Meditations

“We live in an acquisitive, narcissistic culture. From an early age we have been socialized to measure our worth according to the impressiveness of our possessions and our security according to our financial holdings. By contrast, Jesus warns his followers of the spiritual danger of money: “‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:20-21) It requires immense spiritual strength and the support of a counter-cultural community of faith to resist the lure of measuring one’s life according to riches.”

Craig L. Nessan in “A Well-Formed Stewardship Leader is Grounded in Biblical and Theological Principles” as part of a larger collection entitled How Much is Enough? A Deeper Look at Stewardship in an Age of Abundance ed. Catherine Malotky (Columbia, SC, 2011) 13.

Does your church teach counter-cultural, biblical stewardship? Do your friends encourage counter-cultural obedience to Christ with regard to handling riches?

We must not allow ourselves to be fooled. Let’s shape our world together by living differently with God’s help!

“The great paradox of life is that those who lose their lives will gain them. This paradox becomes visible in very ordinary situations. If we cling to our friends, we may lose them, but when we are non-possessive in our relationships, we will make many friends. When fame is what we seek and desire, it often vanishes as soon as we acquire it, but when we have no need to be known, we might be remembered long after our deaths. When we want to be in the center, we easily end up on the margins, but when we are free enough to be wherever we must be, we find ourselves often in the center. Giving away our lives for others is the greatest of all human arts. This will gain us our lives.”

Henri Nouwen (1932-1996) in Bread for the Journey entry for April 30 (San Francisco: Harper, 1997).

I read this over and over. Nouwen sounds so much like Jesus with these statements.

God help me live according to these paradoxical realities so that my relationships, my influence, and my destiny remain solely in your capable hands rather than get all messed up in mine.

“God of heaven and earth, we pray for your kingdom to come, for your will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Teach us to see our vocations and occupations as woven into your work in the world this week. For mothers at home who care for children, for those whose labor forms our common life in this city, the nation and the world, for those who serve the marketplace of ideas and commerce, for those whose creative gifts nourish us all, for those whose callings take them into the academy, for those who long for employment that satisfies their souls and serves you, for each one we pray, asking for your great mercy. Give us eyes to see that our work is holy to you, O Lord, even as our worship this day is holy to you. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

Steve Garber in Visions of Vocation: Common Grace for the Common Good (Downers Grove: IVP, 2014) 239.

Steve Garber, another one of the speakers at this gathering in Minneapolis, offers us this prayer in his new book. In a word, it is a prayer for perspective.

Perspective to see ourselves, our work and our world through the lens of a working God who has called us to bring Him glory and reflect His generosity through our work, whatever it may be. May this “Prayer for Vocations” open your eyes to this perspective today.

“A large stewardship of our calling in the workplace is faithfully showing up every day and demonstrating to others around us our good in and through our work. Seeking to live out a faithful presence in our workplaces means that we incarnate the gospel by doing good work and being exemplary workers. It means that we extend common grace to our coworkers and our customers and seek their good. As image-bearers of God, who is a worker, we must remember that our work has intrinsic value in itself and is to be an act of worship. We also must grasp that our work has instrumental value in that it provides for our economic needs, allows us to care for the needs of others, and creates a sphere of influence for the gospel to be lived out and shared.”

Tom Nelson in Work Matters: Connecting Sunday Worship to Monday Work (Wheaton: Crossway, 2011) 60.

Our work has both intrinsic and instrumental value. Tom Nelson is spot on! Intrinsically, when we put to work the gifts and abilities in our stewardship, we bring glory and honor to God. But it does not stop there. We are positioned to be conduits of blessing.

Instrumentally, our work positions us to care for our needs and that of our family members, as well as the needs of others, such as our neighbor, others within our community of faith, or the poor. As resources are generated from our work, we are also positioned to advance the gospel.

What is emerging in the discussions I am participating in with people like Tom Nelson this weekend is the role of God’s leaders in helping people maximize this aspect of their stewardship for God’s glory. We are also discussing best practices for doing this in local church settings.

As I reflect on Scriptures like Colossians 3:23, read books like Work Matters and listen to dialogue on this topic, I am learning that I must model and teach God’s people that our work has both intrinsic and instrumental value.

“My life and my whole eternity belongs to God. All this stuff is temporary. Money, fame, success…temporary. Even life is temporary…Jesus…that’s eternal…in our every day lives there’s always this opportunity to explain your faith to people who are not believers…We don’t feel like we’re shoving any religion down anyone’s throats…We’re just being ourselves.”

Willie Robertson, CEO of Duck Commander made famous on the TV series Duck Dynasty in Fox News interview with Sasha Bogursky on 19 March 2014.

Over the next three days I am with a group of EFCA pastors and lay leaders in Minneapolis discussing how to best integrate our faith and our work. I love how the Robertson’s do it unashamedly.

