Archives by: Gary Hoag

“The governing principle of life in the Christian community is love, for God and for one another. The two can be distinguished but never separated, and Christians must learn that their professed love for God in heaven will be judged by their behavior toward their fellow believers here on earth.”

Gerald Bray, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: James, 1-2 Peter, 1-3 John, Jude (Downers Grove: IVP, 2000) xxiii.

“Have you ever thought about this before? “I need to be careful how much I give away because I don’t want to end up not having enough for myself.” If you have, you’ve got lots of company. My first response to this fear-based comment is, “Where is our trust – is it in our provisions or in our Provider?”

But just for the sake of discussion, let’s say you actually became so wildly generous that you ended up with no surplus, no reserves and not even enough to take care of your own personal needs for the future. Here is my question for you, “What would be wrong with living a hand to mouth existence, if it is God’s hand to your mouth?”

E. G. “Jay” Link, The Better Way Giving Series, p. 6. Download it in pdf form at:

http://www.stewardshipministries.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Better-Way-Giving-Sermon-Guide.pdf

Lord Jesus,
You came to show us that the meaning of life consists in giving. You told us that those who cling too tightly to what they have, without thought of You or others, end up losing everything.

You offered us new values by which to measure the worth of a person’s life. Help us to realize it is not temporal success or riches or fame that gives life meaning. Rather, it is the service rendered to You and others that brings fulfillment and makes our lives worthwhile.

May all our service help build the kingdom of God, and may our obedience bring true freedom, our generosity increase love, our sacrifices bear much fruit, and our death lead to eternal life.
Amen.

ICSC Stewardship Prayer for Generosity

“Poverty, whether systemic or localized, should be treated with relief…Wealth is given to be expended in generosity, so that poverty and suffering of less fortunate persons and churches should be relieved.” (cf. 2 Corinthians 8-9)

Ukachukwu Chris Manus, 2 Corinthians in the Global Bible Commentary (Nashville: Abingdon, 2004) 461.

“Sell and give away whatever is necessary to enjoy your riches in Christ. Your cluttered life can easily leave out the Lord. The complexity of stuff can cause you to miss the simplicity in Christ. Streamline your schedule, so you can go deep in your intimacy with your Heavenly Father, and your relational engagement with those you love.”

Boyd Bailey in Wisdom Hunters daily e-devotional April 25, 2013.

Dio Chrysostom (c. 40-120) experienced the generosity of the poor Macedonians (cf. 2 Corinthians 8:1-5) after he was shipwrecked on the island of Euboea. He tells his personal story:

“Now I have not told this story idly or, as some might perhaps infer, with the desire to spin a yarn, but to present an illustration of the manner of life that I adopted at the beginning and of the life of the poor–an illustration drawn from my own experience for anyone who wishes to consider whether in words and deeds and in social intercourse the poor are at a disadvantage in comparison with the rich on account of their poverty, so far as living a seemly and natural life is concerned, or in every way have the advantage…

They [the poor] light a fire more promptly than the rich, and guide one on the way without reluctance–indeed, in such matters a sense of self-respect would compel them–and often they share what they have more readily. When you find a rich man, who will give the victim of a shipwreck his wife’s or his daughter’s purple gown or any article of clothing far cheaper than that: a mantle, for example or a tunic, though he has thousands of them, or even a cloak from one of his slaves.”

Dio Chrysostom, Orations 7.81-83, LCL edition.

“Generosity as described in Proverbs is a practice that imitates God’s pattern of giving to address the needs of others…in contrast to the human predisposition to hold, spend, and grab for oneself, generosity determines to help, share, and give to others. The practice of generosity rejects the insensitivity and greed that too often dominate people’s values, and instead, it demonstrates godly love and action to those who need it. This commitment to generosity is rewarded and blessed by God.” Cf. Proverbs 11:24-28; 28:27

Daniel J. Estes in Handbook on the Wisdom Books and Psalms (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2005) 243.

“Daniel and his friends [cf. Daniel 1:6] were stewards of their exile experience on earth. They invested their time in an alien land, working for the benefit of their captors and enemies. They sought the best interests of those who provided them shelter and sustenance, and in so doing, were blessed by God.

We too are called to live as exiles in this world, keeping our eyes on heaven as our true home. As such, we can learn from Daniel’s exile lifestyle: we should humble ourselves, model forgiveness, serve others and invest in the kingdom of God.”

“Stewardship in Daniel: In Practice” notes in the NIV Stewardship Study Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009) 1101.

“The real value of any charitable gift is to be estimated, not by the quantity or the price of the thing given, but by the affection of the mind and generosity of heart that is seen in it…

The generosity, or liberality, of any person, in his charitable contributions, is to be measured chiefly by the proportion it bears to his circumstances, justly considered. He who gives most in proportion, and not he who gives absolutely the most, is the most charitable and generous man.”

Daniel Waterland in “The true Nature of Charity; it’s Value, Measures, and Proportions stated, from Gospel Account of the poor Widow’s Offering: Mark 12:43-44” in the Works of The Rev. Daniel Waterland (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1823) 174-175.

All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along. Galatians 2:10

“Care for the indigenous poor within the Greco-Roman world lay at the heart of Paul’s understanding of the “good news” of the early Jesus-movement (although that good news is not in any way reducible simply to care for the poor).

While the communities of Jesus-followers in Jerusalem became a specific focus of his attention from 53 through 57 CE, the collection that he undertook for them was merely one expression of an overarching principle about care for the poor that had long guided him when configuring the identity of Jesus-groups.

Even if the theological vision outstripped practical realities, care for the poor was nonetheless firmly embedded within Paul’s understanding of the internal matrices of the good news.”

Bruce Longenecker, Remember the Poor: Paul, Poverty, and the Greco-Roman World (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2010) 12.