Archives by: Gary Hoag

Whoever heard me spoke well of me, and those who saw me commended me, because I rescued the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had none to assist them. The one who was dying blessed me; I made the widow’s heart sing. I put on righteousness [tzadeqah] as my clothing; justice was my robe and my turban. I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame. I was a father to the needy; I took up the case of the stranger. I broke the fangs of the wicked and snatched the victims from their teeth. Job 29:11-17

“The righteous . . . are by definition those who are willing to disadvantage themselves for the community while the wicked are those who put their economic, social, and personal needs ahead of the needs of the community . . . Biblical righteousness is inevitably “social,” because it is all about relationships. When most modern people see the word “righteousness” in the Bible, they tend to think of it in terms of private morality, such as sexual chastity or diligence in prayer and Bible study. But in the Bible tzadeqah [the Hebrew term for “righteousness”] refers to day-to-day living in which a person conducts all relationships in family and society with fairness, generosity, and equity.”

Tim Keller as cited in Kingdom Calling: Vocational Stewardship for the Common Good by Amy Sherman (Downers Grove: IVP, 2011), 16, 47.

As I enjoy rich dialogue with New England pastors, we share a passion that our righteousness, both biblically and practically speaking, must shape the society around us. If it doesn’t, then what we have is not biblical righteous, but rather some form of self-righteousness, which is no righteousness at all! Biblical righteousness will exhibit fairness, generosity, and equity in all aspects of our lives.

Self-righteousness says, “I earned what I have, fair and square. It’s mine to do as I please. The destitute got what they deserve from poor choices. They are not my problem.” Alternatively, biblical righteousness, as Job recounts, is like the clothing that garbs the one who lives not for himself or herself, but rather to serve others and lift them up out of difficult situations!

As I am on the road for this entire week and am missing my wife, Jenni, I left two words on the counter back home as a reminder: “to serve” (cf. Matthew 20:25-28). That’s not only what I am up to this week, but also what I know she is doing. What about you? It is why we are all here on this earth: “to serve” in a manner that exhibits biblical righteousness and generosity.

“But He answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?'” Matthew 20:13-15

“The employer in Jesus’ story did not cheat the full-day workers by paying everyone for one hour’s work instead of twelve. No, the full-day workers got what they were promised. Their discontent arose from the scandalous mathematics of grace. They could not accept that their employer had the right to do what he wanted with his money…

Significantly, many Christians who study this parable identify with the employees who put in a full day’s work, rather than the add-ons at the end of the day. We like to think of ourselves as responsible workers, and the employer’s strange behavior baffles us as it did the original hearers. We risk missing the story’s point: that God dispenses gifts, not wages. None of us gets paid according to merit, for none of us comes close to satisfying God’s requirements for a perfect life. If paid on the basis of fairness, we would all end up in hell.”

Philip Yancey in What’s So Amazing About Grace? (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1997) 62.

I am thinking about the teachings of Jesus linked to work this morning as I am spending a few days with 20 pastors at Camp Spofford in New Hampshire discussing ways to help people connect their faith and work in God’s economy.

Yancey nails the heart of this text: “God dispenses gifts, not wages.” God’s economy is rooted in the scandalous (think: “shockingly heavenly”) mathematics of grace. Only once we grasp this math, can we rejoice that we get to be workers in God’s world.

Many times in my life I have thought like the all-day workers. There’s no grace there. I find a chip on my shoulder that thinks “I earned what I have” when in reality, all I have is the fruit of God’s grace. Rather than be envious today, let us all rejoice because God is so generous.

And let’s imitate His generosity in extending grace richly to others!

May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us– yes, establish the work of our hands. Psalm 90:17

“God is not a demander; God is a giver…God’s generosity holds true not just in the realm of salvation, when the well-being of souls is at stake. It also holds true in the realm of creation and therefore in the realm of everyday activities. If God is the source of our being, then we do all our work in the power that comes from God.

