Archives by: Gary Hoag

He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. Deuteronomy 8:3

“The wisdom of providence is also greatly revealed in the manner of dispensing our portion to us. Many times it allows our wants to pinch hard, and many fears to arise, with a design to magnify the care and love of God in the supply of them (Deut 8:3). Providence so orders the case that faith and prayer come between our wants and His supplies. The goodness of God may be more magnified in our eyes by it. And now let me beg you to consider the good hand of providence that has provided for and suitably supplied you and yours all your days, and never failed you up to now. Labour to walk suitably to your experience of such mercies.”

John Flavel (1630-1691) in The Mystery of Divine Providence (London: W. Baynes & Son, 1820) 47.

I flew from Denver to San Diego yesterday and took this new header photo looking down on my home (pictured somewhere in the bottom left corner of the photo). Sophie and I are part way home and praying to make it back today. Safe travel is one of many gifts of God’s providence.

Sophie and I will have lots of windshield time for conversation. These are a few of the questions I have for her: How have you learned about God’s goodness through tough times and good ones this year? What has been the role of faith and prayer in your life and in your relationships? For what suitable supply are you grateful at this juncture of your journey?

Jenni and I are thrilled by all she’s learning in school, through her service at church, and in her growing, God-honoring relationship with her boyfriend, Peter. What we really get excited about is how she is is learning to “labour to walk suitably” as a result of her experiences.

What about you? We have found that when we live in obedience to God, we learn humble dependence on God. It’s only through the ups and downs of life that we learn how to live godly lives.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6:12

“Spend most of your studies in confirming your belief of the truth of the gospel, the immortality of the soul, and the life to come, and in exercising that belief, and laying up your treasure in heaven; and see that you content not yourselves in talking of heaven, and speaking for it; but that your hopes, your hearts, and your conversation be there; and that you live for it, as worldlings do for the flesh.

Flatter not yourselves with the hopes of long life on earth, but make it the sum of all your religion, care, and business, to be ready for a safe and comfortable death; for till you can fetch comfort from the life to come, you can have no comfort that true reason can justify.

Live as in a constant war against all fleshly lusts, and love not the world, as it cherisheth those lusts. Take heed of the love of money, as the root of manifold evils: think of riches with more fear than desire; seeing Christ hath told us, how hard and dangerous it maketh our way to heaven. When once a man falls deeply in love with riches, he is never to be trusted, but becomes false to God, to all others, and to himself.”

Richard Baxter (1615-1691) in “Farewell Sermon at Kidderminster” in Practical Works of Richard Baxter, ed. by Rev. William Orme (London: James Duncan, 1830) 233.

I’ve turned my attention to Puritan writers for the next week or two. In a conversation with our daughter, Sophie (with whom I will spend this weekend in a car, driving her back from completing her second year at San Diego Christian College) earlier this year, she asked about my favorite Puritan writers. I started the list with John Owen (whom I cited yesterday) and Richard Baxter. Others will follow in the coming days.

The “world” is the word used throughout Scripture as the embodiment of fleshly lusts which can cause a person to miss “heaven” and all God desires for us. It is fitting then, that in Baxter’s “Farewell Sermon at Kidderminster” (about 40 pages at the link above and worth reading), he would exhort us to focus on belief in the truth of the gospel and laying up treasure in heaven. He urges us to live for heaven while the “worldlings” live for the things of this world.

Baxter reminds us of this because we won’t be here on this earth long and while we are here we must be preparing for a “safe and comfortable death” which of course is our peaceful entrance to eternity with Christ. So while we are here, we are living in a constant war. As the Apostle Paul proclaimed in today’s Scripture, “our struggle is not against flesh and blood.” We are bombarded with lies calling us to love the world and to love money, which offers tangible power in the world.

Baxter then rightly and soberly reminds us of how truly dangerous money is for those who desire to make their way to heaven, and makes this strong statement: “When once a man falls deeply in love with riches, he is never to be trusted, but becomes false to God, to all others, and to himself.” Jesus said we can’t serve two masters and those who try, become false to God, others, and themselves.

Let’s live not as “worldlings” but as citizens of heaven and show it by how we handle money! Let’s talk about this with those we love, with those we serve, and with our neighbors, lest any of us be overcome in this constant war that is going on all around us!

Again and again they tested God’s patience and provoked the Holy One of Israel. Psalm 78:41

“God doth not take it well to be limited by us in anything, least of all in His grace. This He calls a tempting of Him (Ps. lxxviii. 41), a provoking temptation. This He could not bear with. If there be any pardon with God, it is such as becomes Him to give. When He pardons, He will abundantly pardon. Go with your half-forgiveness, limited, conditional pardons, with reserves and limitations, to the sons of men. It may be, it may become them; it is like themselves. That of God is absolute and perfect, before which our sins are as a cloud before the east wind and the rising sun.”

