Religious Affections (Louisville: WJKP, 2006) 35.

What does dependence on God have to do with generosity? And how do well-ordered affections shape how we live our lives? God made each and every one of us to depend on Him and have relationships with other people that reflect His image and glory. The operating system for those relationships positions God as Provider and people as faithful stewards. When we choose instead to depend on ourselves, by default we make the the decision to rely on the leading competitor to God in our lives, which is money. Consequently, we switch to loving money and using people to accomplish our purposes.

To hold onto money for ourselves when God’s design is for us to serve as conduits of blessing reflects disordered affections and adversely impacts our capacity to love God, to have coherent relationships, and to interface with anything in the created order. Why think about this today? In plain terms, today is a holiday in the USA that originally celebrated independence or freedom from oppression. For many, God has been supplanted as the source of our dependence. Many in the USA have become slaves to money, which has caused faith, relationships and much of life in society to unravel.

What can we do about it? Rather than focus on the macro issues, we must live life faithfully on the grass roots level. We must make God our central desire, faithfully steward all God provides in love and service others, and experience the joy of generous living following God’s design. And we must order our affections in the way regardless of what everyone else is doing! In short, let’s live in such a way that our lives declare our ultimate dependence upon God.

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. Philippians 4:11-12

“Happiness is determined by external factors. As a result, happiness is one of the shallowest, most fleeting, fleshy emotions a human can experience. For someone to be “happy” something has “to happen.” When my investment portfolio increases, I feel happy. When my flight departs on time, I feel happy. When my favorite soccer team wins, I feel happy. But how do I feel when the opposite happens, as it invariably does? Fearful? Stressed? Insecure? Miserable?

Welcome to life’s emotional roller coaster, full of temporary happy “ups” and anxiety-producing “downs,” fear-inducing twists and terrifying turns. This is precisely where most people are living—because they’re fixated on striving to feel happy. Contentment is not dependent on happiness.

So, what is the secret to a “happy” life that isn’t dependent on circumstances? It’s contentment. Paul shares the secret in Philippians 4:11-12. Paul learned to be content regardless of his circumstances. That’s quite an accomplishment. Take a moment and ask yourself, “Do I know anyone who always seems content?”

Paul found contentment through his relationship with Jesus. No matter what happened around him—imprisonment, threats to his life, poverty — he knew Jesus was with him. Paul trusted Jesus. This produced a deep joy, a contentment that not only flowed from the inside out, but swamped whatever negative external factors Paul faced…

Like Paul, I’ve learned that abiding joy flows from my relationship with Jesus, where I listen to what he tells me to do and then I do it in obedience. No matter the circumstances, God can grant us joy.”

Gisle Sorli in “Happiness Is Not the Goal: Contentment Is” in Institute for Faith, Work, and Economics blog post dated 27 June 2017.

Last week I bumped into the chairperson of Torch Trinity on campus. She asked me how my class was going. Of course I told her how much I love their passion for God. Then she asked what hotel I was staying in (I think she wanted to be sure I was receiving good hospitality). I replied that I was in one of the visiting professor guest rooms (they are humble but very adequate). She insisted I consider a hotel.

I told her that it gives me an opportunity to model contentment for my students. And then, with wit that exceeded my normal speed, I added, “Best part: there’s no traffic!” She laughed. It takes me only two minutes to walk from my guest room on the third floor to class room on the second floor. It can take 30 minutes to go two miles in the Gangnam region of Seoul. Think: NYC.

What about you? Do you know anyone who always seems content? What would people say about you? I am learning, with Sorli, that the secret is found in Jesus. Only when we grasp that we have everything we have ever needed and will ever need in our relationship with Jesus, do we have joy that transcends circumstances. And this joy-filled contentment is the bedrock of a generous life.

But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Luke 6:35

“We all intrinsically know that God can provide what we need and that He loves us the same whether we’re rich or poor. But then why do we often label the rich with the misnomer blessed and, practically, don’t expect the poor to be generous? I would like to suggest that we all just take a collective deep breath and courageously strive to live at rest with God. Generosity includes giving to and receiving from God as we understand our place as trusting conduits of His supply…

God’s rest does not mean that we get everything we want when we want it. It means that our reliance on God becomes personal. We sit with Him and let Him know that we love Him and trust Him in order to be an accepting conduit of whatever He gives us to supply the ministry that he has planned for our lives. He knows what we need and often wants us to ask. Our rest, God’s rest, is contentment in our relationship with Him.”

Barbara Shantz in “Learning to Live at Rest with God” in Giving: Growing Joyful Stewards in Your Congregation, vol. 19 (Richmond: ESC, 2017) 10-11.