If you’ve never watched Duck Dynasty, check out an episode or two. Our family has enjoyed how real families like the Robertson’s of West Monroe, LA, make a living selling great duck calls while also fearlessly living out their faith. While success could tempt them to value the temporal over the eternal, they choose to treasure Jesus over all else.

As the Robertson’s put it: Fear God. Love you neighbor. Hunt ducks.

“No matter what the motive, research shows that generosity directly benefits the well-being of those who give. A study from the University of Oregon demonstrated that for many participants, giving activates the same pleasure centers of the brain as receiving. The conclusion is that generosity brings happiness, longevity and popularity. Another research study reported that human beings appear to be genetically disposed to be happiest when they are selflessly giving to others. We tend to be unhealthy when we are devoted to self-gratification. People who emphasize service to others and connection to community, show a pattern of gene expression that results in less inflammation and stronger immunity.”

Lilya Wagner in “Giving Really is More Blessed!” in Dynamic Steward Journal, Jan-Mar 2014, volume 18, number 1, page 15.

It’s it great that cutting edge research reveals that God made us to give. As I get older, this doubly good news because I want to grow in generosity day by day and I am glad to know that such a lifestyle will actually contribute to my ongoing good health.

No wonder Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). When we give fulfill our purpose and imitate our Maker. I am convinced that we are never more like Christ than when we lovingly, cheerfully and sacrificially, give.

“God blesses each one of us with different gifts that are proportionate with our abilities and our surroundings. His ultimate goal is to bless us in order that we may be channels of His blessings to the world. Material prosperity is far from God’s greatest blessing. His generosity, however, is manifested in His grace, in His forgiveness, and in the outpouring of His Spirit. As we receive of His spiritual gifts, we are called to impart them to those around us. John 15:12-13 reminds us that a self sacrificing life lived for the benefit of others is the greatest expression of love–God’s greatest gift to us.”

Tim Nagy in “The Blessing of Blessing” in Dynamic Steward Journal, Jan-Mar 2014, volume 18, number 1, page 14.

This idea is transforming the hearts of Honduran leaders this week, and it’s valuable for all of us. Rather than focus on what we don’t have, let us be faithful with whatever God has proportionately measured out to us. In so doing, this will often position us for further provision from God and cause us to be channels of blessing to the world.

This advice was given to Ben Rae, a church planter as well as a stewardship and prayer director, from a million dollar giver.

“He shared with me how he came to the place where he was able to give away a million dollars in one year. Although he is a millionaire now, he had started giving generously as a young man when he had very little. He proceeded to share with me two pieces of biblical financial advice he has followed for years. He attributed his wealth to a large degree to these two principles–principles that I call “the million dollar advice.”

The first principle is to count every cent (keep a disciplined budget). The second principle is to be a generous giver (don’t be limited to 10%).

He said that he and his wife decided to do this when they started with nothing. They allocated a tiny “spending money” budget for themselves, stuck to their budget and were determined to give much more. He shared how in those days he kept a tally of their budget in a notebook. Today he keeps that as a memento, symbolizing the foundation of discipline that God gave him. That simple practice was foundational for their financial success.

Ben Rae in Dynamic Steward Journal, Jan-Mar 2014, volume 18, number 1, page 8.

I just love the simplicity and scalability of this, especially while teaching church and educational leaders in Honduras this week. Even when we start with nothing, our stewardship is linked to what we have and our generosity must not stop at a percentage. As we are blessed, we must carefully steward and generously share! Start small and let God grow it! What great biblical financial advice for the whole world!

“Generosity begins with God, not with us. Our generosity, whether it be with time, talent, or treasure, is first made possible because of God’s generosity. It was clearly seen in the sacrifice of Jesus. How ironic! Out of His poverty we are provided with opportunities to be rich with our own generosity. The danger, of course, lies in the temptation to assume that it is we who are generous. We must remember that generosity is not so much a virtuous act on our part, but rather a virtuous response to what God has done and is doing.”

Larry R. Evans in Dynamic Steward Journal, Jan-Mar 2014, volume 18, number 1, page 2.

Lord, open our eyes to see how generous you have been to us. In response, help us become people who receive from your abundance and go forth in this broken and hurting world as generous sharers. May this biblical thinking take root and bear fruit to help transform all who read this.

“God unmistakably connects caring for the poor to His own presence. When we are generous to the poor, we honor the Lord, bear His image, and reflect His heart. Conversely, when we neglect to do so, we taunt our Maker (Prov. 14:31).”

Rob Kuban in “The Poor: A Cornerstone of Christian Generosity” post on 4 December 2011 at Free Money Finance.

Jenni and I will be serving church and Christian school leaders in Honduras this week who are largely poor. Please pray for a safe and fruitful journey.

We are asking God to prepare our hearts for what He will teach us on this trip, because every time we endeavor to serve the poor we are blessed beyond whatever we offer.

Don’t neglect the poor around you but be generous to them. And don’t be surprised if the blessing you receive from Christ far outweighs your humble service.