God gives, and therefore we exist and can work…None of our endeavors and concerns are too small for God…Moreover, our mundane work is part of our service to God. It is God who sustains us; it is God who gives us power and creativity; and it is ultimately God for whom we work. Hence it is quite appropriate to ask God to bless our endeavors.”

Miroslav Volf in A Public Faith: How Followers of Christ Should Serve the Common Good (Grand Rapids: Brazos, 2011) 26.

After a great weekend of ministry in Minnesota and only about 10 hours at home, I depart this morning for Boston to facilitate a Pastors Summit on the integration of faith and work in God’s economy at EFCA Camp Spofford in Spofford, New Hampshire through Wednesday.

Volf rightly notes that God’s generosity is the basis for our ability to do fruitful and creative work, from mundane to magnificent tasks. It’s all important to God and fueled by God. Our work matters to Him. God, generously bless our work today for You. Sustain and empower us for your glory. Amen!

So yesterday morning Sammy and I headed back to Rebecca Lake for more muskie fishing. En route he said, “I know why we didn’t land a a muskie yesterday. We didn’t listen to our favorite fly fishing music on the way.” He promptly turned on “The River” by Jordan Feliz. Today’s meditation is one of the many great songs on the album. Enjoy it on YouTube: Live it out!

Oh, and God was generous to us only a few minutes into our day. Sammy landed a 41 inch muskie – “the fish of 10,000 casts” – on his 9 wt TFO fly rod on a green double bunny muskie fly he tied with a Cam Sigler popper head.  It was a gift from God. We love this song because whether we are fly fishing or doing anything else, we want to live out our Christian faith. We hope it inspires you too.

Live it Out!

Hey! I feel a drum in my heart, in the beatings, breaking through
I feel a fire in my bones and I got to let it loose
Nothing of this world could ever give me the joy that comes from You
And I cannot contain it; gonna live it so they can see the truth

Ohh, this love that I know
I feel it deep in my soul, breaking my walls down
Wanna scream it loud
I’m gonna live it out, hey!
Yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah
I’m gonna live it out

Here’s my life, let it be a reflection of who You are
Here’s my hands and my feet, let ’em take You near and far
Nothing of this world could ever give me the hope that comes from You

And I just cannot hide it, gotta shine it so all can see the truth
Ohh, this love that I know
I feel it deep in my soul, breaking my walls down
Wanna scream it loud
I’m gonna live it out, hey!
Yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah
I’m gonna live it out
Yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah

‘Cause when I live it, I’m givin’ the world a piece of You
Anywhere I’m goin’, I’m showin’ just what Your love can do
‘Cause when I live it, I’m givin’ the world a piece of You
Anywhere I’m goin’, I’m showin’ just what Your love can do, yeah

Ohh, this love that I know
I feel it deep in my soul (deep in my soul), breaking my walls down
Wanna scream it loud
I’m gonna live it out, hey!
Yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah
I’m gonna live it out
Yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah

‘Cause when I live it, I’m givin’ (woo) the world a piece of You
Anywhere I’m goin’, I’m showin’ just what Your love can do
‘Cause when I live it, I’m givin’ (woo) the world a piece of You
Anywhere I’m goin’, I’m showin’ just what Your love can do

The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. Genesis 2:15

“The most important aspect of Christianity is not the work we do, but the relationship we maintain and the surrounding influence and qualities produced by that relationship. That is all God asks us to give our attention to, and it is the one thing that is continually under attack.”

Oswald Chambers in My Utmost for His Highest (Grand Rapids: Discovery House, 1963) reading for August 4.

Work was good before the fall of humankind and still is good. That notion is under attack. Many think work is a necessary evil, when in reality, it’s God’s design for us as workers. The fall just made work more difficult for us. Work shapes us, our relationships, our influence, and our world. It’s so much more than how we make an income. It’s how God shapes our entire lives.

