Meditations

Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the Kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. Luke 12:32-33

“The tangible resources of God’s Kingdom have been placed at our disposal. We have the privilege of investing those resources–not just our money, but our time, possessions, ideas, relationships, skills, spiritual gifts, and so forth–to produce positive results for the Kingdom. The progress of God’s work depends to some extent upon how we utilize the ample resources that He has entrusted to us. You are, in effect, a portfolio manager for the Kingdom of God…

God has given you the checkbook and told you to invest it in whatever ways will bring about the best outcomes for His glory and purposes. And, of course, you will be evaluated for how wisely you invested those resources. It has often been said that you can tell a person’s priorities by examining his or her checkbook. If someone were to examine your checkbook–as well as your schedule and personal goals–what message would he or she receive?”

Frank Viola and George Barna in Pagan Christianity?: Exploring the Roots of our Church Practices (Carol Stream: Tyndale, 2008) 257-258.

“Portfolio Manager” is great word picture for our role in investing God’s resources. I wrote a one-page article called “Spiritual Formation and Stewardship” back in 2006. It includes a “Stewardship Portfolio” that may be helpful for you to maximize your stewardship of the gifts and goods that God has entrusted to you. Click here to read or download it. Feel free to share it with others as well. The goal is that our actions send the message that we are faithful and generous portfolio managers for God.

The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning. Lamentations 3:22-23

“The more we depend on God, the more dependable we will find He is.”

Cliff Richard in The Westminster Collection of Christian Quotations, edited by Martin H. Manser (Louisville: WJKP, 2001) 383.

Richard rightly exhorts us to depend on God, for when we do we realize, by experience, that He is more dependable than we could have imagined.

Related to generosity, we will never grow in the grace of giving unless we place our trust in His love and faithful care. Do you trust Him?

But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? Acts 5:3

“Not how much we give, but what we do not give, is the test of our Christianity.”

Oswald Chambers in The Westminster Collection of Christian Quotations, edited by Martin H. Manser (Louisville: WJKP, 2001) 122.

When I teach through the Scriptures on generosity, when I get to Ananias and Sapphira, I remind my students to be honest about their giving and to not hold anything back from God.

Chambers likely calls this “the test of Christianity” because it reveals whether our trust is in God or in ourselves based on what we have held back. Would you pass this test?

Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in His kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia. They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity. 2 Corinthians 8:1-2

“I recently heard the testimony of a pastor who took his youth group to Guatemala on a mission trip. They visited the trash dump on the outskirts of town and met the people who make their living by picking through the garbage.

Later, they visited a local church where the people from the dump would gather for a meal every day—a meal freely provided by the church. When the pastor asked how this outreach ministry was funded (assuming of course, that funding for such a ministry would come from donors in the USA or wealthier people in Guatemala), he was surprised by the answer. The local church members who work in the dump give generously from their meager earnings so that their neighbors could also have food!

The gift didn’t come from some outside wealthy anonymous, faceless, organization. It didn’t come from child sponsors or a relief committee in the USA or Europe. Rather the food was freely given by the poorest of the poor—Christians who daily demonstrate the love of Christ to their neighbors in the most tangible and personal way through radical generosity!

This powerful story illustrates one simple truth: The ministry of giving is for everyone!”

Ron Frey in “Giving is For Everyone!” blog post dated 1 August 2016 on the new Ministry Fundraising Network website. Check it out!

The Ministry Fundraising Network (MFN) serves the global church and its ministries by directly helping leaders and financial development staff with biblical fundraising motivation, strategy, best practices and national accreditation councils for financial accountability.

This is a great story to launch the MFN blog! What I love most about the Macedonian and the Guatemalan generosity is that God is clearly seen through their sacrificial and unexpectedly generous giving. Is God clearly see through your life? Does your giving surprise or exceed anyone’s expectations?

Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins. Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.” Mark 12:41-44

“Jesus commended the incredible sacrifice which even this small gift represented…Our giving is ultimately not about meeting the church budget. Obviously, we have a responsibility to maintain and nurture the church ministries to which we are connected. But even if the budgetary needs are met, it is still our responsibility to give…Mathematically, the two coins the widow offered added practically nothing to the total offering. It is about obedience and sacrifice…I have called the widow’s gift “the mighty mite.” We can learn much from this poor widow. The owner of nothing, being watched by the owner of all things.”

Timothy C. Tennent in “The Mighty Mite” blog post dated 7 August 2016.

