Leo the Great: The conditions of this promise

“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Luke 6:38

“Be steadfast, Christian giver: give what you may receive, sow what you may reap, scatter what you may gather. Fear not to spend, sigh not over the doubtfulness of the gain. Your substance grows when it is wisely dispensed. Set your heart on the profits due to mercy, and traffic in eternal gains. Your Recompenser wishes you to be munificent, and He who gives that you may have, commands you to spend, saying, “Give, and it shall be given to you.” You must thankfully embrace the conditions of this promise. For although you have nothing that you did not receive, yet you cannot fail to have what you give.'”

Leo the Great (c.400-461) in Saints’ Quotes: Holy Quotations for Purification of the Soul, Collection on Alms.

The conditions of the promise are clear. We must be people who give, sow, scatter the resources God has supplied to us without fear or sighing knowing that the Recompenser will sort our reward.

Soak in the truth that we must give what we have, and give that we may have.

Then practice it, understanding the conditions of this promise. Please make a gift to GTP today. Please understand the connection. We are empowering national workers to do this in the poorest places and it’s transforming communities.

Soon our video of Malawi will be available. You will see for yourself.

When people give what they have and that they may have, it causes renewal, revival, and recompense. This is not to become prosperous or wealthy but to gain true riches that can only be gained through obedience and sharing.

What are you waiting for? Give what you have, that you may have. Use the measure of what God has given you.

Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road. Mark 10:46-52

“The best remedy for dryness of spirit, is to picture ourselves as beggars in the presence of God and the saints, and like a beggar, to go first to one saint, then to another, to ask a spiritual alms of them with the same earnestness as a poor fellow in the streets would ask an alms of us.”

Philip Neri (1515-1595) in Saints’ Quotes: Holy Quotations for Purification of the Soul, Collection on Alms.

I needed this post today. GTP has real needs, but I am realizing that more than staff or funding, I need deeper depth of insight. I need the remedy Neri speaks about. Perhaps you can relate?

Imagine if we everyone cared about gathering spiritual riches with the zeal that a beggar seeks alms, and with the zeal of Bartimaeus in today’s Scripture. We would be rich indeed.

May God help us, like Bartimaeus who was blind, have eyes to see Jesus for who He is and what He can do for us that no one else can do, regardless of the circumstances.

While six GTP staff have arrived in Cape Town (pictured above), we have other staff, regional facilitators, board members, and special guests awaiting passports, visas, and negative Covid tests.

Rather than worry or fear, I choose today to trust Jesus to have mercy on us, to teach us patience, and give us eyes to see His hand at work and His perfect plan unfold.

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. Revelation 3:17-18

“You therefore, who are rich and wealthy, buy for yourself of Christ gold tried by fire; that you may be pure gold, with your filth burnt out as if by fire, if you are purged by almsgiving and righteous works. Buy for yourself white raiment, that you who had been naked according to Adam, and were before frightful and unseemly, may be clothed with the white garment of Christ.'”

Cyprian of Carthage (c. 200-258) in Saints’ Quotes: Holy Quotations for Purification of the Soul, Collection on Alms.

In modern times, with uncertainty in the global economic situation, we commonly hear the exhortation to buy gold. This implies putting the money you possess in the safest possible earthly investment that will not go down in value.

That word picture applied in antiquity as well. It came from Jesus in His letter to Laodicea recorded by John in Revelation. To hold wealth was equated with blindness, to buy gold was to put it in the right place.

Cyprian spells it out further in his ancient sermon to the early church. He maps how to buy gold: almsgiving and righteous works. And most interesting to me today is the purpose clause in the Scripture in the Greek. Why do this?

It actually has three parts. Firstly, so you can become rich. The generosity actually makes you rich, providing you with white clothes. This points to purity of faith that has been proven by actions.

Secondly, generosity helps cover your nakedness. You don’t hear this often. Our Lord sees everything. Don’t be exposed as naked of righteous acts. You are “covered” with Christ when you live, give, serve, and love generously.

Thirdly, generosity provides the giver with salve for the eyes to see. As you do it, you have the ability over time to be able to see rightly. To have the clear vision for what needs to be done. You only get it through giving.

So, give to the poor, not in a manner that creates dependency, but to build them up as disciples. Do this and you will buy gold, become rich, get covered by Christ, and have clear vision. Give to GTP. Join our work lifting up the poor.

Remember the exhortation to buy gold comes to us from Christ Himself. He’s not forcing us but inviting us. Those who hear and obey find the life they are looking for, the life they always wanted. Buy gold today.

But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you. Luke 11:41

“Satisfaction consists in the cutting off of the causes of the sin. Thus, fasting is the proper antidote to lust; prayer to pride, to envy, anger and sloth; alms to covetousness.”

Richard of Chichester (1197-1253) in Saints’ Quotes: Holy Quotations for Purification of the Soul, Collection on Alms.

The famous pop song, “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction,” reveals that we can have everything the world offers and miss the one thing we are looking. Satisfaction is the added benefit to choosing lives of confession, fasting, and alms giving.

