Meditations

“God can have our money and not have our hearts, but he cannot have our hearts without having our money.”

R. Kent Hughes, former pastor of College Church in Wheaton, IL, as recounted by Ron Blue in Master Your Money (Chicago: Moody, 2004) 19.

We demonstrate that God has our hearts by deploying His money to the things He cares about rather than stockpiling it for ourselves. This also demonstrates our trust is in Him rather than ourselves to secure our future. Does God have our hearts?

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:21

“First of all, God has the right to whatever He wants, whenever He wants it. It is all His because an owner has rights; I, as a steward only have responsibilities. I may receive some benefits while maintaining my responsibilities, but the owner retains ownership…

The second implication of God owning it all is that not only is my giving decision a spiritual decision, but every spending decision is a spiritual decision. There is nothing more spiritual than buying a car, taking a vacation, buying food, paying off debt, paying taxes, and so on. These are all responsible uses of His resources…

The third implication of the truth that God owns it all is that you can’t fake stewardship. Your checkbook [or bank statement] reveals all that you really believe about stewardship. Your life story could be written from your checkbook [or bank statement]…Faith requires action!”

Ron Blue in Master Your Money (Chicago: Moody, 2004) 22-26.

Thanks to a Lilly grant and the collaboration of Northern Seminary, Indiana Wesleyan University, and the video experts of Seedbed.com at Asbury Theological Seminary, I started work on the production of a biblical stewardship curriculum with outlines, suggested teaching materials, and short videos.

I have been asked to draw on many of Blue’s practical resources for this project. In reviewing them, I appreciate his clarity. He writes like a modern-day John Wesley: We have responsibilities, every decision is a spiritual decision, and we can’t fake it! Why should we understand and practice biblical stewardship principles? We are writing our life story and faith requires action. Do I hear an “Amen?”

“Let every one who readeth these words, narrowly search his own heart. Where hast thou laid up thy treasure hitherto? Where art thou laying it up now? Art thou labouring to be rich toward God, or to lay up earthly goods which takes up the greater part of thy thoughts? Thou that art careful for outward things, diligent in doing good, and exact in outward duties. Beware of covetousness; of decent, honourable love of money; and of a desire to lay up treasures on earth.

Lay up treasure in heaven! A few days hence, thou wilt step into a land of darkness; where earthly fruits will be of no avail; where thou wilt not be capable of eating and drinking, or gratifying any of thy senses. What benefit wilt thou then receive from all thou hast laid up in this world? What satisfaction in all which thou hast treasured up, all thou hast left behind thee? What? Couldest thou then take nothing with thee into the everlasting habitations? Nay then, lay up treasure, before thou go hence, which fadeth not away.”

John Wesley in On Worldly Folly 119.2.9. Wesley preached this sermon on the Rich Fool in Luke 12 at Balham, February 19, 1790. Whether or not you make it to church today, this sermon is not too long and well worth reading.

In the crowd of voices that speak on biblical stewardship and Christian generosity today, I find that few practice or preach what Jesus teaches with regard to laying up treasure in heaven. Most foolishly store them up on earth. On this issue, I echo the response of Wesley from Causes of the Inefficacy of Christianity 116.19:

“I call God to record upon my soul, that I advise no more than I practice. I do, blessed be God, gain, and save, and give all I can. And so, I trust in God, I shall do, while the breath of God is in my nostrils. But what then? I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus my Lord!”

Let every one who reads these words, narrowly search his or her own heart because it is not our beliefs but rather our actions that display where we are placing our trust.

“Generosity is paradoxical, those who give, receive back in turn…By giving ourselves away, we ourselves move toward flourishing…The generosity paradox can also be stated in the negative. By grasping onto what we currently have, we lose out on better goods that we might have gained. In holding onto what we possess we diminish its long-term value to us.

By always protecting ourselves against future uncertainties and misfortunes, we are affected in ways that make us more anxious about uncertainties and vulnerable to future misfortunes. In short, by failing to care for others, we do not properly take care of ourselves. It is no coincidence that the word “miser” is etymologically related to the word “miserable”…

For our purposes, by generosity we mean the virtue of giving good things to others freely and abundantly. Generosity thus conceived is a learned character that involves both attitudes and actions…what exactly generous people give can vary: money, possessions, time, attention, aid, encouragement, emotional availability, and more…”

Christian Smith and Hilary Davidson in The Paradox of Generosity: Giving We Receive, Grasping wWe Lose (Oxford: OUP, 2014) 1-4.

