Meditations

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians 3:2

“It is not that the soul is in a wicked state. It is that she is still so immersed in the things of this world, still so caught up in possessions or honor or business affairs, that even though she may long to gaze upon the beauty of the interior castle, all these attachments distract her from doing so. She cannot seem to extricate herself from so many entanglements. But anyone who wishes to move ahead on the path must try to give up unnecessary objects and preoccupations. If you want to reach the innermost chamber, this is your only hope. Start now.”

Teresa of Ávila (1515-1582) in The Interior Castle, translated by Mirabai Starr (New York: Riverbed, 2003) 49-50.

In her classic work, The Interior Castle, Teresa likens growth in the spiritual journey to navigating seven mansions or dwellings. It’s worth reading. What I appreciate most is that she emphasizes that we must let go of attachment to unnecessary objects and preoccupations that entangle us on the way in order to grow spiritually.

Lent begins today. It’s a season where we focus on prayer, fasting, and giving to the poor. Opening day, Ash Wednesday, is a time for repentance. Changing directions. The paradox of Lent is that in turning around we find our way and in letting go we gain. Let’s press on to maturity together, or in the words of Teresa, move toward the innermost chamber.

“I am convinced that generosity is one of the greatest means for enhancing and extending the kingdom of God. As a beneficiary of numerous people’s generosity, I now encourage people to be generous and to take every opportunity to be sacrificial in their giving…What is your story of generosity? Can you map the places where the generosity of others has blessed you? How could God use you today to be that same blessing in the lives of others?”

Sung Wook Chung in Christ-Centered Generosity: Global Perspectives on the Biblical Call to a Generous Life (Colbert: GGN & KLP) 84.

Jenni and I were sharing stories last night about times when others have blessed us in our lives, and how we want to be a blessing to those we see around us who need a helping hand.

As we think about aiding those in need this Lent, may we take every opportunity to sacrifice out of gratitude for the matchless work Christ accomplished for us all on the cross.

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Revelation 3:15-19

“Surely those who know the great passionate heart of Jehovah must deny their own loves to share in the expression of His. Consider the call from the Throne above, “Go ye,” and from round about, “Come over and help us,” and even the call from the damned souls below, “Send Lazarus to my brothers, that they come not to this place.” Impelled, then, by these voices, I dare not stay home while Quichuas perish. So what if the well-fed church in the homeland needs stirring? They have the Scriptures, Moses, and the Prophets, and a whole lot more. Their condemnation is written on their bank books and in the dust on their Bible covers. American believers have sold their lives to the service of Mammon, and God has His rightful way of dealing with those who succumb to the spirit of Laodicea.”

Jim Elliott as recounted by Elisabeth Elliot in Shadow of the Almighty: The Life and Testament of Jim Elliot (New York: Harper Collins, 1989) 132.

These words speak for themselves. If they reflect your life, your bank book, and your Bible, remember that whom the Lord loves, He rebukes and disciplines. Abandon Mammon! Be earnest and repent. That means change directions. God knows your deeds. Chart a new course for your life this Lent.

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5

“The only ones who are afraid are those who think they are alone, who trust in themselves and have no loving charity. They are afraid of every little thing because they are alone, deprived of me.”

Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) in The Dialogue (Mahwah: Paulist Press, 1980) 227.

Two nights ago Jenni and I had dinner at our first-choice for a date-night restaurant: Chili’s. We always share chips and salsa and the quesadilla explosion salad. Our favorite server seated us: Cat.

We did not even have to order. She said, “The usual?” We replied, “Yes!” She looked burdened. I said to my wife, “I want to invite her to church with us.” We did and gave her a card we got at church with the time and location. She looked stunned and surprised to be invited. She said she may come if not working.

Why tell this story? The one thing all people need is God. Trusting in Him frees us from fear and positions us to be generous at all times because when we have Him, we are never alone and we have everything we need.

It’s sad that many who know God still have fear and fail to be generous because their actions show they are trusting in money for security. That’s where Lent comes in. In this season we unlearn our worldly ways.

Giving to those in need is one of the three things we will ask God to help us learn to do. Those who don’t know Jesus are the neediest of all. Who do you know that you could invite to church and introduce to Jesus?

Dear God, move Cat to come to church to sit with us today and come to know You.

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” Luke 10:29-37

“Nobody is too good for the meanest service. One who worries about the loss of time that such petty, outward acts of helpfulness entail is usually taking the importance of his own career too solemnly.