More and more voices are echoing the truth that giving is not about meeting the church budget but about obedience and sacrifice. Perhaps the most profound statement by Tennent was his last line: “The owner of nothing, being watched by the owner of all things.” The only kind of giving Jesus celebrated was the kind that left the giver completely dependent on the LORD. In that light, what each of us does not give reveals more about our hearts that what we do give. Take inventory. Are you holding anything back from the Lord?

Make every effort to add to your faith excellence, to excellence, knowledge; to knowledge, self-control; to self-control, perseverance; to perseverance, godliness; to godliness, brotherly affection; to brotherly affection, unselfish love. For if these things are really yours and are continually increasing, they will keep you from becoming ineffective and unproductive in your pursuit of knowing our Lord Jesus Christ more intimately. 2 Peter 1:5b-8

“Generosity describes the Christian’s unselfish willingness to give in order to make a positive difference. Extravagant Generosity describes practices of sharing and giving that exceed all expectations and extend to unexpected measures. Fruitful congregations thrive because of extraordinary sharing, willing sacrifice, and joyous giving out of love for God and neighbor.

Such churches focus on the abundance of God’s grace and emphasize the Christians need to give rather than the church’s need for money. In the spirit and manner of Christ, congregations that practice extravagant generosity explicitly talk about money in the Christian’s walk of faith. They are driven to be generous by a high sense of mission and a keen desire to please God by making a positive difference in the world.”

Robert Schnase in Cultivating Fruitfulness: Five Weeks of Prayer and Practice for Congregations (Nashville: Abingdon, 2008).

The Apostle Peter desired that the Jewish Christians dispersed across the ancient world were effective and productive in their pursuit of knowing Jesus Christ. To do this they had to make every effort to put on specific virtues, and ultimately, unselfish love.

Likewise today, Schnase urges to make a positive difference but cultivating congregations with an “unselfish willingness to give.” I especially like how the talk about money in these churches is not about the church budget but about each Christian’s walk of faith.

Read through the Apostle Peter’s list again in the biblical text above. He says make every effort to add all those virtues to your life. It seems that unselfish love is listed last because it binds them all together. God help each of us to exhibit unselfish love so that our willingness to give looks like You to the world. Amen.

But since you excel in everything–in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you–see that you also excel in this grace of giving. 2 Corinthians 8:7

“Your people need to give more importantly than your church needs to receive offering. People need to grow spiritually more than church bank accounts need to be filled financially. Yes, there are salaries to pay, buildings to maintain, ministries to fund. Those are critical. But more important than all those things, God’s children need to be reminded that giving is essential to a real walk and relationship with Him. Don’t let messaging on giving orbit around the needs of your church. Your folks need it more than your church does.”

Jeff Anderson in Acceptable Gift email dated 12 July 2016.

Jeff is a an author and speaker I deeply respect in the generosity space. I also consider him a friend and brother as we have spent much time together talking, eating pizza, and fly fishing.

His words on this Lord’s day ring so true. Don’t talk about giving at your church because you need money or because the church budget is in the red. Talk about it because it’s a vital aspect of spiritual growth.

When we give, it changes us. It conforms us into the image of the Giver. Sure, needs are met, budgets are funded, but those are secondary to the work God wants to do in each of our lives.

For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not? 1 Corinthians 4:7

“What do you have in your hands, heart and life today? I believe you have enough to do whatever it is that God wants you to do, today. Not necessarily tomorrow. Today. Take a look around you. Take stock. What do you already have? Who do you already know? What gifts, talents, skills have you already been given? Use those. Today. But use them for God’s glory, because they all came from Him.”

Vanessa Hall in 1 August 2016 blog post entitled ‘Enough’ is a ‘trust’ word.

Hall serves on the advisory board of the CMA Standards Council. CMASC is the Australian equivalent to ECFA in the USA. It’s been a privilege for me to get acquainted with her. She’s passionate about trust, and in this post, rightly connects faithful stewardship and trust.

All we have in our hands, our abilities and resources, are gifts from God to use to make known His grace. Today, that means each of us has enough for whatever God has in store for us. As the parable of the talents reminds us, let us put what he has entrusted to us to work. Today! To do this obediently requires trust.

What stops us? We believe (wrongly!) the messages of the world. They are lies. In today’s NT reading above, it appears that the Apostle Paul had to combat such wrong thinking in Corinth.

