Meditations

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 2 Corinthians 4:7

“The spiritual state is like some royal palace that possesses many exterior courts, vestibules and outer residences; then there are various inner buildings, usually housing the royal robes and the treasure; and then, yet farther within, are the king’s living quarters. Someone still in the outer courts and apartments may think he has reached the inner chambers, but he would be wrong. The same is true where the spiritual life is concerned. Those struggling against greed and sleep, and continually occupied with psalms and prayers, should not think that they have already attained the final place of rest: they are still in the exterior courts and vestibules, and have not even reached the place where the royal robes and treasure are kept. Even if they are found worthy of some spiritual grace, again this should not deceive them into thinking that they have attained their goal. They must examine to see whether they have found the treasure in the pot of clay, whether they have put on the purple robe of the Spirit, whether they have seen the king and are at peace.”

Symeon the Metaphrast (c. 900-987) in “Paraphrase of the Homilies of St Makarios of Egypt” in Philokalia V3.335.

Don’t let the “metaphrast” title throw you. It just refers to a bloke that puts good writing to meter. It was a tool to help more oral learners remember good teaching in the middle ages.

And if this reading seemed confusing for you, let’s deconstruct the wonder in it.

Symeon wants you and me to liken our spiritual state to areas in a palace. We can remain in the outer precincts and think we have taken hold of life.

Then notice the group that appears as “struggling against greed” and “occupied with psalms and prayers.”

We might say in plain terms, these are people who still think they need some measure of money to sustain them and that their piety has gotten them to their final place of rest.

Symeon would say, no, and I would agree with him.

These people are winning the right battle and practicing the right disciplines, but to find the treasure in the pot of clay is realizing you can grasp the treasure of God in a cup of simplicity.

Generosity for these people is a by-product of having grasped what is worth more than money.

So if that all sounds too esoteric, know that the life of simplicity robed with the Spirit will deliver you from greed and take you to a place of generosity because you have the one thing you need to sustain you: God.

And here’s a good litmus test to see if you have found your way there.

Those who struggle with sleep may still reside in the outer precincts. You sleep like a baby without fear or worry once you have seen the king and found Him to be all you have ever needed and ever will need.

Tremble and do not sin; Meditate in your heart upon your bed and be still. Selah Psalm 4:4

“Thus he looks with wonder not only on the light of day, but also at the night. For the night is a benediction to all: to those practicing the virtues that pertain to the body it offers stillness and leisure; it encourages the remembrance of death and hell in those who grieve; those engaged in practicing the moral virtues it spurs to study and examine more closely the blessings they have received and the moral state of their soul. In the words of the psalmist, ‘As you lie in bed, repent of what you say in your heart’ (Ps. 4:4. LXX), that is, repent in the stillness of the night, remembering the lapses that occurred in the confusion of the day and disciplining yourself in hymns and spiritual songs (cf. Col. 3:16) – in other words, teaching yourself to persist in prayer and psalmody through attentive meditation on what you read.

For the practice of the moral virtues is effectuated by meditating on what has happened during the day, so that during the stillness of the night we can become aware of the sins we have committed and can grieve over them. When in this way through God’s grace we make some progress, and discover that in truth and not just in fantasy we have realized in either action or thought some moral virtue of soul or body according to Christ’s commandment, then we give thanks with fear and humility; and we struggle to preserve that moral virtue by means of prayer and many tears offered to God, disciplining ourselves to remember it lest we lose it again because of forgetfulness. For it takes much time to make a moral virtue effective in ourselves, while what has been achieved with so much time and effort can be lost in a single instant.”

Peter of Damascus (12th Century) in “Twenty-Four Discourses: Joy” Book 2 in Philokalia V3, 262.

As we explore the term “examine” through church history and its intersection with practice of generosity, many things have come into view for us so far in only a month. Two stand out for me.

Firstly, many early church fathers and mothers, monks and mystics, look back to David and the Psalms and have mapped a practice which Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556) would later label the Examen. Let me remind you of the Examen. It has five steps.

1. Become aware of God’s presence.
2. Review the day with gratitude.
3. Pay attention to your emotions.
4. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it.
5. Look toward tomorrow.

In other words, the practice of examining our day on our bed emerges in our thinking as a biblical idea and not merely an Ignatian idea. In that light, like sufficient rest, a healthy diet, or regular physical exercise, it is good for our spirit, so that when combined with our physical body, we function as a growing soul.