John Owen in “The Generosity of God” in The Golden Book of John Owen: Passages from the Writings of the Rev. John Owen, edited by James Moffatt (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1904) 124.

Throughout Psalm 78 we see God’s people fail to follow His ways, and yet, God’s mercy and grace abound. Today, He wants us to learn from this and follow His ways. As Owen put it: “It becomes Him to give.” He desires this for us too.

Our generosity is merely human generosity when we half-forgive, half-pardon, measure things with conditions, reserves and limitations. Thankfully, God did not use such measures toward us. To exhibit Christian generosity means that we abundantly pardon, we abundantly forgive, and we use no reserves or limitations in extending grace toward others. Possible? Only with God! Rather than provoke God today, let us pardon like Him. Rather than test His patience, let’s imitate it with His help.

Father in Heaven, may our generosity toward others not be measured by human standards but by the abundant standard you used with each of us. In your mercy, hear our prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

“There are four questions we are wise to ask ourselves on a daily basis.

Question #1: Am I trusting God to provide my daily needs?

We have the privilege of coming to God with every need we have. God is our all-wise, all-powerful, and all-loving heavenly Father — who loved us so much He gave His Son for our eternal salvation. We can certainly trust Him to provide for the things we need to live from day to day on this earth…

Question #2: Am I trusting You, God, to be my security?

No matter what is happening in the world, we can trust God to guide us and to help us make the right decisions in our relationships, our finances, and our vocations. We can’t change the world, but we can put our trust in God who is in control of this world and who can change our lives to conform to His plan for us…

Question #3: Am I willing to risk some of what I have today because I am trusting God to meet my needs tomorrow?

There are those who have full cupboards and absolutely no joy or peace in their hearts. As much as they have, they have no real inner sense of security. On the other hand, there are those who have nearly empty cupboards and yet are filled with joy, peace, and confidence. The issue is not a matter of what we have or don’t have; it’s a matter of how much we are trusting God…

Question #4: Am I trusting You today, Lord, to show me Your way?

Part of trusting God with the future is trusting Him to show you which decisions to make and when to take action on them. You can ask the Lord to show you what to do and when to do it, and to give you confirmation that you are on the right track…”

Charles Stanley in The Source of My Strength: Relying on the Life-Changing Power of Jesus (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1994) 46-56.

Last night I took this new header photo while dropping through the clouds coming into Dallas. It was one of those moments when the light shining through the clouds reminded that God sees all the affairs of all people everywhere.

Today, I am in Dallas speaking at the Texas Financial Seminar for Nonprofits and Churches sponsored by Capin Crouse. The theme of the event is “Safeguarding Your Organization.”

Whether for your personal situation or for an organization, the same truths apply, they just need to be scaled. Each of us must trust God to provide, and then be faithful to use what He provides according to His instructions. It’s easier said than done!

That’s why I like Stanley’s four questions — hard but good questions — which highlight the pitfalls to avoid and help us stay on track. In short we must focus on God and on today. When we look at the world and worry about tomorrow we get into trouble.

Pray with me for a good conference and safe travel home. And don’t just consider these four questions today to safeguard your life or ministry, talk about them with at least one other person. It’s a great way to grow in faith together.

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2

“You won’t give up on me, will you? asked one young friend in particularly difficult circumstances. Over and over again, her fear of being abandoned surfaced. She worried that she had used up her chances and her friendships as she walked very slowly through a dark valley. She sensed that people were getting weary of her litanies of despair.

In fact, we do tend to expect people to get better, especially if we give them our attention and our help. We trust that they will honor our investment of time and energy by improving, and we often grow impatient if it doesn’t happen quickly. But as we walk alongside people with chronic or terminal illness or other disabling conditions learning the grace of accompaniment is an enormous gift.”

Christine D. Pohl in Living into Community: Cultivating Practices That Sustain Us (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2012) 106.

The grace of accompaniment is about carrying the burdens of those around us. It’s about not giving up on them when things don’t get better as quickly as we would like. Don’t try to be “Savior of the universe” or I suppose “Guardian of the galaxy” as both of those titles are taken (movie lovers will appreciate that one)! It means that our generosity seeks neither to enable others nor endure everything but to shoulder what we can by the grace of God.

If you are struggling today, don’t lose heart. If someone you know is discouraged, urge them to keep looking up. Our Father in heaven sees, knows, and gives grace upon grace both to the suffering and those who accompany them. Father in heaven, give us grace to carry the burdens of others, even when they don’t change or get better as quickly as we’d like. Thanks for loving us. Give us grace in our times of need we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 2 Corinthians 9:6

“Let’s examine Paul’s teaching on the benefits of giving. In 2 Corinthians 9:6-15, Paul explains that there are at least three benefits to good giving.