I am officially declaring a season of jubilee–50 days with no air travel–for the first time since my doctoral journey began eight years ago. Thankfully this jubilee begins with a celebration. I signed a contract this week linked to the publishing of my Ph.D. dissertation for scholarly readers in the BBRS series. It will be released sometime in 2015.

For this jubilee, I am giving the LORD the next 50 days, making myself available to God, to my wife, my family, and my friends. I plan to give myself to four disciplines: prayer (focusing on listening), study (responding with writing), solitude (taking time to rest), and celebration (reflecting on God’s gifts to me). My work and daily meditations will continue as usual during this season. I just won’t be traveling.

Why share all this? I guess to invite you to join me. Consider giving yourself to God anew and afresh with me. The paradox of such an act of generosity is the more we give ourselves to God, the more we get of Him. The more we give ourselves to those we love, the more we gain. It’s a paradox. Let the jubilee begin!

“There is a difference between temporal time (our time on this earth) and eternal time (eternity with God). When you view time as a gift and understand your temporal time is fleeting you will live your life differently. Time goes so quickly, you need to cherish every moment and live with a purpose. When you wake up every day and ask “Ok, God, what are we going to do today?” You will use each day as if it were a gift from God to you.

The eternal perspective helps you get through the troubles of your days because you know in light of eternity, our problems are momentary. When you live for God, you know you can get through your temporary problems because you know you will have eternity with God.”

Dennis Baril in “Time is a Gift, Use it Wisely” blog post dated 20 February 2011.

Yesterday was my second “snow day” and while I still wished I was pheasant hunting with friends in North Dakota, God blessed me with another gift. The gift of time with a friend whose health is failing. His name is Scott Loe. Scott’s been battling kidney failure for about four years. Over that time I’ve had the privilege of picking up a couple Subway sandwiches and taking them to his place for lunch about once a month. We’ve laughed together and cried together. Over a 6″ black forest ham and cheese sub, we have talked about everything from the Bible to Major League Baseball.

Yesterday, a mutual friend, Tom Assmus, kindly texted me and told me that he had just visited Scott who seemed to be, in Baril’s words, nearing the end of his temporal time. I was so thankful to be able to go over to his house to say goodbye. Scott was lucid for only a few minutes. I reminded him of what he would soon experience, eternity with God and relief from pain, and with his wife Mindy by his side, we prayed for a merciful end to his suffering. Scott has taught me a lot these past four years about waiting patiently for the Lord and enduring suffering, and now I find myself overwhelmed with the realization that time is a gift of God.

The question for each of us is this: How will we use the gift of time?

Come and hear, all you who fear God; let me tell you what He has done for me. Psalm 66:16

“How our life has been sheltered at dangerous times! What good directions have been given us by the word and example of others. What invitations to make ourselves well acquainted with Christ and His service, and with the peace which His faithful servants are permitted to possess! Whatever the result may have been, surely no thoughtful mind can hesitate to regard with thankfulness such providential care as one of the highest benefits which God hath conferred upon the soul.

And especially let the mind dwell upon this providential care as intended for the discipline and training of the character for some real usefulness in life — as something intended to make us more thoughtful, more watchful, less frivolous, and less selfish — something to give us the rare blessing of a right and well-balanced mind, so that we may be helpful to our friends, and that they may learn from us the lesson which we ourselves have been taught.”

John Saul Howson (1816-1885) Dean of Chester, from his comments on Psalm 66:16-20 entitled “Gratitude and Generosity.”

Today I celebrate the gift of God’s providential care. I was not supposed to be home yesterday morning when the distress call came from our daughter, Sophie, who had spun in circles and slid of the road in the wintry, icy conditions here in Littleton, Colorado. While I am sad I missed out on North Dakota pheasant hunting, I am thankful God changed my plans so that I was home and available to come to her aid in the storm.

As I consider Psalm 66:16 with Howson, I conclude that reflecting on God’s providential care fills my heart with thankfulness and inspires me to be “more thoughtful, more watchful, less frivolous, and less selfish” because God has been so faithful to look out for my needs, to hear my cries for help, and to come to my aid in the storms of life. God, make us a thankful, generous people eager to do what is good.

“Your sense of security must not rest in your possessions or in things going your way. I am training you to depend on Me alone, finding fulfillment in My presence. This entails being satisfied with much or with little, accepting either as My will for the moment. Instead of grasping and controlling, you are learning to release and receive. Cultivate this receptive stance by trusting Me in every situation.”

Sarah Young in Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2004) reading for November 7.