Secondly, I see so much grace from God as I tap the thinking of saints along the way. Let me explain.

An honest look at one’s day often reveals a range from great moments to trivial pursuits, from stupid decisions to maximized opportunities. Rather than condemn us for our fantasy and forgetfulness, or allow us to swell with pride in moments of great productivity, God invites us to repent and rest, to feel and heal, but only if we are willing to go there.

He shows us through the saints like Peter of Damascus about 400 years before Ignatius, to examine our days and our ways and to make progress, but also to realize we can lose it in a single instant.

We discover, related to generosity anyway, that any opportunities we had to serve as conduits of blessing were simply fresh moments to be the person and play the part that God made you to be and play all along.

If that sounds too lofty, then just do this practice the examen today. And see what happens.

I am worn out from my groaning. All night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. Psalm 6:6

“Those who live in the world – or rather who live after the fashion of the world, for this includes many so-called monks – should try to attain a measure of devotion, as did the righteous men of old, so as to examine their unhappy soul before their death and to amend or humble them, and not to bring them to utter destruction through their total ignorance and their conscious or unconscious sins. David, indeed, was a king; but every night he watered his bed with tears because of his sense of the divine presence. And Job says [quoting Eliphaz the Temanite]: ‘The hair of my flesh stood up’(Job 4:15). Let us then, like those living in the world, devote at least a small part of the day and night to God; and let us consider what we are going to say in our defense before our righteous Judge on the terrible day of judgment. Let us take trouble over this, for it is essential in view of the threat of agelong punishment; and let us not be troubled about how we shall live if we are poor or how we can grow rich so as to give alms, thus stupidly devoting all our attention to worldly matters.”

Peter of Damascus (12th Century) in “A Treasury of Divine Knowledge: The Guarding of the Intellect” Book 1 in Philokalia V3, 105.

I love the candor or Peter of Damascus.

He beckons us, as so-called monks, to think soberly and not stupidly. To aim to attain a measure of devotion rather than occupy ourselves with worldly matters. And he does so by pointing us to David and Job. Good examples.

David watered his bed with tears and Job reports his hair standing up.

In David’s situation, he found himself embattled from forces within (his sin) and from without (his foes). For Job, the world might say he lost everything but he still held tightly to God, but it was hard.

So where does that leave you and me today as we examine our lives and ponder generosity.

Peter of Damascus might say this.

God does not need us to “grow rich so as to give alms.” He wants us to grow rich spiritually so we can navigate the challenges of life and not be swept away by factors inside and outside. The alms and generosity flow from that stable place.

Ponder this based on your own situation. Cry and find solace where David did.

The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer. All my enemies will be overwhelmed with shame and anguish; they will turn back and suddenly be put to shame. Psalm 6:9-10

And where Job did.

Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him: but I will maintain mine own ways before Him. Job 13:15

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Colossians 4:2

“Confession takes two forms. According to the one, we give thanks for blessings received; according to the
other, we bring to light and examine what we have done wrong. We use the term confession both for the
grateful appreciation of the blessings we have received through divine favor, and for the admission of the evil
actions of which we are guilty. Both forms produce humility. For he who thanks God for blessings and he who
examines himself for his offenses are both humbled. The first judges himself unworthy of what he has been
given; the second implores forgiveness for his sins.”

Maximus the Confessor (d. 662) in Philokalia V2.226.

This post comes to us from “Various Texts on Theology, the Divine Economy, and Virtue and Vice” by Maximus the Confessor as part of the Philokalia. Notice the factors in play in the divine economy or in the economy of God.

Appreciation and admission go hand in hand in the life of the humble and generous steward.

When we acknowledge God’s blessings with gratitude and admit our wicked ways it resets us. It makes us ready to serve as conduits of blessing to receive and dispense His love, kindness, goodness, and generosity.

Notice the world famous Harbour Bridge in the picture above and how it relates to today’s post.

The bridge exists for the purpose of helping move people and resources to and from the northern and southern sections of the city of Sydney. It also serves as the gateway to Sydney Harbor and Circular Quay.

Imagine if we closed bridge. That’s the life without confession: no appreciation, no admission, and no movement.

But when it does it’s job, it appears magnificent for what it facilitates. That’s the humble and generous steward. Like the great Harbour Bridge we help people and resources get where they need to go.

Be watchful of your wicked ways and admit them. Be appreciative of God’s blessings and share them.