One lie says, “You don’t have enough.” So fear of lacking immobilizes us to put what we have to work and even causes us to accumulate what we are supposed to be distributing for God. We forget that five loaves and two fish fed 5,000 people when put to work for God.

Another lie adds “All you have is yours and came from your own hard work.” This lie denies the truth that God gave us the ability to be fruitful and productive in the first place (cf. Deuteronomy 8:18).

Father, forgive us for focusing on what we don’t have. Open our eyes to realize that what is in our hands, heart and lives is ‘enough’. Show us by your Holy Spirit how to put these gifts to work today for your glory. Strengthen our trust in You! Do this work in our lives I pray in the matchless name of Jesus. Amen.

“Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me…and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property–along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life.” Mark 10:21b, 29-30

“Jesus was always talking about a reverse economy. He talked about how if you want to receive, you give. If you want to lead, you follow. That the poor are rich and you only really live for certain things if you are willing to die to them…following Jesus means doing the math differently…”

Bob Goff in Love Does: Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2012) 112.

I hope you have enjoyed the recent thoughts from the saints of old. For the near future, I am shifting the attention of my research and reading to the modern era.

Today’s meditation comes from Bob Goff via my daughter, Sophie Hoag, who shared it with me from her summer reading. Thankfully she said it reminded her of me and how we have taught her to live. Goff is spot on in this excerpt she shared with me. The teachings of Jesus require followers to do math differently!

In the economy of this world, which says “money solves all our problems,” many Christians (wrongly!) teach the opposite of Jesus. They say that good stewards accumulate money and store up treasures on earth. Don’t fall into that trap. If you have, get out now! Someday you will have to give an account for your stewardship.

Instead, we must do the opposite! We can function, no, we can flourish, in a “reverse economy” knowing that in Christ we have everything we need. In Christ, we are made to work in order to have something to return to God, to enjoy with our families, and to share with others.

Don’t live this way because Goff or I say so!

Do it because it’s what Jesus says all over the Gospels. In the NT Greek of the First Letter to Timothy it’s referred to as the oikonomian theou, the economy of God. The teachings of Jesus on money are not vague. They point to a reverse economy. For years I only selectively followed them.

What about you? Is it time to shift in reverse?

He has made us a Kingdom of priests for God His Father. All glory and power to Him forever and ever! Amen. Revelation 1:6

“Like many people who enjoy their work, the Rev. Jacques Hamel did not want to stop. At 85, he was well past retirement age, but he kept in shape and kept on going — baptizing infants, celebrating Mass and tending to parishioners in St.-Étienne-du-Rouvray, the working-class town in Normandy where he had spent much of his life.

He could have retired at 75 years old, but seeing how few priests were around he decided to stay and work, to continue to be of service to people, up until it all ended, tragically,” the Rev. Auguste Moanda-Phuati, the parish priest of the Église St.-Étienne, where Father Hamel worked as an auxiliary priest, said in a phone interview.

“He was loved by all. He was a little like a grandfather. We were happy when he was around and worried when we hadn’t seen him in a while.” Father Hamel was celebrating Mass on Tuesday morning when two men with knives entered the small church and slit his throat, an attack that horrified France and the world…

Another priest in the Rouen archdiocese, the Rev. Aimé-Rémi Mputu Amba, told the newspaper Le Figaro: “Even in his old age, he was still just as invested with the parish life. We used to joke around and tell him ‘Jacques, you’re doing too much! It’s high time you retire!’ And he would always laugh it off and say, ‘Have you ever met a retired priest? I’ll work until my last breath.'”

By Adam Nossiter and Hannah Olivennes in NY Times article “Jacques Hamel, 85, a Beloved French Priest, Killed in His Church” dated July 26, 2016.

What a testimony! I am honoring the generous life of Jacques Hamel today for two reasons.

First, I want to transition from the saints of old to the modern era and this profound statement from an old saint accomplishes that purpose perfectly: ‘Have you ever met a retired priest? I’ll work until my last breath.'”

God has made us as a kingdom of priests, because of the work of Jesus Christ on our behalf. We get to introduce others to God. That’s why we are here on this earth. It’s also our greatest act of generosity.

Second, I get asked often about retirement. It came up twice this week. So here’s a blog post I wrote on the topic: “Should Christians save for retirement?” I hope it challenges you to align your life with the Word rather than the world.

Jacques Hamel modeled the way for us! Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter the joy of your Lord!