Meditations

Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the Kingdom. Luke 12:32

“God is using these difficulties to give us the Kingdom and the coming of the Kingdom is conditioned only by our consent and acceptance of the situation. One may try to change the situation, but always with detachment from the results.

The Kingdom is most powerful where we least expect to find it. God does not take away our problems and trials but rather joins us in them. Such is the profound meaning of the incarnation: God becoming a human being.

The Kingdom will manifest itself, not because of our efforts to keep trying, even when all effort seems hopeless, but because God loves us so much that God won’t be able to stand seeing us struggle and always failing. God will do the impossible.”

Thomas Keating in St. Therese of Lisieux: A Transformation in Christ (New York: Lantern, 2001) 45.

God, thank you that you don’t take away our problems but you join us in them. Thanks for good times and hard ones. Bring the Kingdom in every corner of our lives. Do this so we can show others that hope is found in You. Amen.

As we think about generosity, perhaps the lesson today for us is to accept our situations with thankful hearts and to ask God to make the Kingdom manifest itself where we least expect to find it so that hope abounds for us and others.

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

“Would you know him who is the greatest saint in the world? It is not he who prays most or fast most; it is not he who gives most alms; but it is he who is always thankful to God, who receives everything as an instance of God’s goodness and has a heart always ready to praise God for it.

If anyone would tell you the shortest, surest way to all happiness and perfection, he must tell you to make a rule to thank and praise God for everything that happens to you. Whatever seeming calamity happens to you, if you thank and praise God for it, it turns into a blessing. Could you therefore work miracles, you could not do more for yourself than by this thankful spirit; it turns all that it touches into happiness.”

William Law in 1729 in his treatise entitled A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life as recounted in a new book I am reading, compiled by Robert Atwell, Celebrating the Saints (SCM: Norwich, 2004) ii.

While I am grateful that everyone has recently shared my joy regarding the recent addition to the family, I must acknowledge I am personally going through an unexpectedly hard time in my personal life.

It’s as hard and knotty as this wood floor. I won’t go into the details, but what I will say is that after spending solitude with God, I am giving thanks for this “calamity” because it is His will for me in Christ Jesus.

Late yesterday I prayed for a miracle, and then I read this. I found what I was looking for. Not people who fail me, but gracious God whose unfailing love endures forever, and whose generosity is boundless.

God, thanks for the good times, and the hard times. Each teaches us something new about your generosity and love. Cause a thankful spirit to positions us to work miracles. Hear my prayer in Jesus name. Amen.

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a child, whom he put among them, and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” Matthew 18:1-5

“It always grieves me to contemplate the initiation of children into the ways of life, when they are scarcely more than infants; it checks there confidence and simplicity, two of the best qualities that heaven gives them, and demands that they share our sorrrows before they are capable of entering into our enjoyments.”

Charles Dickens in Day’s Collacon, compiled and arranged by Edward Parsons Day (New York: IPPO, 1884) 100.

Got to meet Evangelene last night and hold her. She slept peacefully in my arms and lap the entire time. That was a lesson for me in itself. She can enter into rest because God has everything sorted.

Then I reflected on today’s Scripture and realized that God wants each of us to avoid the worldly and cultural initiation that fosters worry and fretting and remain like children our entire lives.

He wants us to retain what Dickens describes as the “confidence and simplicity” given to us from heaven. Then as I reflected on generosity this though surfaced clearly.

We can only be generous on all times and on all occasions when we don’t allow the world to check our confidence and simplicity which is rooted in our trust in the goodness of God.

Grandpa’s sweet little “angel” as I plan to call her (as the word is in the heart of her name evANGELene) taught me this whilst I was holding her peacefully. It was a sweet moment.

May you live to see your children’s children—peace be on Israel. Psalm 128:6

“Children are very nice observers, and they will often perceive your slightest defects; in general, those who govern children forgive nothing in them, but everything in themselves.”

François Fénelon (1651-1715) French archbishop and theologian in Day’s Collacon, compiled and arranged by Edward Parsons Day (New York: IPPO, 1884) 100.

Today I hope to see our new granddaughter after she and mommy are released from the hospital. It’s a joy to have lived to see her. What I am realizing is that she will also see me. As she grows up, she will be a keen observer. She will watch my every move. And what Fénelon has taught me today is to be generous with grace and forgiveness toward her and disciplined toward myself and not the other way around. Wow!

God help all of us set a good example so that our gracious generosity draws our children and grandchildren toward us, in your mercy, hear this prayer in Jesus name. Amen.

Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children. Proverbs 17:6

“God sends children for another purpose than merely to keep up the race–to enlarge our hearts, to make us unselfish, and full of kindly sympathies and affections; to give our souls higher aims, and to call out all our faculties to extended enterprise and exertion; to bring around our fireside bright faces and happy smiles, and loving, tender hearts. My soul blesses the Great Father every day, that he has gladdened the earth with little children.”

Mary Howitt (1799-1888) in Day’s Collacon, compiled and arranged by Edward Parsons Day (New York: IPPO, 1884) 100. Enjoy the first ever photo and moment of interaction between me and my grandaughter.

Yesterday, when I was walking into the United Club en route home for three weeks without travel to welcome my first grandchild, well, I got word that she could not wait for me to get home.

I love that her name means “good news” because our world needs to know about Jesus. I pray she shares the “good news” like an angel wherever she goes. May she bless every person she meets for God’s glory.

Also, I pray she enlarges my heart and makes me a better person “full of kindly sympathies and affections” and with many “happy smiles.” I have so much room for growht. And I pray she will “gladden the earth!”

Sammy and Emily’s job will be to raise her, but when I am with her, I will teach her what it means to be a Hoag. To be a Hoag is to show the world the love of God by living, giving, serving, and loving generously.

Pray for strength for mommy, daddy, and baby, and that they can come home soon because I have yet to meet the little angel. I can’t wait. Thank you God for Evangelene Peliah Hoag.

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him.” The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. Lamentations 3:22-26

“Bless the Lord, therefore, who hath given you that counsel, in virtue of which you can say, “He is your portion.” Rejoice in the thought, that the great concern is secured: as it is natural for us to do, when some important affair is dispatched, which has long lain before us, and which we have been inclined to put off from one day to another, but have at length strenuously and successfully attended.

Remember still to endeavor to continue acting on these great principles, which at first determined your choice; and seriously consider, that those who desire their life may at last be given them for a prey, must continue on their guard, in all stages of their journey through a wilderness, where daily dangers are still surrounding them.

Being enabled to secure the great concern, make yourselves easy as to others of smaller importance. You have chosen the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; other things, therefore, shall be added unto you: and if any which you desire should, not be added, comfort yourselves with this thought, that you have the good part, which can never be taken away.

And, not to enlarge on these obvious hints, which must often occur, be very solicitous that others may be brought to a care about the one thing needful. If it be needful for you, it is so for your children, your friends, your servants. Let them, therefore, see your concern in this respect for them, as well as for yourselves. Let parents especially attend to this exhortation; whose care for their offspring often exceeds in other respects, and falls in this.

Remember that your children may never live to enjoy the effects of your labor and concern to get them estates and portions: the charges of their funerals may, perhaps, be all their share of what you are so anxiously careful to lay up for them.

And think what a sword would pierce through your very heart, if you should stand by the corpse of a beloved child with this reflection: “This poor creature has done with life, before it learnt its great business in it; and is gone to eternity, which I have seldom been warning it to prepare for, and which, perhaps, it learned of me to forget.”

On the whole, may this grand care be awakened in those by whom it has been hitherto neglected: may it be revived in each of our minds. And that you may be encouraged to pursue it with greater cheerfulness, let me conclude with this comfortable thought, that in proportion to the necessity of the case, through the merits of Christ Jesus, is the provision which divine grace has made for our assistance.

If you are disposed to sit down at Christ’s feet, He will teach you by his word and Spirit. If you commit this precious jewel, which is your eternal all, into His hand, He will preserve it unto that day, and will then produce it richly adorned, and gloriously improved to His own honor, and to your everlasting joy, which God of His infinite mercy grant.”

George Whitefield (1714-1770) in the sermon entitled, “The Care of the Soul Urged as the One Thing Needful,” excerpt from the conclusion. As I depart early from Asbury it seemed fitting to read a sermon from one of my favorite Methodist preachers.

So what is the one thing needful?

The world says that it is to look out for ourselves and sort our basic necessities. Alternatively, God invites us to seek Him first, to trust Him to sort those things, to wait on Him, and to make Him our portion. We must act on this and make ourselves easy and available in service to others.

What matters not to God is what we say or think but what we do.

For all who wish to live, give, serve, and love generously, the answer is to make God our portion. Do that and we will demonstrate to the world that in Him we have everything you have ever needed, that we need, and that we will ever need.

That’s actually why we are here: to show the world He’s all they need.

My meetings with seminary administrators concluded with a rich time of prayer late yesterday. One of the last things we inspired each other to do was to urge all those we serve to live and write a different story. Or in Whitefield’s words, to do the one thing needful.