Serve as a Harbour Bridge for the world. Help people get where God wants them to go. Move resources where God wants them deployed. And let God exalt you as you humbly play your role with appreciation and admission.

With a prayerful, watchful, and thankful posture, we maintain the humility required to practice generosity.

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 1 Corinthians 1:18-21

“When the intellect scorns the teaching which purifies it from the passions, and ceases to examine what should be done and what should not be done, it will through ignorance inevitably be overcome by the passions. As the intellect gradually comes to be separated from God, it is more and more involved in difficulties not of its own choosing. Obeying the demons, it makes a god of the belly and tries to find relief there from what oppresses it. Let Saul convince you of the truth of this: because he did not take Samuel for an adviser in all things he inevitably turned to idolatry, putting his trust in a ventriloquist and consulting her as if she were a god (cf. 1 Sam. 28:7-20).”

Maximus the Confessor (d. 662) in Philokalia V2.150.

As the new header photo reveals, we have arrived safely in Sydney. Jenni and I took a walk to the Harbour Bridge with Josh and Loretta Reid and snapped this photo on a nice cloudy evening.

This post shines light one of the most significant hindrances to Christian generosity: intellect.

Jesus says that we must grasp the kingdom of heaven like a child (cf. Matthew 18:3). But you know what the problem is with children. They grow up. As they grow, they gain intellect and most act like they think they know better than to follow Jesus regarding finances.

Instead they choose idolatry. They become slaves to the very money they (wrongly!) think they own.

When I was recently in New Delhi, I preached on the text that includes today’s Scripture.

I reminded people that the cross makes no sense to those who are perishing and frustrates the wisdom of the intelligent and wise.

Or in plain terms, those who think they know better ironically walk in ignorance.

Related to generosity, most people think it’s about giving a portion of money. That’s not generosity. It’s a posture only found by abandoning intellect, idolatry, and ignorance – all that separates us from God.

When we read of Saul consulting another god, we say to ourselves that we are not guilty of that.

We need to look in the mirror. Anytime we trust in money, we go down the same path. And we too will be consumed by passions. Notice the way to avoid it.

Draw near to God. Put your trust in Him. The rest takes care of itself.

Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Matthew 7:1-2

“He who busies himself with the sins of others, or judges his brother on suspicion, has not yet even begun to repent or to examine himself so as to discover his own sins, which are truly heavier than a great lump of lead; nor does he know why a man becomes heavy-hearted when he loves vanity and chases after falsehood (cf. Ps. 4:1). That is why, like a fool who walks in darkness, he no longer attends to his own sins but lets his imagination dwell on the sins of others, whether these sins are real or merely the products of his own suspicious mind.”

Maximus the Confessor (d. 662) in Philokalia V2.92.

Someone asked me: What is the Philokalia?

It is a collection of texts written by deeply spiritual people, often labeled as monks and mystics, between the 4th and 15th centuries. It’s awesome reading. Each year I explore it with my word for the year to gain new insights.

This year, as you may recall, my word is examine.

Jesus instructs us not to judge others. Maximus echos that. And yet, Paul tells us not to judge those outside the faith but to judge those inside. Hear his words on this to the church in Corinth.

I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people. What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.” 1 Corinthians 5:9-13

We can reconcile these texts if we understand the heart of Jesus (and Maximus) and the context in Corinth.

Jesus wants us all to examine ourselves. He goes on in the text of Matthew’s Gospel and alerts us not to focus on the splinter in someone else’s eye and focus on the log in our own. This examination should lead us to locate and let go of sins that beset us.

Simultaneously, we live out our faith in community.

Within the community of Corinth, some thought they could live sexually immoral lives or as drunkards or swindlers. Paul proclaimed that such lifestyles needed to be abandoned for people to live out the Christian faith together. And notice he includes greedy people in the list of those that don’t belong.

This word can also be rendered “avaricious” or “covetous” or “always desiring more.”

So think of it this way. Paul wants us to each examine ourselves. He also wants us to understand that there’s no place in God’s family for people controlled by their lusts instead of by their Lord..

As I fly across the Pacific, I ask God to help me and every reader be controlled by our Lord and not by our lusts. Jesus, Paul, and Maximus desire us to grasp the former through examination and submission to the Holy Spirit as we attend to our own sins.

