Archives by: Gary Hoag

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. Luke 2:6-7

“It wouldn’t be Christmas with Jesus in a neonatal intensive care unit now would it? It wouldn’t be Christmas if some anonymous inn keeper two thousand years ago hadn’t gone the extra mile and made a way when there seemed to be no way.

When you think about it, that’s exactly what God is like; always making a way when there seems to be no way; making room when there is no room. It’s the very point of Christmas isn’t it?

From this we can learn that true hospitality is not about who you have room for, but who you are willing to make room for. It’s not who you invited that tests your hospitality, but the unexpected guest…It’s the unexpected guest who proves to be the most surprising blessing.”

J.D. Walt is Chief Sower at www.seedbed.com and today’s Meditation comes from his 22 December 2014 daily text entitled “Hospitality. There’s Always More Room”. I subscribe to this daily text and commend it to you: it’s spiritually rich and free for everyone.

J.D. is also a dear friend of mine who has warmly reminded us this Christmas week that even as God made a way when there seemed to be no way, we get to make room for unexpected guests.

These unexpected guests may not be overnight travelers. They may be people in distress, friends who drop by to talk, or unexpected phone calls.

Will we deem these interruptions to our busyness or invitations to surprising blessing?

Let’s resolve together make room in our homes and hearts for the unexpected guest this week…and next week…and the week after that…

“The generous man is always blithe in spirit and untroubled in heart, and he flows forth with desire in his works of virtue to all men in common. Whosoever is generous, and loves not earthly goods how poor soever he be, he is like God: for all that he has in himself, and all that he feels, flow forth and are given away.”

John Ruusbroec (1293-1381) in The Adornment of the Spiritual Marriage (CCEL) excerpt from Chapter XIX – Of Generosity.

How blessed we are than we get to enjoy God’s good gifts and joyfully share them with others (that’s what it means to be blithe in spirit and untroubled in heart)! When we live this way, our generosity is like God.

What hinders such generosity? Avarice, that is, loving things. So in this season of giving, let us be watchful that we don’t fall into the trap of loving earthly goods (cf. 1 John 2:15-17). Instead, let us resolve to love God and others generously.

“He who gives what he would as readily throw away, gives without generosity; the essence of generosity is in self-sacrifice.”

Sir Henry Taylor (1800-1886) in Day’s Collacon compiled and arranged by Edward Parsons Day (New York: IPPO, 1884) 316.

Cleaning out our closets and giving what we “would readily throw away” must not be confused for generosity. Such sharing is imperative (cf. Luke 3:11) but only a starting point for living generously.

Following the example of Jesus, who set aside the glories of heaven to come to earth, let us consider prayerfully what self-sacrifice looks like for each of us and follow our Lord’s leading in emptying ourselves as He did (cf. Philippians 2:1-11).

Question to Ron Blue: What are your personal plans for retirement?
Answer: I prefer to call it “rehirement” rather than retirement. I have no plans to retire. Vocationally, I may do different things and try different options, but I do not see myself retiring from my purpose in life. My purpose is to help fulfill the Great Commission. I don’t retire from that. I just may help fulfill it in different ways.

Question to Larry Burkett: What are your personal plans for retirement?
Answer: I don’t plan to retire. I want to write or teach or speak for as long as I can. We all have relatively short time on this earth and a long time in eternity. My retirement will come in eternity; I trust yours will too. Foremost in your retirement planning, then, should be the prospect of standing before the Lord and giving an account for the way you have handled your life and your money.

Larry Burkett and Ron Blue with Jeremy White in Your Money After the Big 5-0 (Nashville: B & H Publishing, 2007) 83.

What are your personal plans for retirement? Here’s some great counsel from two advisors. Choose rehirement instead, invest every day of this short life for God’s Kingdom, and prepare to give an account for your stewardship.

Recently, I received a letter from the president of Asbury Theological Seminary, which contained this excerpt:

“Do you remember that classic scene where George and Mary are departing for their honeymoon and they witness a run on the bank? George rushes into the Bailey Building and Loan to calm the panic-stricken customers. When one unruly customer demands his money, George gives this explanation:

“You’re thinking of this place all wrong. As if I had the money back in the safe. The money is not here. Your money is in Joe’s house, right next to yours. And in the Kennedy house, and Mrs. Macklin’s house, and a hundred others…”

That is a great allegory for what it means to invest in Asbury Theological Seminary. If I could quote George Bailey, I’d like to say, “Your money is not here.” Your money is invested in Gideon, who is going to Nigeria to witness to Muslims within that country. Your money is supporting John, who is going back to Texas to plant a church that will reach the young agnostics around Houston. Your money is deposited to sustain Haley, and she is already involved in a campus ministry, reaching hundreds of students…”

George Bailey as recounted by Timothy C. Tennent, president of Asbury Theological Seminary, in a letter dated December 1, 2014.

Each year on Christmas eve my family watches George Bailey in the Christmas classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life”, so I could not help but share this clip from Tennent’s letter because it must shape our thinking related to Christian giving. When we give the money we possess, it is not stockpiled by ministries. It’s invested in God’s Kingdom and spread all around.

