Meditations

Then Jesus declared, “I am the Bread of Life. Whoever comes to Me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty.” John 6:35

“When we can relax, when we can trust, when we believe there is enough to be broken and given like bread to the needy, when we can live, as He has abundantly — then we are living into the generosity of abundance. There is a more abundant, excellent bread than striving materialism, than fear-driven walls and fences and lines, than a mentality of not-enough.

Jesus is the Bread of Life, and you don’t have to bake it or make it or fake it. Jesus is the Bread of Life and though He was rich, “yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). Culture and economics and politicians may say it takes money to make money. But Jesus’ life proves it; it takes the mystery of poverty to produce the generosity of abundance…”

Ann Voskamp in The Way of Abundance: A 60-Day Journey into a Deeply Meaningful Life (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2018) 146.

Looking for a devotional on abundance? While I have not read this book in its entirety, I’d commend this one to meditations readers, as the excerpts I’ve mined contain golden insights. Think of it as a guidebook for living life in the reality of the ascension of Christ, who is with us always.

To “live given” is to grasp “the mystery of poverty” which produces “the generosity of abundance.” If that sounds too mystical, think of it this way.  We don’t have to “live taking” anymore because we have everything we need in Christ. We are fully nourished by the Bread of Life. We have “enough” in Him. Make sense?

Having arrived safely in Chennai, India (pictured above from the rooftop of my hotel), I will attend The Generosity Summit 3.0 from Thursday to Saturday. What a privilege to learn from and with fellow believers who seek to “live given” and aim at grasping the “generosity of abundance” found in Jesus Christ.

What’s it like here? Beautiful, colorful, hot and humid — over 100 degrees today. I am in Chennai (think: the Los Angeles of India) and the home of the longest beach in the world, Marina Beach. So if L.A. has “Long Beach” perhaps Chennai has “Longest Beach”, though I will likely not see it because I will be in meetings.

Help all of us, Father, wherever we are, to “live given” so that others will discover the mystery of poverty is the pathway to hungering and thirsting no more. Satisfy our souls with the Bread of Life. Show the abundance of generosity through us by your Holy Spirit, I ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

When [Jesus] had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, He lifted up His hands and blessed them. While He was blessing them, He left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God. Luke 24:50-53

“The key to spiritual satisfaction is being right with God. When through faith we are in the position of sonship, then God’s riches become our riches; God’s abundance, our abundance; God’s power, our power. When a proper relationship has been restored between us and God, then happiness, contentment, and peace of mind will be a natural outgrowth of that restored relationship.”

Billy Graham (1918-2018) in The Secret of Happiness (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1985) 70.

Today we observe the ascension of Christ. Hard to believe that it’s been 40 days since Easter! Time flies when you are having fun exploring the relationship between “abundance” and generosity through church history.

With the recent passing of Billy Graham it seemed fitting to locate the theme in his writings. I am typing this from Washington Dulles airport. Assuming flights are on schedule, I should be somewhere between Frankfurt, Germany, and Chennai, India, when this posts.

Are you spiritually satisfied? Only in Christ do we have everything we have ever needed and will ever need. God’s abundance is our abundance. This truth aims at bringing us the same joy it brought the first disciples. I pray each person reading this grasps this realization.

The reality of His ascension must not leave us feeling alone but should serve to remind us that our Lord is with us always, even to the end of the age. Knowing that He is with us always, empowers us with courage and strength to serve generously where we live or on the other side of the planet!

Thank you Lord that wherever we go You are there, and You are everything we need!

Do not be overawed when others grow rich, when the splendor of their houses increases; for they will take nothing with them when they die, their splendor will not descend with them. Though while they live they count themselves blessed — and people praise you when you prosper — they will join those who have gone before them, who will never again see the light of life. People who have wealth but lack understanding are like the beasts that perish. Psalm 49:16-20

“Consider, that the more favorable Providence has been to you, it should make you the more earnest and solicitous to relieve those whom you may find in distress: it is of the utmost consequence, what is well pleasing to your fellow-creatures, and doing your duty to God. When you are called from hence, then all riches and grandeur will be over; the grave will make no distinction; great estates will be of no signification in the other world; and if you have made a bad use of the talent which God hath put into your hands, it will be only an aggravation of your condemnation at the great day of account, when God shall come to demand your souls, and to call you to an account, for the use to which you have put the abundance of the things of this life.”