When this happens, we will do not appear any longer as greedy but as generous. Make it so, Lord Jesus.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8

One of the ancients spoke wisely and simply about thoughts. “Judge thoughts,” he said, “before the judgment seat of the heart, to discern whether they are ours or those of our enemy. Place those which are good and properly our own in the inmost shrine of the soul, keeping them in this inviolable treasury. But chastise hostile thoughts with the whip of the intelligence and banish them, giving them no place, no abode within the bounds of your soul. Or, to speak more fittingly, slay them completely with the sword of prayer and divine meditation, so that when the robbers have been destroyed, their chief may take fright. For,” so he says, “a man who examines his thoughts strictly is one who also truly loves the commandments.”

Theodore of Edessa (d. 848) in Philokalia V2.29.

I shared this post a few days ago and have returned to it because I can’t get this idea of the inviolable treasury out of my mind, and how it shows whether we truly love the commandments of God.

Humor me to go deeper. When we think of generosity, we think of gifts flowing from a treasury.

But here, Theodore points us to the inviolable treasury. Inviolable means “never to be broken, infringed, or dishonored.” Let me explain the connection to generosity.

Billions of people have more than enough resources to live. But they hoard for themselves because they harbor this thought: “Who will take care of me in times of trouble?”

That’s a thought to banish from your mind.

When that thought guides you, it leads to disobedient stewardship. You don’t obey the command of Jesus to go, sell, give, come, and follow. You stop, keep, go, and fail to follow. And, in so doing, you put your trust in yourself.

Only those who cherish the thought that God cares for them experience His care.

Notice, He does not force us to choose to entrust ourselves to His matchless care. It’s the result of what thoughts we hold tightly in our inviolable treasury and what thoughts we jettison.

There are many other examples of commandments to which we should hold tightly.

But our thoughts cause us to forget the commandments and hold on to false narratives which then change our experience of life.

I will ponder this with you as I fly to Sydney, Australia, over the next two days.

Consider the teachings of Jesus. Which ones seem hard to you. Pause. Ask Jesus for help to obey. What if you put even the hard ones in your inviolable treasury and trashed worldly narratives?

How would it change your living, giving, serving, and loving?

For the sake of vulnerability, I am sitting in John 14:12-14. I am learning to ask and trust God for bigger things, to not allow circumstances or people to rattle me, and to have greater faith.

But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it, either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. 1 Timothy 6:6-8

“A good man does not sell his inner freedom for money, even if he happens to be offered a huge sum. For things belonging to this life are like a dream, and the fantasies of wealth are uncertain and short-lived. Those who are truly men must endeavor to live with holiness and love of God, so that their holy life shines before others.

Since men take pains to decorate white garments with narrow purple stripes which stand out and attract attention, how much more assiduously should they cultivate the virtues of the soul. Sensible people should examine carefully both their strength and the degree of alertness of their soul’s powers; in this way they should make ready to resist the passions in accordance with the strength implanted in their nature by God.

It is self-control which resists beauty and all desire harmful to the soul, it is fortitude which resists pain and want; it is forbearance which resists abuse and anger; and so on. A man cannot become good and wise immediately, but only through much effort, reflection, experience, time, practice and desire for virtuous action. The man who is good and enjoys the love of God, and who truly knows Him, never ceases to do ungrudgingly all that accords with His will. Such men are rare.”

Anthony the Great (251-356) in Philokalia V1.335.

Are you sensible? Let’s take a test to find out. How much time each week do you spend, in Anthony’s words, cultivating the virtues of the soul and in reflective action?

Now calculate another number. How much time do you spend pursuing the fantasies of wealth, beauty, and desires harmful to the soul? These are short-lived objectives.

Now let me go one step further. If you asked a friend to assess your progress, what would they say. Does your holy life shine before others through your ungrudging service?

Or do your narrow purple stripes or, in modern terms, your house, car, clothing, and other possessions communicate more than basic food and covering?

What needs to change in your life to rank among the rare and to appear smart and sensible?

So also ye, when ye do all appointed you, say, That we are useless servants: for what we ought to do, we have done. Luke 17:10

“A monk must love God with all his heart and all his mind (cf. Deut. 6:5, Mark 12:30), and, as a servant, he must reverence and obey Him, and fulfill His commandments with ‘fear and trembling’ (Phil. 2:12). He must be ‘fervent in spirit’ (Rom. 12:11), and wear ‘the whole armor’ of the Holy Spirit (cf. Eph. 6:11). He must strive for the enjoyment of eternal life and do all that is prescribed. He must be in a state of inner wakefulness, guard his heart from evil thoughts, and through good thoughts must continually practice divine meditation. He must examine himself daily concerning his evil thoughts and acts, and must correct any defects. He must not become proud because of his achievements, but must call himself a ‘useless servant’ (Luke 17:10), altogether in arrears over fulfilling his duties. He must give thanks to God and ascribe to Him the grace of his achievements, and do nothing at all from self-esteem or love of popularity, but do everything in secret and seek praise only from God (cf. Rom. 2:29).”