I was supposed to head to North Dakota to go pheasant hunting today and numerous factors in addition to the weather thwarted my plans. I release them and receive the gift of whatever else God has in store for me over the next four days. God is so good, I am certain these “snow” days will be filled with wonderful blessings.

T.C. Johnstone meets with lots of people when he produces videos of stories linked to generosity for Generous Giving. Yesterday T.C. presented this list: “THINGS I LOOK FOR IN A GOOD GENEROSITY STORY.” These statements represent traits or characteristics of people he sees who exhibit Christian generosity.

• They view circumstances counter culturally. What the mainstream says to do, they are often doing the opposite.
• They reach into the wounds of life instead of shying away from them.
• They are in relationship with people who don’t follow Jesus.
• They give the best of who they are and what they have, not just the overflow.
• They love past the people who love them.
• They “Live and Give” out of their God given identity. They know what they are good at.
• They give out of a understand of how God has given to them.
• They are “living” a story worth telling.
• They rarely want their story told. They don’t call attention to themselves. I have to do that.
• They don’t expect or look for reward. They have a deep understanding of God’s applause.
• They don’t “find” fulfillment in giving. They find fulfillment in Christ. It’s not philanthropy.
• Giving is a lifestyle and it effects the way they live. Cars, home, time, family, relationships. I can learn more by spending a day with them then anything they tell me.

T.C. Johnstone serves on a team of amazing people at Generous Giving who tell stories and urge people to reflect on Scripture to inspire people to grow in the grace of giving. It’s been a privilege to interact with them in Dallas.

Another team member and a friend, Matt Mancinelli, revealed yesterday that they have developed an app on the iTunes store called “Generous Giving JOG Resources” that gives people a tool to tell others about Generous Giving and it provides resources at your fingertips for hosting JOG (Journey of Generosity) events. Download it today, but don’t stop there!

As we consider T.C.’s list, let us take a moment and thank God if one or more of the statements above reflect our stories. For each of the statements that don’t, let’s ask the Holy Spirit to mold and shape those areas of our lives to conform to Christ. Amen?

“The Lord of all will next inquire, “How didst thou employ the worldly goods which I lodged in thy hands? Didst thou use thy food, not so as to seek or place thy happiness therein, but so as to preserve thy body in health, in strength and vigour, a fit instrument for the soul? Didst thou use apparel, not to nourish pride or vanity, much less to tempt others to sin, but conveniently and decently to defend thyself from the injuries of the weather? Didst thou prepare and use thy house, and all other conveniences, with a single eye to my glory — in every point seeking not thy own honour, but Mine; studying to please, not thyself, but Me once more?

In what manner didst thou employ that comprehensive talent, money — not in gratifying the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eye, or the pride of life; not squandering it away in vain expenses — the same as throwing it into the sea; not hoarding it up to leave behind thee — the same as burying it in the earth; but first supplying thy own reasonable wants, together with those of thy family; then restoring the remainder to me, through the poor, whom I had appointed to receive it; looking upon thyself as only one of that number of poor, whose wants were to be supplied out of that part of my substance which I had placed in thy hands for this purpose; leaving thee the right of being supplied first, and the blessedness of giving rather than receiving Wast thou accordingly a general benefactor to mankind feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, comforting the sick, assisting the stranger, relieving the afflicted, according to their various necessities?

Wast thou eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame, a father to the fatherless, and an husband to the widow. And didst thou labour to improve all outward works of mercy, as means of saving souls from death?”

John Wesley (1703-1791) in “The Good Steward” Sermon 51.3.5.

One of my comments for Sammy while we have been away together this past weekend has been to ask him about the situations in which he finds himself and the choices that he has daily. Why? My prayer for him is to live in a state of readiness to give an account for his stewardship.

So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God. Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. Romans 14:12-13

Today I am flying to Dallas to attend meetings hosted by Generous Giving. What I love most about Generous Giving is that their JOG (Journey of Generosity) retreats have helped thousands of people ask the kinds of questions put forth by Wesley. The JOG events provide people with margin and motivation to make decisions that prepare them to give an account for their stewardship to God.

The true “prosperity gospel” is “. . . all about the great blessing of giving and living self-sacrificially and how freeing it is to be trusting God day to day for life and all of its necessities.”

Ben Witherington III in Jesus and Money: A Guide for Times of Financial Crisis (Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2010) 77. This quote is another winner from Dave Rowland’s research paper.

I am pheasant hunting this weekend with my son, Sammy. We are having a great time together. Many might look at him as college student who is “prospering” because he is learning to be “independent”, and what I see is a young man who is doing well because he is learning that life is all about serving other sacrificially and being “dependent” on God for everything.