George Whitefield (1714-1770) “The Great Duty of Charity Recommended” in Selected Sermons of George Whitefield, 402. If you have ten minutes. Click and read this sermon (397-403).

Why did the church need a Great Awakening in the days of Whitefield? Sadly, it had settled comfortably into the world. The Industrial Revolution changed how people related to wealth. Christians adopted the worldly view of accumulation rather than obeying God’s commands regarding the distribution of material provision. It’s as if they thought they knew better.

We need another great awakening today. Pray with me for one!

In reading Psalm 49, we realize how attractive the worldly narrative appears. We become overawed by it. We dream about it. And we are tempted to give out lives to attain it. I find that younger followers of Christ seem more receptive to biblical teaching on generosity because older folks have followed the world’s way of thinking so long they are too vested to recalculate their route. It’s sad.

Has Providence been favorable to you? Don’t let your story end with “aggravation of your condemnation at the great day of account”, but rather, regardless of your age, choose obedience and in so doing, prepare to give an account. Everyone enters eternity empty-handed. The use of abundance shows what we believed while we were alive. Don’t think for a minute that the worldly narrative will lead you to hear “well done.”

See why we need another great awakening? Father in heaven, cause our collective obedience to bring global revival. Lead me safely to Washington, D.C., and Frankfurt, Germany, today en route to Chennai, India. Thank you for opening doors for ministry and service in a context where obedience despite growing opposition comes into view as the most powerful witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Then [Jesus] said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” Luke 12:15

“To open and explain them. A little before, our Lord had been giving a solemn caution to one who spoke to him about dividing his inheritance. “Beware of covetousness; for the life a man,” that is, the happiness of it, “does not consist in the abundance of the things that he possesseth.” To prove and illustrate this weighty truth, our Lord relates this remarkable story. It is not improbable, it was one that had lately occurred, and that was fresh in the memory of some that were present. “The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plenteously.” The riches of the ancients consisted chiefly in the fruits of the earth. “And he said within himself, What shall I do?” The very language of want and distress! The voice of one that is afflicted, and groaning under his burden. What shalt thou do? Why, are not those at the door whom God hath appointed to receive what thou canst spare? What shalt thou do? Why, disperse abroad, and give to the poor. Feed the hungry. Clothe the naked. Be a father to the fatherless, and a husband to the widow. Freely thou hast received; freely give. O no! He is wiser than this comes to; he knows better than so.”

John Wesley (1703-1791) in “On Worldly Folly” Sermon 119.

When I turned my attention from Counter-Reformation voices to Great Awakening voices, it seemed fitting to explore abundance in the sermons of John Wesley. This one caught my attention as just yesterday Francis de Sales reminded us of the folly of avarice. Likewise, Wesley reveals the idiocy of the idea.

Moving toward the Industrial Revolution, many people experienced material prosperity. Upward socio-economic mobility would become widespread. With it, paradoxically, would come want and distress. Thus, Wesley rightly urged the rich to disperse abundance abroad following our Lord’s commands.

Why don’t more followers of Christ disperse abundance?

Thanks, at least in part to the Industrial Revolution, we saw a seismic shift. Society said, “More is better!” Production surpassed people in importance. Thus, worldliness and avarice went from foolishness to fashionable. Don’t believe it for a second! Be content with what you have, and if God supplies abundance. Disperse it!

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. Galatians 5:13

“Do as many lowly, humble deeds as lie in your power, even if you perform them unwillingly at first; for by this means you will form a habit of humility, and you will weaken your vanity, so that when temptation arises, you will be less predisposed to yield, and stronger to resist. Or if you are given to avarice, think often of the folly of this sin, which makes us the slave of what was made only to serve us; remember how when we die we must leave all we possess to those who come after us, who may squander it, ruin their own souls by misusing it, and so forth. Speak against covetousness, commend the abhorrence in which it is held by the world; and constrain yourself to abundant almsgiving, as also to not always using opportunities of accumulation. If you have a tendency to trifle with the affections, often call to mind what a dangerous amusement it is for yourself and others; how unworthy a thing it is to use the noblest feelings of the heart as a mere pastime; and how readily such trifling becomes mere levity. Let your conversation turn on purity and simplicity of heart, and strive to frame your actions accordingly”

Francis de Sales (1567-1622) in Introduction to the Devout Life 121. Francis served as Bishop of Geneva. He had a reputation for the gentle approach he took to the divisions from the Reformation by providing clear directions that confront sin and call for righteous living.