“Each one of us has a stewardship somewhere in the great social system, and some gift qualifying him for it, and if he will but consult faithfully the intimations of God’s providence, he will not be long before he discovers what it is.

It may be that we are called to very humble duties–duties very low down in the social scale; still even they are from God and constitute a stewardship; and the one talent which qualifies us for them will have to be accounted for as much as if it were ten talents.”

Edward Meyrick Goulburn (1818-1897) English theologian in Day’s Collacon compiled and arranged by Edward Parsons Day (New York: IPPO, 1884) 744.

“What’s your stewardship?” This is not only a fair question, it’s likely one of the most important questions that we, as stewards of God, can ask each other. Why? The answer charts our course for all of life in the great social system of humanity.

This Christmas season join me in blocking out some time “to consult faithfully the intimations of God’s providence”. I am doing this to discern my stewardship more clearly: why we are here, what talents I must account for, and what humble duties I am to perform.

Seriously, carve out some time to ask the Father in Heaven why you are on this round ball called “earth” and sit in texts like Psalm 139. You’ll not only find God in those verses, you’ll likely find your yourself and your stewardship.

“Let it not be imagined that a life of godliness must necessarily be a life of melancholy and gloominess; for a man only resigns some pleasures to enjoy others infinitely greater.”

Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) in Day’s Collacon compiled and arranged by Edward Parsons Day (New York: IPPO, 1884) 329.

Jesus instructions to the rich man who came to him seeking life must not be mistaken for a pathway to destitution and poverty. They are invitation to take hold of true riches and life one hundred times better than anything wealth can offer (cf. Mark 10:17-31).

“God bestows riches upon some, not that they may possess the means of debasing themselves by luxury, while others around them are pinched by hunger and want, but that they may have wherewith to give to them that have need.”

Thomas Young (1587-1655) Scottish Puritan preacher in Day’s Collacon compiled and arranged by Edward Parsons Day (New York: IPPO, 1884) 534.

Paul instructs Timothy to command the rich to “enjoy and share” material blessings (cf. 1 Timothy 6:17-19). Sadly, the statistics seem to show in our nation that the more money we make, the less generous we become. What is needed is more than a change of behavior. We need a change of heart.

Father in Heaven, forgive us for debasing ourselves by luxury rather than demonstrating Christian generosity. By your Holy Spirit, remake us to become known for enjoying and sharing material blessings so that the world may know of your generous love. Do this we pray in the name of Jesus, Amen.

“If we would really raise and improve the moral condition of the poor, nay, even the apparently depraved, those in the classes above them, those better instructed than they, must treat them as brethren and sisters. Only let the poor feel we consider them as children of the same great Father in Heaven, not in word, but in deed, and we shall gain undoubted influence over them.”

Mary Howitt (1799-1888) English writer in Day’s Collacon compiled and arranged by Edward Parsons Day (New York: IPPO, 1884) 700.

As many of you know, our family finds great joy in doing service projects and sponsoring children from among the destitute poor, the Treasures, in the garbage dump in Guatemala City with Potter’s House. In 2012, Jenni also helped establish VBS programs there and over 200 of 1,000 children came to faith and got plugged into discipleship programs.

Last year in 2013, she helped write the curriculum and train volunteers and more than 600 began to follow Jesus of the 2,000 that attended VBS. This year, thanks to the hand of God at work down there, we just received word that 2,129 attended 40 different VBS in 20 areas around the dump. Listen to report of what happened.

We have learned that 548 decided to start a personal relationship with Jesus, another 25 are restored in their relationship with God and 180 teenagers from the community volunteered to serve the younger Treasures during VBS. Please take six minutes to watch this VBS 2014 video to see how generous love is transforming the Treasures in the garbage dump.

Howitt is spot on! When we see the poor as brothers and sisters, and treat them with the generous love we have received from God–the love we celebrate at Christmas–we have great influence in their lives. They often listen to us because they sense God loving them through us.

Determine to empty yourself to show God’s love to the spiritually and materially poor around you in word and deed and see what God does! Do this right where you live, and let us know if you want to visit Guatemala to serve the Treasures in 2015 with us.

“Christmas is a time of hospitality, of joy, and merriment to thousands who wants are supplied: but often it is a time of anxiety and suffering to the poor.”

George “Old Humphrey” Mogridge (1787-1854) author of children’s books and Christian tracts, in Day’s Collacon compiled and arranged by Edward Parsons Day (New York: IPPO, 1884) 103.

As we show hospitality to loved ones this Christmas, may God also bring to mind those whose wants are not supplied, and may we follow God’s leading as to the best way to bless them.

We take hold of “the true meaning of Christmas” when we remember “those whose wants are not supplied” because that’s what God did for us in sending Jesus. He met our greatest need we could never supply.

Whether you give a call, pay a visit, send a card, give a gift, etc…show God’s love to the poor as a couple or as a family. We’ve found “remembering the poor” becomes the highlight of Advent (cf. Galatians 2:10).