Theodore of Edessa (d. 848) in Philokalia V2.36.

Do any traits of the monks stand out to you as areas for growth?

I really appreciated the disciple to describe yourself as a “useless servant” who has only done his duty of service. This keeps us humble.

To this point, at GTP we never, ever attached the word “leader” to people. Why?

Jesus Himself said, “And do not be called leaders; for only One is your Leader, that is, Christ.” Matthew 23:10. We get ourselves in trouble when we act like we are in charge.

Our lives do not belong to us (Gal. 2:20). Our resources do not belong to us. Every aspect of our being belongs to God. Any other mindset leads to pride and other problems.

Let us, in this light, live, give, serve, and love generously, not because we have any measure of wealth or worthiness when stacked next to God. Let us see ourselves rightly and do our duty.

We are useless servants whose only use comes when we surrender ourselves and resources to God.

“How many loaves do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.” When they found out, they said, “Five—and two fish.” Mark 6:38

Today’s post is a repost from the blog of my good friend, Travis Shelton. I share it here not because he mentions me but because I love what he has to say and want you to hear it.

“I’ve written extensively about the importance of giving what you have, not what you don’t. It’s a concept I learned from Gary Hoag, and it changed everything for me. We ALL have something to give. We don’t need to be wealthy to give. We don’t need to have a huge income to give. We don’t need larger-than-life status to give. Instead of saying, “I’d give more if I had x,” we can flip the narrative and say “I have y, so I should give from it.” All we have is what we have, and that’s what we’re called to give from.

It looks different for everyone. Of course, we each have an opportunity (and I’d argue a responsibility) to give from our income. Some of us have small incomes, others large. And all incomes merit giving from. We also have other financial assets to give from, such as savings and investments. But we also have other things to give. It could be our skills, our relationships, our influence, our time, our wisdom. Generosity can (and should) flow from every area of our lives.

We also have other, more creative forms of generosity at our fingertips. Here’s one example. I recently learned of a landlord who waives December’s rent for all of its tenants each year. Think about this. You rent a house and sign a one-year lease. The lease says you owe 12 monthly payments of $2,000. Then, when that first December rolls around, your landlord says, “Nah, you keep it. Use it to have a wonderful Christmas.” Boom! What an amazing blessing. I don’t know the landlord or what they have for income and other resources, but what a beautiful example of giving from what they have.

I don’t personally own a rental house to practice that form of generosity. It would be awfully easy for me to dwell on the fact I don’t have that to give. That’s why I must look inward and give from what I do have:

• I have an income (not nearly as high as it used to be, but it’s still an income).

• I have savings and investments.

• I have a coffee company (which has become one of the best outlets of generosity).

• I have skillsets to help countless people find meaning and intentionality in their finances.

• I have relationships all over the country and world that may be THE missing link in someone else’s journey.

• I have platforms (blog and podcast) that enable me to give away ideas, inspiration, and encouragement.

• I have knowledge bases that allow me to help several non-profits grow their impact.

• I have possessions I can share with others.

• I have a wonderful church that allows me the opportunity to serve in various capacities.

The list could go on. This really isn’t about me, though. That’s just my list. That’s what I have to give from. Now, it’s your turn. What do you have to give? The answer(s) to that question could change everything!”

Travis Shelton in his 24 January 2025 blogpost entitled “Give What You Have: Landlord Edition”. Check out his website and subscribe to his blog here.

When I met Travis he was making a lot of money, giving from those resources, but totally unhappy with his work. He just needed a nudge.

It was my privilege to give him that nudge. I urged him to follow his dream of helping people do more than get out of debt. He helps them grasp “a better way” to live.

I smile today because that nudge took the form of a conversation that lasted from the end of a morning church service to an evening service. Call it 6 hours.

From my generosity I had margin in my day and I gave it to Travis. I asked questions, listened, spoke pointedly, and the rest is history. I love him like a brother.

He will do greater things than I will do. I am thankful that I gave him my time that day. When you give what you have, you might just change the course of someone’s life.

What can you give today? Reply to this message. I want to hear from you.