What a joy to travel with my daughter, Sophie, and her boyfriend, Peter! They exhibit what Francis de Sales describes asa “habit of humility” toward others. Like Francis long before them, they point people toward humble obedience to Jesus and gracious sharing with others, and they lead by example.

Today’s post contains rich insights. In response, many questions emerge: Do we reflect on avarice as folly? It is! Do we make money our slave through abundant almsgiving, lest accumulation enslave us? Bank statements tell the true story. Do we speak against covetousness or do our lives reflect it? Integrity matters!

It’s apparent why Francis would help followers of Christ, both Catholic or Protestant, during and after the Reformation. He challenged people to focus on what Christ cares about: generous living that reflects humble obedience to God. What does your life reflect?

When I felt secure, I said, “I will never be shaken.” Lord, when you favored me, you made my royal mountain stand firm; but when you hid your face, I was dismayed. To you, Lord, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy: “What is gained if I am silenced, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness? Hear, Lord, and be merciful to me; Lord, be my help.” You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever. Psalm 30:6-12

“This is the first and principal benefit caused by this arid and dark night of contemplation: the knowledge of oneself and of one’s misery. For, besides the fact that all the favours which God grants to the soul are habitually granted to them enwrapped in this knowledge, these aridities and this emptiness of the faculties, compared with the abundance which the soul experienced aforetime and the difficulty which it finds in good works, make it recognize its own lowliness and misery, which in the time of its prosperity it was unable to see.”

John of the Cross (1542-1591) in Dark Night of the Soul, trans. and ed. by E. Allison Peers (Critical Edition of P. Silverio De Santa Teresa, C.D.) 37.

While Luther, Calvin, and others fought the battle for the mind in Germany and Switzerland as part of the Reformation, Teresa of Ávila and John of the Cross wrestled for the heart down in Spain as part of the Counter-Reformation. Their work was foundational for the spiritual formation movement.

In today’s Psalm, David recounts highs and lows. Times when he called to God for help and times when God made him stand firm. What’s this got to do with generosity as we explore the theme of abundance through church history?

Dry and dark times in life drive us to God. They teach us knowledge of Him that we did not know. They accomplish good works in us that could not otherwise be accomplished. They teach us lessons that we simply cannot grasp in times of prosperity. Think about it (Selah).

Perhaps our greatest act of generosity for another person today might cost us more than money. It might be the combination of a listening ear, our loving presence, and a probing question that invites them to consider what God may be teaching them through a trial.

Sit with them in that place, because it’s dark and lonely. Often we try to make everything great for them, when our most generous act toward them might be our loving presence. Jenni excels at this. I have my moments. If words are in order, maybe share lessons you have learned in such times.

Today I fly to San Diego to drive our daughter, Sophie, and her boyfriend, Peter, as far as Richfield, Utah (about half way home). May bless us with rich conversation along the way. I plan to ask about the highs and lows of their junior year in college and what God taught them as individuals and as a couple.

Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly — mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? 1 Corinthians 3:1-3

“We must reflect that, with the help of God, we can strive to have a great contempt for the world, no regard for honour, and no attachment to possessions. For so ungenerous are we that we imagine the earth will go from under our feet if we try to forget the body a little and to cultivate the spirit. Or, again, we think that to have an abundance of all we need is a help to recollection because anxieties disturb prayer. It distresses me to reflect that we have so little confidence in God, and so much love for ourselves, that anxieties like this upset us. When we have made so little spiritual progress, the smallest things will trouble us as much as important and weighty things will trouble others, and yet in our own minds we presume to think ourselves spiritual. Now to me it seems that this kind of life is an attempt to reconcile body and soul, so that we may lose neither comfort in this world nor fruition of God in the world to come. We shall get along all right if we walk in righteousness and hold fast to virtue, but it will mean advancing at the pace of a hen and will never lead us to spiritual freedom.”