To clean out lust, we fast. To erase pride, envy, anger, and sloth, we pray. To address covetousness, we give to the poor. The benefit for engaging these practices comes into view as a counterintuitive bonus: we actually get satisfaction.

So fast, pray, and give alms. Give them generously to the poor and gain even more not as a handout that creates dependencies but as hand up that builds disciples. As Jesus put it, everything will be clean for you. Do it for your good and God’s glory.

We have capture video and photos to report on Palmful of Maize from Malawi. It’s been a remarkable journey traveling all over Malawi over the past week. Pray for the next leg of my journey. Heading to South Africa today.

When it’s available, I will share the video and trip report from our unforgettable experiences capturing the spread of the remarkable vision of Palmful of Maize in Malawi. With you.

With my mouth I will greatly extol the Lord; in the great throng of worshipers I will praise Him. For He stands at the right hand of the needy, to save their lives from those who would condemn them. Psalm 109:30-31

“There are many poor men and poor women: set apart some one constantly to remain there: let the poor man be though but as a guard to thy house: let him be to thee wall and fence, shield and spear. Where alms are, the devil dares not approach, nor any other evil thing. Let us not overlook so great a gain.”

John Chrysostom (347-407) in Saints’ Quotes: Holy Quotations for Purification of the Soul, Collection on Alms.

Read today’s Scripture again.

Notice, the Lord is so close to the poor that He stands at the right hand of the needy. As I journey in my walk with the Lord, I am realizing how much I need to have a poor person around me. Why? This seems odd you may ask.

Chrysostom gets what most of us, including myself, often miss. We find Christ in the poor as He Himself taught us.

Now read today’s meditation again and this time when says “the poor man” exchange it for “Christ” and discover the secret. Want Christ as guard to thy house? Want Christ as your wall and fence? Your shield and spear?

If you do, I will point the way. Give alms to GTP to serve the poor in Malawi.

We are praying for $80,000 to spread Palmful of Maize to the remaining 16 districts of Malawi. Stay tuned for a video to show the progress in 12 of the 26 districts.

Don’t overlook such great a gain.

Let Christ be as a guard to thy house! Christ sees your giving to the poor. We know this because He receives it as gifts to Him. Hold nothing back from our Lord Jesus Christ.

When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.” Matthew 2:13-15

“Do not complain then of your poverty, my daughter, we only complain of that which is unwelcome, and if poverty is unwelcome to you, you are no longer poor in spirit. Do not fret under such assistance as is needful; therein lies one great grace of poverty. It were overambitious to aim at being poor without suffering any inconvenience, in other words, to have the credit of poverty and the convenience of riches. Do not be ashamed of being poor, or of asking alms. Receive what is given you with humility, and accept a refusal meekly. Frequently call to mind our lady’s journey into Egypt with her holy child, and of all the poverty, contempt and suffering they endured. If you follow their example you will indeed be rich amid your poverty.”

Francis de Sales (1567-1622) in Saints’ Quotes: Holy Quotations for Purification of the Soul, Collection on Alms.

There’s a lot in this post, and it relates to all of us in general, and my situation in Malawi in particular.

To be called out of Egypt has often been understood by scholars narrowly as deliverance from slavery. This is quite accurate, but deeper study of Egypt reveals much more. Egypt was viewed in the ancient world as the place that had everything, not the least of which was the wealth of the world.

God called His Son out of that place to become poor so we might become rich. Soak in that.

Then consider the implications for your life. Most would describe leaving comfort and luxury as unwelcome. Alternatively, those who don’t leave affluence behind miss the point of our mission on earth. We are not here to accumulate wealth or store up treasures on earth. We are to enjoy and share blessings and use wealth to make friends for eternity.

Personally, I find myself in Malawi where people experience destitute poverty.

At GTP we celebrate that the Palmful of Maize program is bringing about nationwide mindset change from scarcity (focusing on what they don’t have) to abundance (giving thanks and using faithfully and generously what they do have). In plain terms, the mindset change moves them to be “rich amid poverty.”

Meanwhile many are rich who may be reading this but are no longer poor in spirit.

I am not pointing fingers but stating a fact and praying for mindset change in all who read this. And I am not ashamed to have insufficient resources to spread Palmful of Maize to 16 more districts (or states) in Malawi. At GTP, we want more than money, we want everyone reading this to have the mindset change. Become poor so that others might be rich amid poverty.

Put to work what you have in giving. Make a gift to GTP today.

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. Proverbs 3:27

‘When you can do good, defer it not, because alms delivers from death.”

Polycarp of Smyrna (69-155) in Saints’ Quotes: Holy Quotations for Purification of the Soul, Collection on Alms.

This Palmful of Maize journey is changing my life. That’s a big statement. Let me explain what I mean. When I first visited Malawi in December 2021, I met a warm and humble people that were both receptive to biblical teaching.

But they were also stuck. Their focus was off. The mindset looked at what they did not have. They were slaves to the scarcity mindset. So, when I challenged them to give God what they had, everything changed. If you are stuck, this is the solution.