Speaking of how work shapes us, Sammy and I tried to catch a Muskie on a fly all day yesterday. We worked hard for 13 hours. The work made us better fishermen and bonded us with a fellow fisherman, Zack Skoglund. We will work at it another 6 hours this morning before I teach tonight and tomorrow here at Refuge Church in Zimmerman, Minnesota.

Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let your hands not be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well. Ecclesiastes 11:6

“As long as there is breath in our bodies, let us serve Christ; as long as we can think, as long as we can speak, as long as we can work, let us serve Him. Let us even serve Him with our last gasp, and, if it be possible, let us try to set some work going that will glorify Him when we are dead and gone. Let us scatter some seed that may spring up when we are sleeping beneath the hillock in the cemetery. Ah, beloved, we shall never have finished our work for Christ until we bow our heads and give up the ghost.”

Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) in his sermon “Christ’s Dying Word for His Church” as recounted in Spurgeon’s Sermons on the Death and Resurrection of Jesus (Peabody: Hendrickson, 2005) 366.

A friend emailed me yesterday asking me for prayer about work, a topic that has been on my mind linked to generosity.

This weekend my sermon is entitled: “Workers in God’s World: Ten Workers in the New Testament”. These workers did not leave their work to serve God, but served God as workers: Paul the tentmaker, Barnabas the landowner, Dorcas the clothing maker, Simon the tanner, Luke the physician, Lydia the seller of purple cloth, Tertius the publisher, Zenas the lawyer, Erastus the city treasurer, and Priscilla & Aquila the tentmakers (I realize that makes eleven workers. Consider the extra one a bonus!)

When we work generously, our focus is not merely compensation or remuneration (making money) but rather contribution (making a difference) and reflection (glorifying God in our work). In whatever we do, we must never stop working for God. Work was good before the fall and still is good. Work transforms the worker and shapes our world. So with whatever work God has set before each us, let us get to work, and work generously for God and with God!

When we do this we “scatter some seed” that will take root and likely blossom long after we are gone.

I am a friend to all who fear you, to all who follow your precepts. Psalm 119:63

“Good friends are among our greatest blessings; they may keep us back from much evil, quicken us in our course, speak a word in season, draw us upward, and draw us on. But a bad friend is a weight continually dragging us down and chaining us to earth. Keep company with an irreligious man, and it is more than probable you will in the end become like him. That is the general consequence of all such friendships. The good go down to the bad, and the bad do not come up to the good.”

J. C. Ryle in Ancient Paths: Negotiating Life Wisely (Mount Morris: Lamplighter, 2014) 121-122.

Thank God for generous friends. They bless us at every turn. They often think of our needs even before we do.

Today I fly to Minneapolis to teach on Saturday night and three services on Sunday at Refuge Church in Zimmerman, MN. I am thankful that my friends there encouraged me to bring my son, Sammy, so they could take us out fly fishing for muskie. And Sammy, now that he has grown up as a man, has also become to me a generous friend. He thoughtfully tied up some amazing flies for us to use on our adventure. Will we each catch a muskie on a fly rod? Who knows. It is a rare feat! Regardless I celebrate because get to enjoy precious time with generous friends.

Have any generous friends? Perhaps resolve today to become a generous friend to all and see what happens!

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7

“When you give generously, you reflect God the Creator, who embodies self-giving love. Perhaps the reason “God loves a cheerful giver” is that He Himself gives generously and when we mimic this trait, He is molding you into His character. Cheerful, generous givers reflect the Father.”

Jeff Manion in Satisfied: Discovering Contentment in a World of Consumption (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2013) 154.

This week we have had Edgar Güitz staying with us from Guatemala for a couple days. He’s launching a parallel ministry to Potter’s House Guatemala that focuses on developing the next generation of young Latino Christian leaders.

Few people are more cheerful givers than Edgar and his wife, Gladys. They want the next generation to grasp what they have learned and are learning. When it comes to generosity, they especially want the next generation to “mimic this trait” because it thrills the heart of God. Let’s all do it, shall we?