Teresa of Ávila (1515-1582) in The Life of Teresa of Jesus: The Autobiography of Teresa of Ávila, trans. and ed. by E. Allison Peers (Critical Edition of P. Silver De Santa Teresa, C. D.) 80.

For many people, attachments to possessions, which in their minds aims at lessening anxieties, actually serves to increase them, and it makes them ungenerous.

In exploring the theme of abundance, I find Teresa of Ávila’s comments appear to mirror the Apostle Paul and his letter to the Corinthians. Worldliness hinders spiritual growth, or in graphic terms, “it will mean advancing at the pace of a hen and will never lead us to spiritual freedom.”

Let’s not aim at preserving “comfort in this world” but rather share according to our ability. When we do, our giving reflects biblical generosity, and our living shows we chose the path of righteousness.

It’s been great to visit Florida to see my parents, my brother and his wife, and our two nieces, one of which graduated from Warner University. We’ve also been blessed to see the condo God has supplied for my parents, adjacent to campus. God abundantly looks out for the needs of humble servants.

We took them to see the Atlantic Ocean for the first time since they moved here (pictured above on our drive yesterday between Vero Beach and Cocoa Beach). We fly home today, thankful for a short but sweet visit.

A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. Proverbs 11:25

“One day [Ignatius] went to the Church of St. Paul, situated about a mile from Manresa. Near the road is a stream, on the bank of which he sat, and gazed at the deep waters flowing by. While seated there, the eyes of his soul were opened. He did not have any special vision, but his mind was enlightened on many subjects, spiritual and intellectual. So clear was this knowledge that from that day everything appeared to him in a new light. Such was the abundance of this light in his mind that all the divine helps received, and all the knowledge acquired up to his sixty−second year, were not equal to it.”

“When [Ignatius] first came to Alcala a friendship sprang up between him and one Didacus Guya, who lived with his brother, a painter. Through that friendship, Ignatius was abundantly supplied with all that was necessary; hence he would bestow upon the poor the alms that he himself obtained, and besides three other pilgrims stayed with him. One day Ignatius went to Didacus to ask for alms in order to assist some poor people. He replied that he had no money. Opening, however, a chest which belonged to him, he took from it trappings of various colors, candlesticks, and other objects, which he gave to Ignatius, who distributed them to the poor.”

Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556) in The Autobiography of St. Ignatius, ed. J.F.X. O’Conor (New York: Benzinger Brothers, 1900) 13, 20. While I was unable to locate the theme of “abundance” in the famous Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola, I did find the idea multiple times in his autobiography, and found these two mentions insightful. What a joy to explore “abundance” as it relates to generosity in the 40 days from the resurrection to the ascension (10 May 2018).

In the first excerpt from the autobiography of Ignatius of Loyola, I resonated with his testimony that one day, while seated by a river, he received an abundance of clarity in his thinking thanks to divine assistance. I find that when I slow down and observe aspects of God’s ordered universe, like a flowing river, whatever is disordered in my thinking seems to fall into the proper place. In his Spiritual Exercises, Ignatius wrote extensively on the negative impact of disordered attachments. Read it to learn more. To live generous lives, let us find times for reflection with the hope of receiving divine assistance, so we can function with an abundance of clarity.

In the second excerpt from his autobiography, I appreciated the thoughtfulness of Ignatius coupled with the generosity of Didacus. Through their friendship, Ignatius was “abundantly supplied” and yet, he remained mindful of the needs of others. When Ignatius alerted Didacus to the needs of three other poor pilgrims, having no money to aid them, he shared from the material resources that he had. What’s the lesson for us? Our generosity includes money and other possessions. God can use all of it if we are willing to open and share from the chest of blessings He has bestowed upon us. What’s in your chest?