1. We discover that God graciously enriches good givers (2 Corinthians 9:6-11). If you give generously, God will bless you generously. This is also the message of Proverbs 3:9-10 and 11:24-25. When you are generous you will have all you need so that you can be even more generous…

2. Paul teaches that our good giving supplies the needs of God’s people (2 Corinthians 9:12a). The goal according to 2 Corinthians 8:13-15 is equality — no extremes of poverty or wealth among God’s people. Most likely this is similar to what the early church experienced in Acts 2 and 4, where it says that they had everything in common. Those with wealth gave to help those in poverty.

3. Our good giving leads others to praise God (2 Corinthians 9:12b-15). The implication seems to be that as we help others, they in turn see that God is truly the One supplying their needs and so they give God the praise He deserves.”

Aubrey Malphurs and Steve Stroope in Money Matters in Church: A Practical Guide for Leaders (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2007) 201.

Why explore this classic text afresh today? Someone recently asked me for texts that dismantle prosperity gospel teaching. This is one of them. Notice that “good giving” as Malphurs and Stroope call it, results in our enrichment, but not with the aim of prosperity (think: lavish lifestyle for us as compared to others) but with the aim of equality (think: those with more than enough sharing with those in need). When giving happens following this design, it supplies the real needs of people and results in praise to God.

How does our giving measure up? It’s tempting to seek after prosperity and praise, isn’t it? We must not be fooled. We must not stray to the right or to the left. Let’s trust God to enrich us and focus our giving on equality. God’s people must always “remember the poor” (Galatians 2:8-10), and the poor do not refer to those who can work and won’t work, but those in genuine need (2 Thessalonians 3:6-15). When we care for them, we will be enriched for greater generosity, their needs will be met, and God will get all the glory.

So Christ Himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip His people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Ephesians 4:11-13

“Learn to entrust and equip others to be meaningfully involved as coordinators and leaders. There are skills you will have to acquire as you make this shift, since most of us are trained (or have learned through experience) to do the work of ministry rather than to equip others to be partners with us in this. You will have to help people discern who the appropriate parishioners are for leadership or coordinating roles, develop structures of communication and provide training for them.

Once ministries begin to function in this way, however, it is freeing for current leaders, who can now keep the bigger picture of the vision you hold in common and ministry needs and practices in mind. The parishioners who are entrusted with ministry will find themselves able to draw others into service with them. The ministries multiply, simply and gracefully…The truth is, the more engaged parishioners are, and the more fully they grow as stewards, the less we have to worry about funding the ministry within or beyond our parish.”

Leisa Anslinger and Victoria Shepp in Forming Generous Hearts: Stewardship Planning for Lifelong Faith Formation (New London, CT: Twenty Third Publications) 143.

Entrusting God’s people with ministry helps them mature and helps the local church grow. Equipping God’s people for works of service positions them as stewards and your whole church corporately for abundant fruitfulness.

Entrusting and equipping unleashes generosity!

As Anslinger and Shepp rightly note, however, most of us are trained “to do the work of ministry rather than to equip others to be partners with us.” They are not kidding when they say that entrusting and equipping are skills that need to be acquired.

Does your church need help in this area?

Today I am Indianapolis attending ECFA Church Excel advisory committee meetings. Why serve on this committee with enthusiasm? It’s been a joy to work with skilled ECFA staff and volunteers to develop free resources for pastors and church administrators.

Check out www.ecfa.church and encourage your pastor and church administrators to become a Church Excel subscribers. It’s free! Tap into a host of knowledge center documents, courses, ebooks, and other resources for helping entrust and equip God’s people to faithfully administrate God’s work in local church settings.

When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy. Psalm 94:19

“When that light of divine providence has once shone upon a godly man, he is then relieved and set free not only from the extreme anxiety and fear that were pressing him before, by from every care. For as he justly dreads fortune, so he fearlessly dares to commit himself to God. His solace, I say, is to know that his Heavenly Father so holds all things in His power, so rules by His authority and will, so governs by His wisdom, that nothing can befall except He determine it.

Moreover it comforts him to know that he has been received into God’s safekeeping and entrusted to the care of His angels, and that neither water, nor fire, nor iron can harm him, except in so far as it pleases God as governor to give them occasion…

Whence, I pray you, do they have this never-failing assurance but from knowing that, when the world appears to be aimlessly tumbled about, the Lord is everywhere at work, and from trusting that His work will be for their welfare? Now if their welfare is assailed either by the devil or by wicked men, then indeed, unless strengthened through remembering and meditating upon providence, they must needs quickly faint away.”