We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God. God will be constantly crossing our paths and canceling our plans by sending us people with claims and petitions. We may pass them by, preoccupied with our more important tasks as the priest passed by the man who had fallen among thieves, perhaps–reading the Bible…

It is a strange fact that Christians and even ministers frequently consider their work so important and urgent that they will allow nothing to disturb them. They think they are doing God a service…

But it is part of the discipline of humility that we must not spare our hand where it can perform a service and that we do not assume that our schedule is our own to mange, but allow it to be arranged by God.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) in Life Together (New York: Harper One, 1954) 99.

This week I had many interruptions. When I cried to the Lord, disappointed by my perceived lack of productivity, He sweetly led me to pick up Bonhoeffer (no kidding, it was sitting in my wife’s reading stack!) and read the chapter on “ministry”. I was convicted when I stumbled on this quote.

Generosity is making myself available to do “acts of helpfulness” like the Good Samaritan. The schedule of my life is not “mine” as it too belongs to God. I am learning that the “acts of helpfulness” trump anything on “my” agenda in importance, and God will help me sort all the other stuff because He is good.

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Genesis 1:28

“It is critical for us to understand that God created a world with vast resources and not scarcity and that he intended for us to be stewards and not owners. Without this foundational understanding, it becomes very difficult for us to live a life of freedom that is overflowing with generosity because our worldview and hence behavior will be based on scarcity. I believe the greatest lie the devil has managed to get mankind to believe is that we live in a world that has scarce resources…

The very worldview of scarcity is one that questions the goodness of God. How can a loving Father create children and place them in an earth that does not have enough resources for them to survive? The poverty spirit that we see in avenging people and nations comes out of the belief that God created a world with scarcity. This spirit stops those with more than enough from sharing with those without because it makes them fearful for their security and provision into the future and hence keeps them bonded into captivity to Mammon.”

Patrick Kuwana in “Freedom to Live the Generous Life as God’s Stewards” in Christ-Centered Generosity: Global Perspectives on the Biblical Call to a Generous Life (Colbert: GGN & KLP) 103-104.

Kuwana is spot on! What we believe impacts how we live, and if we believe “the greatest lie” that we live in a world of scarcity, we will never exhibit generosity! Additionally, we will become a slave to whatever we think we own (a.k.a. “Mammon” in Matthew 6:24). How has scarcity shaped your thinking and behavior related to the handling of resources? What is the pathway to life and freedom?

Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you. James 5:1-6

“It’s easy for me to think of people who have a lot more than I do when it comes to texts like these. My mind wants to turn to those who own multiple houses and have all the toys and take all the trips and stay in all the best places. It’s precisely the wrong move when it comes to texts like these. James does not want us to call to mind the proverbial 1%. James wants the slideshow running through our minds to turn to refugees driven from their homes and country, children sold into slavery, widows, orphans, single moms, the mentally ill, the imprisoned, the aging and alone and so forth. James wants us to be convicted about the way we judge the poor for the money they spend on cigarettes and lottery tickets as we flash our Starbucks gift card at the register in exchange for yet another five dollar latte.

The rich aren’t people who have more than we do. If you are reading this reflection, chances are the rich are you. At least I am coming to grips with the fact that the rich are me. I absolutely hate writing stuff like this. Probably more than my readers hate reading it. But just as we welcome the encouragement that comes from the Word of God, we must open ourselves to its confrontation and critique.

So what are we to do? The easy thing is to endure the brief storm of self shaming that inevitably comes from such confrontation. We can feel bad about what we have, the relative luxury in which we live and the seductive self-indulgence of our lifestyles. The truth? That will accomplish nothing of consequence. Repentance has much less to do with how bad we feel about ourselves and much more to do with how bad we feel about the brokenness of others. Repentance doesn’t so much look like me selling my stuff so I can give the money to the poor—though that is not a bad thing—as it looks like like every day responsible relationships with people in need. It’s not about keeping my self indulgence in check. It’s about learning to give myself away. When I begin to love people in need as I love myself, self indulgence will take care of itself.”

J.D. Walt in “How Self Indulgence Wins and How It Loses” Seedbed Daily Text for 3 February 2016.

I read J.D. Walt’s blog daily and commend it to everyone. He is a close, personal friend! Let’s consider his last words again: “When I begin to love people in need as I love myself, self indulgence will take care of itself.”