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. John 13:35

“Now what will make us love? Truly, faith will do that. If you behold how much God loves you in Christ, and what vengeance He has delivered you from for His sake, and what kingdom He has made you an heir of, then you will see cause enough to love your enemy without respect to any reward, either in this life or in the life to come – but only because God would have it so, and Christ has deserved it. Yet you should feel in your heart that all your deeds to come are already abundantly recompensed in Christ.”

William Tyndale (1494-1536) in “The Obedience of a Christian Man and How Christian Rulers Ought to Govern”, from The Works of the English Reformers, vol. 1 (London: Thomas Russell, 1831) 15.

Consider the significance that this meditation comes to us from William Tyndale. The established church was ruling rather than governing God’s work, which of course, cannot be control by any human persons. Power struggles resulted. Tyndale would be burned at the stake for translating the Bible from Hebrew (OT) and Greek (NT) into English. He was willing to die for his faith in Jesus Christ and show love even to his enemies, because he knew what he had in Christ Jesus, and he wanted others to have it too.

Have you experienced destructive power struggles? We cannot be overcome by the evil in this world, but we can overcome it with good. How do we do that? We start by realizing all we have in Christ: think about how much He loves us, what He has delivered us from, and the kingdom He has given us. Do this for a while and you will want everyone you know to grasp it. Your generosity will flow from all you have received in Christ. Go love others richly and generously today, knowing you’ve been abundantly recompensed in Christ!

This month is full for me with a mix of service on mission for God and making memories. My schedule today reflects this. Join me today on a Barnabas Foundation Church Webinar: “Faith and Giving in Practice” from 12-1pm ET. After that I get to spend the day with my wife, Jenni, and my parents, Jack and Patsy Hoag, in Lake Wales, Florida, where they’ve recently settled near my brother David, and his wife, Joanna. Thank you God for the gift of this visit, and for your love, for saving us from ourselves, and freeing us to love others generously.

It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God. Mark 10:25

“They are ungrateful not only toward God, which is a necessary sequence, when they blaspheme, condemn His Word and destroy His commandments, but also toward men; for they have received great good and honor from the princes of the whole world, and their entire comfortable life is the sweat and blood of others. Neither do they acknowledge that when a city or district is destroyed they shall contribute and help with their abundant riches and treasures; this is nothing else than simply keeping their treasures in their own pockets. Again, if their interest and goods in any way are interfered with there is no mercy exercised in excommunication, driving and martyrdom. No one thinks or says, “Very well, then, seeing that we have such and such goods or lands and to spare, and since they have had such trouble and ruin, we will now show them love and extend a helping hand.” It is a spiritual blessing and must not serve worldly affairs; yes, they consider it the greatest vice if they should be charitable, and say, “He who does that ravages the goods of the bishopric, cloister and the holy church.” Therefore that the goods of the church may always remain, Christian love and genuine gratitude must perish. And yet those who do such things are not spiritual, holy people, and they will enter into heaven as little as a cow into a mouse-hole.”

Martin Luther (1483-1546) Sermons by Martin Luther, ed. John Nicholas Lenker, trans. John Nicholas Lenker, et al. (Vol. 1, Sermons on Gospel Texts for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany) 370-371.

I had heard that former Augustinian monk and central figure in the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther, took a pointed approach in his sermons (much like Augustine of Hippo long before him), so when I read this, I just had to post it.

Let’s just say Luther does not commend the one who holds on to abundant riches and treasures for themselves, but shows how their actions condemn themselves. He portrays them as ungrateful, blasphemous, and destructive. In short, they aim at comfortable living rather than charitable giving.

By the end of the reading I realized that Luther’s language gives depth to the pointed words of Jesus in today’s Scripture. Of course, the camel for Jesus corresponds to the cow for Luther. The eye of the needle for Jesus links to the mouse-hole for Luther.

What’s the point related to generosity?

Both voices (Jesus, with the rich man in Mark 10:17-31, and Luther with the wealthy in his day) remind us that the reason it is “hard” for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven is because they must shift where they place their trust to follow Him. God (not money) is the only key that unlocks that door.

Jenni and I fly to Florida today to spend a couple days with my parents, Jack and Patsy Hoag. They have given all but the basic necessities to charity and moved to Lake Wales, to live next to Warner University, where my brother, David, serves as president, and his, Joanna, makes a great first lady!