I had no idea we could get the attention of the nation. But accomplishing that would cost me everything! We worked with the Sunday School Teacher’s United Movement who had a link to ever Sunday School class because they provide the curriculum.

We reasoned together that to reach 12 of the 28 districts in the country would cost $60,000. That was all we had in available funds at GTP. And, it would take six months. God was leading and it was within our power to do good.

We hired a team, Deployed them, and it’s worked. But we were aiming too low. We wanted to unleash generosity. God’s using this to draw a people tp Himself in faith. The generosity is winning souls to Christ.

On this trip we have visited 1 of 4 districts so far (pictured above) to get a sampling of the first fruits in the first 12. Pray for safe travel as we drive. Tomorrow we go from Lilongwe to Karonga, to Chitipa, back to Mzuzu, then Mzimba and back to Lilongwe. Find us on a map.

It’s about as remote as you can get. Revival is breaking out. Stay tuned for a video. The team needs two laptops, funds to visit the other 16 regions. Where will it come from? At GTP we gave God what we have. Now, we are praying others do the same.

And now I realize why Polycarp said this quote! The collection of maize from this poor church inspired 10 new families to come and 5 families have stayed saying they want to follow Jesus with their generous neighbors. The maize delivered them from death!

Praying that if you have resources you will give them to GTP today. Give big. $5,000 is the equivalent to transforming a village. $1,000 buys a laptop. $80,000 will help us spread the message to the rest of the nation. That’s a bargain from an eternal view.

Give as God leads you. Handful of Rice is replicating as Palmful of Maize in Malawi.

“You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Acts 20:34-35

“As far as you can, do some manual work so as to be able to give alms, for it is written that alms and faith purify from sin.”

Abba Poemen (340-450) in Saints’ Quotes: Holy Quotations for Purification of the Soul, Collection on Alms.

Today, Poemen echoes the example of Paul. We work so we have something to meet our needs and care for others. If we do extra work, let’s do it not to be able to spend more but share more.

This pattern transforms us. Poemen even uses the language that alms and faith purify us from sin. Let’s dig into this as it’s rich.

When we work and spend it all on ourselves, we get ourselves into trouble. As it is not God’s design, it can only lead to sin. It does not reflect the Christian faith. Alternatively, when we work and share, the process requires faith and it transforms us, over time, into the generous people God wants us to become.

That’s what happening with the people of Malawi. Join me in helping the weak today. We are on location in Malawi shooting video of the Palmful of Maize project. Pray for us. And make a gift to GTP as we’ve had some unexpected expenses. Thanks.

As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” Luke 21:1-4

“In the matter of piety, poverty serves us better than wealth, and work better than idleness, especially since wealth becomes an obstacle even for those who do not devote themselves to it.

Yet, when we must put aside our wrath, quench our envy, soften our anger, offer our prayers, and show a disposition which is reasonable, mild, kindly, and loving, how could poverty stand in our way? For we accomplish these things not by spending money but by making the correct choice.

Almsgiving above all else requires money, but even this shines with a brighter luster when the alms are given from our poverty. The widow who paid in the two mites was poorer than any human, but she outdid them all.”

John Chrysostom (347-407) in Saints’ Quotes: Holy Quotations for Purification of the Soul, Collection on Alms.

I am learning on my journey that what the widow does here is entrust herself to God’s care. This is always the correct choice. It’s never, ever easy, but God’s care is always faithful.

I have arrived in Ethiopia. Meeting up with Miemie Spies, our videographer from South Africa, and Ruthie Cristobal, GTP VP of Partnership and Communications, from the Philippines.

We will fly to Malawi today to travel the country gathering photos and video to report the progress of Palmful of Maize, the local giving project inspired by Handful of Rice.

When, out of their poverty, people give what they have to God, amazing things happen. At GTP we have invested what we have to help bring about the transformation of a nation.

Soon you will see and hear the stories. For now, I invite you to make the right choice. Don’t spend what you have today, but give it to God. Please make a gift to GTP for our work here.

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14

“You have to keep going. Life goes on; people die, but you must continue to live, to work, to struggle. The past cannot be recreated. Look at what is ahead.”

Henri Nouwen in A Letter of Consolation (New York, HarperCollins) 7.

I am mourning today. God called my mentor home yesterday. Dan Busby is with Jesus. Simultaneously, I celebrate that Dan has joined the great cloud of witnesses cheering us on from the heavenly stands.

Generous is our God who helps us press on despite the loss of precious people. I am sorry if you too have experienced such a lost. But we have hope thanks to the promise of the resurrection.

In the meantime, we need to keep going. Please say a prayer for me. Out of three Christian leaders, I have the privilege of running point on his memorial service. Register to attend here.

Dan taught me many things while living. One of his last lessons was teaching me how to die. I talked to the family tonight and they are thankful that he left his house in order.

Dan had most everything planned out, except what his three trusted friends will say in the service. God help me. God help us remember him in a way that lifts up Jesus.