John Calvin (1509-1564) in Institutes of the Christian Religion, 2 volumes, ed. John T. McNeill, trans. Ford Lewis Battles (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1960) 224. I want to thank my mom, Patsy Hoag, who recently went through heart surgery, for alerting me to today’s quote! She too is thankful for divine providence!

As I think about the intersection between generosity and providence I realize that what God cares about is not how much we give, but what we do not give that shows where we place our trust. If we give either a little or a lot but we also hold back much, we reveal that our trust is not in divine providence but in ourselves.

Conversely, the one who “fearlessly dares to commit himself [or herself] to God” has a solace, and the God who sees all, knows this! Sure “the world appears to be aimlessly tumbled about” but that is no reason to put your trust in yourself. Yea verily, that means people of “never-failing assurance” who trust in God are needed all the more to shine light in these dark times!

Let’s follow Calvin’s advice, lest we too “quickly faint away.” God, make us fearless givers who are filled with comfort and joy because we remember and meditate on divine providence! This is my prayer today as I fly to Indianapolis for meetings on Monday and Tuesday linked to the new initiatives ECFA is rolling out for churches. Exciting stuff!

Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence. Luke 24:36b-43

“In every genuine act of caring, God is the agent and I the conduit. God gives Himself through my self-giving; God presences in and through my presencing… The Greek word for “presence” is parousia, a term typically used by theologians to describe the promised Second Coming of Christ that will inaugurate the kingdom of heaven once and for all. But another meaning of parousia is “arrival or “completion.” When we become caring presences, we allow the divine qualities of availability, intimacy, meaning, and creativity to shine through us…”

Kerry Walters in Practicing Presence: The Spirituality of Caring in Everyday Life (Franklin, WI: Sheed & Ward, 2001) 26-27.

As I think about the gift of the presence of Christ between the Resurrection and the Ascension, I marvel at all that He brings to every setting. He startles and frightens while simultaneously bringing peace, joy, and amazement. He’s so out of this world we think He’s a ghost and so down to earth that He sits and enjoys a meal with us. That’s the gift of presence.

My wife is a spiritual director who meets with many women on a monthly or otherwise regular basis to encourage them in their relationship with the Risen Christ! A couple days ago I asked her to share the highlight of her day. She paused, thought for a second, and then commented on the joy of being present with people and feeling like God gave them what they needed through her. She got to be a caring conduit for God!

Think about it. Like Jesus, our generosity toward others is far more than financial. We get to meet people where they are. Our presence might shake and wake them. We might stir and spur them. It may appear both extraordinary and mundane. But if we are conduits of God’s love, we allow God’s peace to arrive, His joy to fill them, and amazing things happen. Give the gift of presence. Serve as a conduit of God’s love.

Remembering the words the Lord Jesus Himself said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35b

“Where you and I live [in America], we have been assaulted by the exact opposite message: the road to happiness runs through financial independence. The higher your net worth, the happier you will be. As Christians we inherently know that’s a lie, but it’s an appealing lie, one that can seem to be true. Especially when compared to other biblical truths that suggest we will be happier if we give it all away than if we hold onto it or acquire even more.

Which is why it’s so important for you to join the conversation. I know that you don’t believe the lie, but I also know how hard it is to trust the words of Jesus in our “culture of more.” I also know that there are very few places where you feel safe enough to engage in an honest conversation about your wealth and your faith in Christ. We create that space for you and our only goal is to encourage you to trust Jesus with these issues of wealth and faith. That’s it.”

Todd Harper in Abundant: Experiencing the Incredible Journey of Generosity (Orlando: Generous Giving, 2016) 92.

I shot this new header photo earlier this week on one of my twice-daily walks with my wife and our dog. The horses were near the fence, and the light was shining just right through the clouds here in colorful Colorado. We have great conversations on our walks. Speaking of conversations, today a large group will gather at the Celebration of Generosity hosted by Generous Giving in Orlando, Florida. We will not be there but we pray that God will show up with power through the speakers and by the Holy Spirit in the hearts of all who attend.

Throughout the year, I also know that amazing things happen when people attend their 24-hour Journey of Generosity (JOG) events. I have both attended and hosted a number of JOG events. If you are a ministry administrator or pastor, engage Generous Giving to host a JOG for those you serve. If you are reading this meditation outside the USA and you are interested in hosting a JOG, contact Generosity Path, as they are committed to hosting JOG events for groups of givers around the globe. Both these groups will come to you!

Why join this particular conversation? When we follow God’s design for living, we are blessed abundantly, and sometimes those blessings are spiritual and other times they take on material forms. Often wealth and riches fill our homes as a result (cf. Psalm 112:3). What we do with all that God gives us, starting with the gospel, defines our stewardship, shapes our families and our impact on earth as well as our greeting from God in eternity. In that light, this may be one of the most important conversations you could ever join.