Archives by: Gary Hoag

“The riches of his free grace, cause me daily to triumph over all the temptations of the wicked one, who is very vigilant, and seeks all occasions to disturb me. The LORD CHRIST is my helper, and the lifter up of my head. It is good for me to be tempted. By inward trials I trust my divine Master will prepare me for future mercies. I am persuaded that I shall see great things, and be called to suffer for his name sake.”

George Whitefield (1714-1770) in Letter LXXXV dated November 10, 1739 as collected in The Works of the Reverend George Whitefield (London: Edward and Charles Dilly, 1771) 82.

“Resolution One: I will live for God. Resolution Two: If no one else does, I still will.”

These resolutions are attributed to Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) and thought to encompass his famous 70 Resolutions of which I offer you three more below today as a bonus from my reading. Reviewing them was his discipline weekly from 1722 to 1758.

17. Resolved, that I will live so as I shall wish I had done when I come to die. Before December 18, 1722

47. Resolved, to endeavor to my utmost to deny whatever is not most agreeable to a good, and universally sweet and benevolent, quiet, peaceable, contented, easy, compassionate, generous, humble, meek, modest, submissive, obliging, diligent and industrious, charitable, even, patient, moderate, forgiving, sincere temper; and to do at all times what such a temper would lead me to. Examine strictly every week, whether I have done so. Sabbath morning. May 5, 1723.

52. I frequently hear persons in old age say how they would live, if they were to live their lives over again: Resolved, that I will live just so as I can think I shall wish I had done, supposing I live to old age. July 8, 1723.

“[The Church] was not instituted by human means; and it is not through them that it can be preserved and increased, but through the grace of the omnipotent hand of Christ our God and Lord. Therefore in him alone must be placed the hope that he will preserve and carry forward what he designed to begin for his service and praise and for the aid of souls.”

Then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio (Now-Pope Francis) here quotes Constitutions of the Society of Jesus 812 while leading an retreat for bishops in Spain following the spiritual exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola.

Join me today in offering a prayer for young leaders like Linnea Smith of Alpha USA and fellow servants like John Savage of Artios who celebrate birthdays this weekend. They resolve to place their hope for the preservation and increase of ministry solely in the grace and provision of Almighty God. May God bless them for their commitment to Him, and their prayers and generosity toward me.

“How many times have we had to reach the end of our own resources before we remembered to trust in God, the one steadfast resource of our lives? … When our faith causes difficulties, our first response is to fall back on our familiar resources-people, things, self—and only when these do not help can we truly lean only upon God for our needs.”

Joel C. Gregory, Growing Pains of the Soul (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1987) 108.

“The word translated “steward” is oikonomos. From that word we derive “overseer,” “treasurer,” and “distributor.” From those terms and how they are used throughout the New Testament, we can understand a biblical steward as one who “manages a house for an owner” or one who “tends to the economy that another has supplied.” Quite simply, we have been given the awesome task of keeping God’s house—his creation—in order…

One other foundational truth about biblical stewardship…We are not God’s employees…we are his partners, like beloved children apprenticed in the family business we will one day inherit. God invites us to join him in his mission of revealing his righteousness to a watching world.

Biblical stewardship is an exciting calling, one that makes everything we do an opportunity to collaborate with God. As we serve him and he reveals his image within us, his compassion for those around us actually wells up in our hearts, and we are privileged to express it.”

Jim Liske, CEO, Prison Fellowship Ministries, in the Introduction to Faithful in All God’s House by Lester DeKoster and Gerard Berghoef, edited by Brett Elder (Grand Rapids: Christian’s Library Press, 2013) 7-8.

“Blessed are those who know how to detach themselves from their possessions and their power so as to put them at the service of the needy.”

Pope John Paul II in homilies in New York City, October 1979 and Recife, Brazil, July 1980 as recounted in A Justice Prayer Book: With Biblical Reflections, 10.

With today’s meditation I honor my sister, Heather. It’s her birthday, and it captures her life. She has detached from power and possessions to care for her two sons, her loving husband, and others around her with Christian love. Happy birthday, Heather!

“Our giving is a reflexive response to the grace of God in our lives. It does not come out of our altruism or philanthropy—it comes out of the transforming work of Christ in us. This grace is the action; our giving is the reaction. We give because He first gave to us. The greatest passage on giving in all Scripture ends not with “Congratulations for your generosity,” but “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15).”

Randy Alcorn, The Treasure Principle (Colorado Springs: Multnomah, 2001) 31-32.

“If our brother be in want and you can’t help him, you need not make doubt of what you should do; if thou love God you must help him.”

John Winthrop (1588-1649), founder of Massachusetts Bay Colony, in “A Model of Christian Charity” written in 1630 aboard the Arbella.

Though I had read this some time ago, it was shared with me afresh this week by my good friend, Tom Assmus, who along with his wife, Sherry, are models of Christian charity to us. It is a great read! To download it, visit: https://online.hillsdale.edu/document.doc?id=443

“Like a good family portrait, a well-developed Family Stewardship Philosophy captures a beautiful picture of what your family believes about the source and purpose of wealth.

The process of developing your philosophy involves [1] clarifying your family’s knowledge and core beliefs about money, and expressing and examining them to bring them into alignment with the truth of God’s Word. It involves [2] communicating these beliefs through discussion and written statements that note your convictions, objectives, and intentions in a way that others can understand. You will also make [3] commitments about the wealth that is entrusted to you, which practically demonstrates dedication to your core beliefs, as well as to God and your family.

Working through this three-step process of clarification, communication, and commitment is time-consuming but many families can attest to the fact that it is worth the effort. Your Family Stewardship Philosophy can serve to create a lasting legacy that is passed on to your family and future generations.”

Excerpt from “The Generous Family: A Guide for Nurturing Giving at Home” by National Christian Foundation. To work through this process with your family, you can download the complete document from NCF today.

“How can we embrace poverty as a way to God when everyone around us wants to become rich?  

Poverty has many forms. We have to ask ourselves: “What is my poverty?” Is it lack of money, lack of emotional stability, lack of a loving partner, lack of security, lack of safety, lack of self-confidence? Each human being has a place of poverty. That’s the place where God wants to dwell!  “How blessed are the poor,” Jesus says (Matthew 5:3). This means that our blessing is hidden in our poverty.

We are so inclined to cover up our poverty and ignore it that we often miss the opportunity to discover God, who dwells in it. Let’s dare to see our poverty as the land where our treasure is hidden.”

Henri Nouwen, Bread for the Journey August 18 reading entitled: “Our Poverty, God’s Dwelling Place.”