We aim to, and we pray you join us.

But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

“Active good is better than passive. Only God himself, his angels, and saints, do good; but all creatures can receive good. This principle would quickly join us; for if this were in men’s hearts, they would study to do all the good they could to one another, and to gain upon on another’s hearts; and the more good we do to any, the more will our hearts be inclinable to love them. The very communication of goodness, if it be out of a good spirit, carries the heart along with it to the subject this good is communicated to. The more good God doth to any, the more he loves them. So it is with us in our proportion. If you take a poor child from the dunghill, or out of the alms-house, and make him your heir, you do not only this good to him because you love him, but you love more because you look upon him as the object of your goodness, as one raised by you.”

Francis Asbury (1745-1816) in The Causes, Evils, and Cures of Heart and Church Divisions (New York: Carlton & Phillips, 1855) 95-96.

It seemed fitting to read from this classic work of Francis Asbury whilst sitting on the seminary campus that bears his name.

Active good. As I reflected on that this morning, three thoughts overtook me.

Firstly, God is good and always loving toward us. He actively demonstrated His love to us through the sacrificial death of Jesus on our behalf, when we were undeserving.

Secondly, when we follow His example and be actively good toward others (rather than our proclivity to passivity) it changes both us and them. It shows love and releases an abundance of blessings to all.

Thirdly, we must all realize that we are nothing but poor children from the dunghill or the alms-house, whom God made an heir through Christ and who are the object of His goodness.

Soak in these three thoughts for a while.

I pray it inspires us to be actively good today because God is good and loving toward us, it transforms everyone in the process, and He wants us as His heirs to receive and share His goodness and generosity.

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.” Isaiah 58:6-9a

“Make thy house a shelter to them that have none of their own left. Hide not — That seek no occasion to excuse thyself. Thy own flesh — Some confine this to our own kindred; but we can look on no man, but there we contemplate our own flesh, and therefore it is barbarous, not only to tear, but not to love and succour him. Therefore feed him as thou wouldest feed thyself, or be fed; shelter him as thou wouldest shelter thyself, or be sheltered; clothe him as thou wouldest clothe thyself, or be clothed; if in any of these respects thou wert in his circumstances. Thy light — Happiness and prosperity. Break forth — It shall not only appear, but break forth, dart itself forth, notwithstanding all difficulties, as the sun breaks, and pierces through a cloud.”

John Wesley (1703-1791) in Wesley’s Explanatory Notes on Isaiah 58:7-8. It seemed fitting to read Wesley as I have arrived on the campus of Asbury Theological Seminary for a few days (pictured in the header photo above). Special thanks to Steven Jankord for pointing me afresh to this powerful biblical text last week.

How can we be a shelter for victims of injustice?

Followers of Christ in Moldova, Romania, Poland, Czech Republic, and other European countries experience this as their current reality. They have taken in Ukrainians who have fled for their lives from the Russian occupation. They are making room in their homes for refugees.

God asks us to care for others as we would care for ourselves.

This is a beautiful illustration of the call of Jesus to love God and love our neighbor as we love ourselves. It means making space in the middle of our schedules for others rather than just allowing them in the margins (if we have time, which we rarely do). We all can be a refuge for others wherever we are.

God wants us to set aside our desires and give ourselves to what He cares about.

This week I am serving seminary administrators who have convened from across the USA. Pray for fruitful discussions. And I pray your service in hard times is like light in the darkness. May God’s glory shine brighter than ever through our generous service.

Lord have mercy on all those seeking shelter. Help them find it through our care.

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights. Habakkuk 3:17-19

“Buy yourselves this knowledge, if you can, you kings, rulers, men of wealth, from the rising to the setting sun. You who are rich in worldly wisdom, get the gift of the plowman prophet, which could not be taken away from him who had received it. For the possessions which you so eagerly desire are beset with countless risks; thieves who break into houses, tyrants who confiscate, flatterers who plot, the sea that overwhelms, and the earth that quakes and yawns.

Therefore let the right hand of God be the hope and treasury of men, the hand that led his people out of Egypt, and in the desert provided abundance of good things, which brought Habakkuk to Daniel, and preserved Ishmael when he had been cast down from his mother’s arms; which provides for those of every generation; and which, finally, multiplied five barley loaves so that they equaled a great harvest, and one loaf supplied a thousand hungry men and filled a basket with fragments besides. Now to our God be glory forever and ever. Amen.”

