Maximus the Confessor: Appreciation and Admission

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.

And [Jesus] told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:16-21

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 V2.29.70.

When you study passages like today’s Scripture, you see clearly the destructive power of rogue thoughts. The worst thing we can do is to think to ourselves like the rich man did. That leads to nothing but trouble.

When we think to ourselves our mind follows the way of the flesh instead of the way of the Spirit. So in the words of Theodore, we must “chastise hostile thoughts” and “slay them completely with the sword of prayer and divine meditation.”

Notice the giving that Theodore recommends regarding any wayward thoughts. We must be found “giving them no place.” Take time to think about how this relates to your generosity. If you examine your thoughts closely what do you see?

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Colossians 3:5

“If we want to make a river-bed dry, perhaps to investigate something of interest, it is no use drawing off the water in the particular place where we imagine the thing to be, since more water keeps flowing down. But if we cut off the flow from above, the river-bed becomes dry without any further effort on our part: the water automatically runs away, and so we can examine what interests us. Likewise, as soon as the senses are no longer supplying material from outside, it becomes easy to empty our mind of the impressions that produce the passions. But when the senses keep conveying a constant stream of impressions, it ‘is not just difficult but completely impossible to free the intellect from this inundation.”

Neilos of Sinai (d. 430) in Philokalia V1.232.

I am safely home.

But my mind is still with the children in the orphanages of Bangladesh (whose sandals are pictured above) and with the 14 leading accountants, lawyers, and professionals with whom I met in Mumbai, the financial capital of India.

In short, my mind is with those who need help and those who can help.

I spoke to the influencers and I am speaking now to you about the the heart of generosity. It relates to having a total change of mindset that guides the examination of your heart and life. You must cut off the flow to do this.

You must remove the inundation, as Neilos advises, to do proper investigation. Do this to allow God to change your heart and grow your generosity.

I had those 14 influencers cut off their phones and focus on ten steps they needed to make in their lives which cannot happen if the water continues to flow. If you want the handout I used with them, click here.

The same for you. You cannot examine what generosity looks like in your life without getting out of the flow, assessing your heart and your situation, and choosing to live, give, serve, and love differently.

When you remove the inundation to do proper investigation, you all the Holy Spirit to show you what needs to change and take those steps. Do download the handout and take steps today.

“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. Matthew 23:8

“In the spiritual life, more than anywhere else, the proper order and sequence must be observed from the start. Guests at a dinner may not like the introductory dishes and may feel more attracted by what comes later, but they are forced to comply with the order of the courses…

To become a true monk a man should not work backwards from the end to the beginning, but start at the beginning and so advance towards perfection. In this way he will himself gain what he seeks, and will also be able to guide his disciples to holiness. Most people, however, without exerting any effort or making any real progress, small or great, in the practice of virtue, simply chase after the status of spiritual director, not realizing how dangerous this is.

When others urge them to undertake the work of teaching, they do not refuse; indeed, they even wander about the back streets, recruiting anyone they find, and they promise all kinds of perquisites, as if making a contract with servants about food and clothing.

Spiritual directors of this kind like to appear in public supported by a large crowd of attendants, and to have all the outward pomp of an abbot, as if playing a part on the stage. So as not to lose the services of their disciples, they are forced to keep on gratifying their whims. They are like a charioteer who drops the reins and lets his horses go where they like.

Their disciples are allowed to run wild: carried away by their desires, they fall over precipices or stumble at every obstacle in their path, because there is no one to stop them or to restrain their disordered impulses.

Instead of doing this they ought to obey the true teacher Christ, and to refuse, as far as possible, to assume the direction of others. For He says to His disciples: ‘Do not be called Rabbi’, and if He admonished Peter and John and the rest of the apostles to avoid such work and to consider themselves unworthy of such a position, how can anyone imagine himself superior to them and claim for himself the office from which they were debarred?

For in saying ‘Do not be called Rabbi’, He does not mean that we are free to assume the office so long as we avoid the title. But what if someone, not from any choice of his own, is obliged to accept one or two disciples, and so to become the spiritual director of others as well?

First, let him examine himself carefully, to see whether he can teach them through his actions rather than his words, setting his own life before them as a model of holiness. He must take care that, through copying him, they do not obscure the beauty of holiness with the ugliness of sin.

He should also realize that he ought to work as hard for his disciples’ salvation as he does for his own; for, having once accepted responsibility for them, he will be accountable to God for them as well as for himself.”

Neilos of Sinai (d. 430) in Philokalia 1.157.

What does our example as spiritual directors and teachers have to do with generosity? Everything.

In my last day in Mumbai, I had the privilege of speaking to 14 of the leading accountants, lawyers, and professionals in the city, thanks to the hosting of chartered accountant, Raja B. Singh.

I spoke on the heart of generosity, giving deep biblical instruction in an interactive format.

All the while, I acknowledged that I had made ever mistake, committed every sin, and learned each stewardship lesson the hard way. I shared the lessons I had learned by experience.

Why take this posture? In the words of Nilus of Sinai from the classic work, Philokalia, this is the “order of the courses.” We are learners who help each other on the journey that has but one teacher, Christ.

I have discovered on yet another stretching trip about the faithfulness and generosity of God. And also that I am accountable for the growth of those I serve.

I aimed to teach them by my actions and they reported things they learned. I saw growth in Prakash Chandra Giri, GTP Curriculum Developer from Nepal, and in Rebecca Nilanjana, GTP Regional Facilitator for South Asia.

Let me know if you’d like a copy of the India and Bangladesh trip reports. I’m headed home now. I am not the same person I was when I left. The hard trips change me.

Following the order of the courses, form me into a true monk, Lord. I pray your hard times transform you too.