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 4:12

“The verb translated ‘learned’ originally meant to be inducted into the secret rites of a Hellenistic mystery cult; but like other mystery terminology it had come to adopt a transferred and more general meaning…Paul’s point is that Christian contentment remains unintelligible to those outside and can only be ‘learned’ from the God of peace.

Contentment is indeed a quiet secret known and cherished only by a few. Elaborating further, Paul indicates that his contentment extends to circumstances both of hunger and eating his fill; he has learned to cope with having either more than enough or too little…The power to cope with all circumstances resides in his union with Christ, rather than in Paul himself.”

Markus Bockmuehl in The Epistle to the Philippians (London: A & C Black, 1997) 261-262.

At the core of my exploration of contentment and generosity, I find a secret. It’s not ‘secret’ information that is hidden from the knowledge of others, but rather, based on the language of the biblical text, it is a ‘secret’ or unknown to others until it is experienced in Christ (hence, Paul’s use of mystical initiation language).

Paul is basically saying: “I have learned the secret that keeps both wealth and poverty from destroying me. I have experienced union with Christ, and now I realize experientially that I have everything I need in Him. Thus, circumstances don’t phase me and I have strength not just to survive but to thrive in every situation.”

What about you? Have you ‘learned’ the secret?

Union with Christ is something our driver discovered in Africa. He wanted what he saw in us. Without it, no person can find peace and contentment or ever exhibit generosity in all circumstances. To explore this seminal idea further in Paul’s thinking, meditate on Philippians 4. It is one of my favorite New Testament texts.

A man came from Baal Shalishah, bringing the man of God twenty loaves of barley bread baked from the first ripe grain, along with some heads of new grain. “Give it to the people to eat,” Elisha said. “How can I set this before a hundred men?” his servant asked. But Elisha answered, “Give it to the people to eat. For this is what the Lord says: ‘They will eat and have some left over.'” Then he set it before them, and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the Lord. 2 Kings 4:42-44

“The more I have studied the Scripture the more impressed I have been with the Bible’s glorious illogicality as it relates to divine mathematics…a story can be found in the Old Testament where God’s servant, Elisha, experienced a miraculous extension of 20 small loaves of bread which were able to satisfy 100 hungry men — with some left over…

It doesn’t make sense. It defies logic…when God is at work, logic and mathematics have to give way to a higher law — the law of the divine. Nothing is more exciting than to see the divine mathematics at work in the matter of giving. We give and when we think we have come to the end of our financial resources God makes it possible for us to give and give again…

I am sure that you come across opportunities to be generous almost every day and if you fail to respond to those opportunities who knows what rivers will not flow, what great ministries will never come to birth, what mighty things will not get done? God has opened the doors of generosity to you; don’t fail to open up the doors of generosity to others.”

Selwyn Hughes in Divine Mathematics: A Biblical Perspective on Investing in God’s Kingdom (Surrey, UK: CWR, 2004) 13-17. Thanks again to Cameron Doolittle of Generosity Path for recommending this wonderful little book to me.

Who are you in this biblical story? 

Are you the person bringing the gift of 20 loaves of bread along with heads of grain before 100 hungry people, all the while, perhaps wondering what difference it can make? In response to his generosity and willingness to put it to work, he witnesses a miracle. The Lord multiplies his gift.

Or are you God’s servant, Elisha, in the story? You serve in ministry. You often see people bringing gifts. Do you tell them to bring more because the needs are so great, relying on human math to solve the problem? Or do you, like Elisha, tell them to give what they have to the hungry people and watch the Lord more than meet their needs with it?

Whether you are a man or woman of God who gives to God’s work (like the man who brought the 20 loaves and grain), or whether you are among God’s servants (like Elisha who was ministering to the people), each of us must together generously and obediently do our part and watch God do miracles (in this case He fed 100 men).

But don’t miss the last words from the Lord in today’s text: “some left over.” With God, there is no end to His generosity. There’s always “some left over!” God’s generosity must not stop with each of us. As givers and as God’s servants, let us resolve to open the doors of generosity to others, over and over and over again.