Today I am privileged to preach twice at a church in Seoul this morning and once in a church in Anyang this afternoon on the same text I preached on last Sunday, Luke 6:27-36. The message of this text is summed up in today’s Scripture verse, and as my friend, Barbara Shantz rightly notes, we cannot do what Jesus asks of us unless we enter His rest and serve as trusting conduits.

Only when we are content in our relationship with God, can we give and receive His supply freely and in so doing be described as children of the Most High. If we are not at rest in our giving, we often go to one extreme or another. We either give and try to control people with our giving by expecting something back, or we refuse to give because we judge them as undeserving, ungrateful, or perhaps even wicked.

The profound idea at play here is that the rich and poor can only be generous and openhanded when their hearts are at rest and content with the provision of God. My students this week are realizing that God cares less about what we give and more about what we hold back and what that says about the state of our hearts. How’s your heart? Are you a trusting conduit at rest with God?

This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” Jeremiah 29:4-7

“To desire more than we possess is a timeless human struggle. Whether a desire to possess someone else’s good looks, a house in the best neighborhood…humans swing with the pendulum from desire to contentment. We know this about ourselves. And yet, here we find ourselves in the twenty-first century with the same old longings and leanings. At our fingertips are myriad methods for practicing gratitude, mindfulness, and apps that coach us to embrace the moment. Whether modern or ancient, we humans lose our focus…

Our proclivity to become anxious and wander from a centered place is at the heart of Jeremiah’s words: “Plant gardens and eat what they produce…Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” When we are focused on the gifts of the present moment directly before us, everything changes. Hidden homes become gathering places for kingdom-style banquets. The ordinary becomes a miracle. And life becomes life in the fullness of God.”

Elizabeth Mangham Lott in “Gifts of the Present” in Giving: Growing Joyful Stewards in Your Congregation, vol. 19 (Richmond: ESC, 2017) 9.

We all wrestle with desire and contentment. Notice the solution. Enjoy each day as a gift from God in community. Plant gardens, eat produce. Live, give, serve, and love people where God plants you. When we get off track and wander from a centered place of gratitude, we get into trouble. Is it time to pause, make a list of God’s gifts, and give thanks as a basis for living a more generous life? 

Sometimes when we get too off track as a group, we need to make drastic collective changes. In church history, this appears as a call for reformation. Today I am preaching at the 6:10 am service at Sarang Church, then have an important CCFK meeting, then Kurios International is hosting a Reformation Forum as 2017 marks the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.

My brother and I are two of the five forum speakers. As Martin Luther was a university professor, my brother, Dr. David Hoag, President of Warner University, will share five ways universities shape life in the church and society. My talk relates to the Reformation and money. Reply if you’d like a copy of my remarks in PDF form. And please pray for us, as it will be a full day. Thank you.

From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. Luke 12:48b

“We are God’s economic delivery system for serving the least and the lost. As the living, breathing body of Christ, we are the only hands, feet, and wallet God has to accomplish God’s work within the world…We are the only bank account that God has. God needs our feet, our hands, our money, and our trust…I suggest we start living like it, generously and openhandedly releasing “our” resources into God’s purposes for the world Christ loves.”

Mike Slaughter in “God’s Economic Delivery System” in Giving: Growing Joyful Stewards in Your Congregation, vol. 19 (Richmond: ESC, 2017) 7.

To enhance my teaching, I often host panel discussions with local experts. One of my panelists this week, was Dr. Ho Chan Hwang, executive director of the CCFK, the partner organization to ECFA in Korea.

Right after our class discussion on life in God’s economy yesterday, which highlighted the role of Christians as the hands and feet of Christ, Dr. Hwang exclaimed that we must be faithful to fulfill our responsibilities by reminding the students: “Whose money is it anyway?”

As everything belongs to God, with Slaughter we must ask ourselves if we live like we believe we are God’s economic delivery system. With the great needs in the world among the lost in the least, do we actually live in such a way that we demonstrate that God can trust us to manage His wallet?

Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you. Matthew 5:48b (The Message)

“There is more to generosity than money. As a virtue and a practice, generosity has to do with the way we use our skills and the manner in which share ideas, practice hospitality, offer encouragement, make connections, and use our time to address the needs of others. Generosity is reflected in the quality of our relationships and the way we engage with people via acts of caring and compassion. As a lifestyle, generosity is measured by our giving and volunteering as well as the manner in which we nurture relationships and live out our neighborliness.”

William Enright in “A Theological Foundation for Generous Giving” in Giving: Growing Joyful Stewards in Your Congregation, vol. 19 (Richmond: ESC, 2017) 4.

When Enright described holistic generosity lived out as “neighborliness”, it seemed like the perfect way to describe Christian generosity as a lifestyle. In everything we do, because of all we have in Christ, we get to extend love to our neighbor. This occurs in our speaking as well as our serving. It’s our God-created identity!