Asterius of Amasea (350-410) in his sermon, “Against Coveteousness.” This ends my exploration of a great sermon. Read it in its entirety here. This morning, I fly to Kentucky. I will facilitate meetings with seminary administrators from across the USA at Asbury Seminary over the next few days.

Today is a special day. GTP turns 3. We got our 501c3 status on 3 April 2019. On Facebook page we will release a series of infographics starting today. Like Global Trust Partners and check out our celebration of God’s faithfulness this week. We’ve given what we have and God has done wonders.

Alternatively, those who desire possessions beset themselves with countless risks, so don’t let that be you. Instead place your trust in the “right hand of God” as your “hope and treasury” for all that you need. Notice the one who does shares what he or she has. God makes it enough.

This sermon has been rich with biblical images and has reminded me of many things but one lesson stands out. Our trust is either in ourselves or in God. There’s no middle ground. And we show where we place our trust by our pursuits and what we do with what we attain.

The coveteous person accumulates and confiscates. The caring person distributes and shares. The coveteous person lives enslaved to scarcity. The caring person enjoys an abundance of God things from the right hand of God. It’s been rewarding to share this message to the world through GTP.

My prayer for all of us having explored this powerful sermon is that we will all flee from coveteousness and instead give what we have to God. And when we do, I pray that God will sustain local ministry and multiply our gifts from His right hand for His glory. Amen.

The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.” Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?” “Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a small jar of olive oil.” Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.” She left him and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.” But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing. She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.” 2 Kings 4:1-7

“But I seem to hear, even though they are silent, those who are wont to say such things as these to their teachers: “How shall we continue to live, if we do not care for the getting of money? and how shall we satisfy our needs? How are loans to be repaid, and how shall a gift be bestowed upon him who asks it, if we are all to follow your admonition and be poor?”

This is the objection of an unbeliever, the speech of one devoid of understanding, who does not know that God is our Master, the director of our life, and that he himself furnishes the living creature what it needs, the means of getting both necessary food and needful clothing. For the providence of God is over all his works, and the misfortune of poverty never overtakes one who is rich in faith.

By presenting one of the divine narratives in proof of what I now affirm I shall, I think, offer sufficient evidence of it. In the history of the kings a widow woman is mentioned who, on account of her solitary condition was greatly oppressed. A greedy and churlish creditor pestered her, threatening to take away as pledges for her debts, her sons who were all she had left. And when the crisis in her affairs came and none of the rich had pity on her, she went to him who had humanity and faith.

Now this was Elisha the prophet, a man poor in this world’s goods, but abounding in immaterial wealth; an unworldly soul from among the plowmen, houseless, homeless, clad with but one garment; who had just had a legacy, and had received as his inheritance a cheap sheepskin and an invisible blessing, which fell from the chariot of fire.

Yet he did not send away the suppliant disappointed, nor did he despair of helping her because he had not what she asked, nor did he utter any sordid and doubting words, as many would have done, such as, “And where am I to get money to pay your debt?” but, like a most excellent physician when there are no medicines to be had, by an unexpected device he found a remedy for the disease and said, “Woman, what have you in the house?

Call to mind whether you have anything within, however small. For no one is so poor as to have absolutely nothing.” And when she replied that she had a cruse with a little oil remaining in it, he said, “Prepare me a multitude of vessels.” So she got them ready and filled them from the cruse.

Thus the debt was paid to the money-lender, and the woman departed, having found a way out of her difficulties. For the very little oil which she had told the prophet she possessed, contrary to her expectation gushed forth and filled all the jars she had made ready, and it ceased to flow only when there was not another vessel to receive it. And the gift was commensurate with her need. That was indeed oil which no plant, but the mercies of God, produced.”

Asterius of Amasea (350-410) in his sermon, “Against Coveteousness.”

In the climax of this sermon, Asterius removes the last device that the devil uses to cast doubt in our lives keep us in the clutches of coveteousness. It’s the question of provision.

“How shall we continue to live, if we do not care for the getting of money? and how shall we satisfy our needs? How are loans to be repaid, and how shall a gift be bestowed upon him who asks it, if we are all to follow your admonition and be poor?”

The best and only answer to this is the providence of God. We see this illustrated in the story of the widow and articulated by Jesus Christ Himself in the sermon on the mount.

In plain terms we worry about what we will eat, drink, and what we will wear. We think it is our role to provide when Scripture tells us that is God’s job.

This lesson today also reveals the key to generous living. We must put the immaterial wealth to work that is trusting in the providence of God in order to tap into resources for enjoyment and sharing.