What would it look like for you to love someone in need as you love yourself? Acting on your answer to that question is precisely what it means to love your neighbor and what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Go and do likewise (cf. Luke 10:25-37).

My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4

“Another time I was working in the laundry, and the sister opposite, while washing handkerchiefs, repeatedly splashed me with dirty water. My first impulse was to draw back and wipe my face, to show the offender I should be glad if she would behave more quietly; but the next minute I thought how foolish it was to refuse the treasures God offered me so generously, and I refrained from betraying my annoyance. On the contrary, I made such efforts to welcome the shower of dirty water, that at the end of half an hour I had taken quite a fancy to this novel kind of aspersion, and I resolved to come as often as I could to the happy spot where such treasures were freely bestowed.”

Thérèse de Lisieux in Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux (Washington DC: ICS Publications, 1996) 250.

So you have to hear the back story on this quote.

It was yesterday morning. Both Jenni and were at home getting over a cold. Snow has piled up outside. I will work from home. Jenni’s soul care sessions were cancelled as they were with teachers at school who had a snow day.

I said, “Who should I read this morning?” She said, “Read the little flower, Thérèse de Lisieux.” So I read a few excerpts of this book and found this gem. I said, “Jenni, read this. It’s great.”

She replies, “That’s a perfect meditation. Snow days. Traffic. Being splashed with water. These are all generous gifts from God to slow us down to see other things. They are not part of our plan, so we see them a as bother.”

Should you find yourself buried in snow, stuck in traffic, or even splashed by water, remember, to see it as a “happy spot” like Thérèse (and my wife) would call it, where you just might find generous treasures God has for you!

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3

“We must be poor in spirit. Poverty of spirit is more than material poverty. We may be without many possessions yet possessed by cravings for countless things. That craving makes us restless. A restless heart is mirrored in a restless spirit in a mind flooded by vain images that ceaselessly emerge from uncurbed desires. The spirit of poverty frees our minds from the turmoil of idle musings by lessening our attachment to things as ultimate.

Material poverty is more familiar to us than poverty of spirit. Being reared in a materialistic society, we are inclined to understand all things–even religious poverty–in a merely materialistic way…Poverty of spirit makes us present to God alone. It carries us beyond the idols we have set up in life and breaks their hold on our feelings, thoughts, and fantasies…The more steadfastly we walk in the light of poverty, the more we gain in awareness that there is no other than He.”

Adrian Van Kaam in Spirituality and the Gentle Life (Danville: Dimension, 1974) 60-61.

Generally speaking, Westerners (as Van Kaam rightly notes) are really uncomfortable talking about poverty of spirit because of the materialistic society that permeates all aspects of our lives. We hold tightly to and think we can’t live without “things” and the irony is that Jesus offers the kingdom to those willing to let go of everything.

So what’s this have to do with generosity? Jesus is inviting us to embrace poverty of spirit, which means letting go of idols and holding on to Him alone. This becomes the foundation for our generosity. Only as we are content in Him, can we live open-handed and generous with everything else that comes to us.

Lent is coming. It’s a great season for learning to let go of things.

Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand! Matthew 11:15

“It is God’s intention that our lives should be a seamless manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). He has made abundant provision for His indwelling our lives in the here and now. Appropriate attention to the care of our souls through His empowerment will yield this rich spiritual fruit and deliver us from the sad list of “deeds of the flesh” (Galatians 5:19-21). We can be channels of the grace of the risen Christ, and through our ministerial activities–speaking, praying, healing, administering–He can minister to others. But we must attend to the means of His grace in practical and specific ways to experience His life into and through our lives.”

Dallas Willard in The Great Omission: Reclaiming Jesus’ Essential Teachings on Discipleship (New York: Harper Collins, 2006) 124-125.

For our lives to exhibit the fruit of generosity we must give “appropriate attention to the care of our souls.” If you are like me, and you move at a fast pace, this calls for rhythms that teach you to slow down. These must be learned with practice.

We are only about ten days away from the season of Lent when we will practice such rhythms. Start thinking now. What you will fast from so that you can feast more on Jesus? What will you sacrifice so that you can share with the poor? What will cut out of your schedule so that you can spend more time in prayer?

With regard to the care of our souls, we must take care to practice such rhythms regularly to allow Jesus to fill us with His grace “in practical and specific ways” Why? So we are sure to become generous “channels of the grace of the risen Christ”!