Today in my class we will walk through church history highlighting quotes from saints through the centuries, and then I have invited a panel of givers to attend. Each will share excerpts of their journey of generosity and what they are learning. The aim of this is to inspire students to chart a similar course in their own lives.

When we learn about the neighborliness, hospitality, caring, compassion, giving, and volunteering of fellow Christians, it stirs a desire within each of us to live likewise. I pray today for my students, and everyone reading this, that God will stir you to live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.

These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Deuteronomy 6:6-7

“Summer is the perfect time to spark a young person’s interest in volunteering. But where do you begin…A dozen ideas: These activities are easily adaptable for various ages. Young kids will love participating with you. Older kids can take the lead and volunteer on their own or with peers or siblings.

1. Visit a nursing home: As a family, go on a game night and help with bingo…
2. Organize a rummage sale or set up a lemonade stand: Let the kids choose a charity to receive the proceeds…
3. Donate gently used books or toys: Giving up some of their own things can start a meaningful conversation about what it would be like to not have any toys or books of their own…
4. Support a local food pantry: Collect nonperishable food items to donate…
5. Clean up the world around you: Gather together trash bags, gloves and hand sanitizer, and pick up litter in your neighborhood or in a park…
6. Look out for your neighbors: Mow or rake the lawn for an elderly neighbor; bake cookies for a busy family; or take soup to someone who isn’t feeling well.
7. Serve a meal at a homeless shelter: Check with a local shelter ahead of time. They may need help with food prep, serving, cleanup—or all three.
8. Draw pictures or write thank-you notes: Deliver them to teachers, firefighters, police officers, faith leaders—anyone whose job is service to others…
9. Make blessing bags for the homeless: Pack up nonperishable items in resealable plastic bags. Include items like socks, bottled water, lip balm, granola bars, and gift cards for grocery stores or restaurants.
10. Make gift giving an act of charity: Instead of buying a gift for someone…bring food to a local pantry in honor of the person…
11. Say “thank you” to service people overseas: Put together care packages for military personnel…
12. Sign up for the fundraising walk, run, or bicycle ride: Find an event that supports a cause that’s meaningful to your children.”

Molly Culbertson in “Summer and Service” in Thrivent Magazine: Helping Members Connect Faith & Finances for Good, June 2017: 17-19.

Today in my class at Torch Trinity in Seoul, South Korea (pictured above), we are looking at stewardship and generosity in the early church in the New Testament. We will explore various household code sections of the apostle Paul’s letters that include specific instructions for God’s people on how to live and what to teach the next generation. These sections echo the instructions for families in the Deuteronomic Law.

I like to share lists like this one with my students because many of them often have small children. When kids are on summer break from school (which happens at different times around the world), as parents we get to teach them that breaks are not just for having fun with family or friends, but they are also great times for serving others. This is vital to their development as disciples of Jesus Christ.

A great way to help our kids avoid adopting the ways of the world is to encourage them to serve in practical ways. When we do, we help them shift from conformity to the culture to conformity to the image of Christ who modeled humble service for us. Serve together as more is caught than taught. We must just be sure our lives match the messages we are sending them otherwise they will not embrace service as a lifestyle.

So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? Luke 16:11

“Don’t let financial differences derail your relationship. Here’s how to get on the path of open, honest communication about money, and stay on it…

Tip 1: Talk about how your past shaped your views on money…

Tip 2: Use praise and prayer. Choose a regular time each week to discuss your finances, and make it a time when you’re relaxed and unlikely to be interrupted…

Tip 3: Keep the lines of communication open…When both people participate it makes each person feel more confident…

Tip 4: Decide what needs joint discussion. Large purchases can be a major cause of conflict, but it doesn’t have to be that way…

Tip 5: Set both individual and joint goals…One useful exercise is the have each spouse write down ideas separately, then trade papers and discuss the lists…

Creating a spirit of teamwork about money improves marriages overall.”

Amy Merrick in “Money & Marriage” in Thrivent Magazine: Helping Members Connect Faith & Finances for Good, June 2017: 12-16.

Today I am working through what the Gospels say about stewardship and generosity with my students. I often give practical tips like this list so that each of my married students has a tool for talking to their husband or wife about what they are learning. As money is the #1 cause of marital strife, tools like this can help couples both avoid conflict and aim at faithful stewardship.

Is it time to have a coffee with your spouse and work through these five tips? It’s important because if we can’t handle money faithfully, we show we can’t be trusted with true riches. Create a spirit of teamwork with your spouse. Open the lines of communication. Set goals for storing up treasures in heaven. And get ready to steward true riches!