P.K.D. Lee and Pauline Daniel: Repentance from riches

“What should we do then?” the crowd asked. John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.” Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?” “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them. Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?” He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.” Luke 3:10-14

“[John the Baptist] was called for a change in a person’s attitude towards God that affected their actions and life choices. Thus the evidence of their repentance would be that the wealthy would share with those who did not have enough, and those in power would cease oppressing and extorting those under them. That is, they were to turn from a lifestyle of self-seeking pursuit of wealth to a lifestyle of generous sharing of wealth.

What is repentance that will bring about such a lifestyle change. Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:24). The repentance is from service to money or material things. What does it mean to serve wealth? It means to trust and depend on wealth, and to see it as the provider for your needs.

So Jesus is saying that you either see God as your provider or you see wealth as your provider. You cannot hold both beliefs… Essentially Jesus was saying that one could not enter the kingdom of God while loving money and trusting it for their day to day lives. So the repentance called for is a repentance from trust in money and material things.”

P.K.D. Lee and Pauline Daniel in Generosity: It’s not about Money but Attitude (Chennai: Lifeoscope, 2017) 12-13.

Lee gave a passionate talk at The Generosity Summit 3.0 in Chennai and mentioned this theme which caught my attention. The thrust of the repentance narratives aims at where people place their trust. We can only put it in one spot. He also quoted Luke 6:46 with zeal, when Jesus said this pointedly to His followers. “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” 

For Jesus, the Christian faith must be lived out with integrity. This comes keenly into view in countries with much poverty like India. Those who say they trust God must handle money obediently by enjoying and sharing it. If our lives show we serve money, we actually do more harm to the name of Christ than good because they appear as hypocrites. How can we tell if we serve money?

Financial statements tell the story. Would yours show you have stored up wealth for yourself? If so that’s precisely what Jesus said not to do. And if you serve with a ministry, what would your ministry financial statements reveal? Would they show that you are holding on to money for financial sustainability? Jesus would again tell you that your trust is misplaced. You might rank among those crying “Lord, Lord” that He sends away (Matthew 7:21-23).

My comments here are but a snippet of our conversations here in India. In the face of such dense and widespread destitution, it comes into view as unthinkable for those with more than their basic needs met to keep their surplus for themselves. Also pictured above is a snapshot I took from a cab driving along Marina Beach in Chennai en route to the airport to fly to Bangalore (Bengaluru).

Starting today, I facilitate 4 consultations in 4 cities in 4 days with up to 100 ministry administrators, accountants, legal and other professionals at each one. In short, we will explore the biblical foundation for faithful financial administration and how following standards of responsible stewardship can help restore and preserve God’s reputation while also rallying greater generosity nationwide.

Pray with me for an awakening in accountability across India for God’s glory.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. Philippians 2:3-4

“Generosity is a response of love in recognizing God’s ownership of all things, and His grace to us in giving salvation and blessings, and this generosity leads to a positive view of people and situations resulting in putting others before self and sharing of time, money, and resources.”

National Generosity Network, India definition of “generosity” in Generosity Through The Bible (Chennai: Lifeoscope, 2018) 3.

The Generosity Summit 3.0 in Chennai has been a rich, learning experience for me. I received this booklet and deeply appreciate this definition. Let me expound on three elements of it.

That “generosity is a response of love” reminds us that our generosity finds its roots in God’s generosity to us. How has God been generous to you today? Give thanks for material and spiritual blessings.

God forms in us a “positive view of people and situations” as we realize that God has saved and blessed us to love and serve others. Who might you minister to today? As a conduit for God, scatter His kindness.

In “putting others before self and sharing of time, money, and resources” we appear with humility like our Lord Jesus Christ. What can you share with those around you? Put to work whatever you have.

So far, my brothers and sisters in Christ here in India are teaching me about the “materiality” of loving generosity. Jesus desires that we dispense the love of God in tangible, selfless ways to people. Will you?

Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 1 Timothy 6:9

“An insatiable appetite for wealth will only make you miserable. I intend to save your from being endlessly unsatisfied, irrelevant, selfish, and shallow. I’m calling you to find your joy not in amassing more for yourself but in giving more away — in giving yourself away.

By no means am I suggesting that you impoverish yourself; I’m showing you how to avoid impoverishing yourself… As you set your heart on Me, confident in My goodness, pouring out that confidence through a wealth of good works serving others, you will accumulate that which will enrich you forever.”

Nancy Guthrie in Abundant Life Day Book: 365 Blessings to Begin Your Day (Carol Stream: Tyndale House, 2011) June 6.

My journey in India began with a beautiful morning, driving on roads (with few lines) filled with cars, motorcycles, animals, and people going every direction. The air was filled with noises. People were adorned with rich colors. The photo above from the back seat of a car gives you a glimpse of my adventure. Each person I have met has been very kind to me, and for that I am deeply grateful.

Traveling internationally to new places always stretches me. Regardless of the place, my thoughts can range from captivation to suspicion. You may be surprised by what I enjoy most about it. I find peace in the zone of communion with Jesus. It’s indescribable! When I return to comfortable surrounds, I realize how easy it is to assimilate to the culture, get distracted from perpetual communion with Him, and be drawn to endless emptiness.

When we give ourselves away wherever God leads us, when we move out of our comfort zones, and when we set our hearts on the Lord, we move to places only possible through dependence on Him. There we learn new things, meet new people, and we are not overcome by our surrounds. Only then can we see the world for what it is: much that swirls around us seeks to impoverish us.

We can avoid becoming impoverished by setting our affections on Christ and allowing Him to produce a “wealth of good works” through us. If it sounds crazy, you really only figure it out as you live it out. Here’s my best advice: Leave your comfort zone. Take your kids with you (if you have kids). Hold tightly to Jesus. Avoid impoverishing yourself (and them), and give yourself away (figure it out together)!

Then Jesus declared, “I am the Bread of Life. Whoever comes to Me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty.” John 6:35

“When we can relax, when we can trust, when we believe there is enough to be broken and given like bread to the needy, when we can live, as He has abundantly — then we are living into the generosity of abundance. There is a more abundant, excellent bread than striving materialism, than fear-driven walls and fences and lines, than a mentality of not-enough.

Jesus is the Bread of Life, and you don’t have to bake it or make it or fake it. Jesus is the Bread of Life and though He was rich, “yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). Culture and economics and politicians may say it takes money to make money. But Jesus’ life proves it; it takes the mystery of poverty to produce the generosity of abundance…”

Ann Voskamp in The Way of Abundance: A 60-Day Journey into a Deeply Meaningful Life (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2018) 146.

Looking for a devotional on abundance? While I have not read this book in its entirety, I’d commend this one to meditations readers, as the excerpts I’ve mined contain golden insights. Think of it as a guidebook for living life in the reality of the ascension of Christ, who is with us always.

To “live given” is to grasp “the mystery of poverty” which produces “the generosity of abundance.” If that sounds too mystical, think of it this way.  We don’t have to “live taking” anymore because we have everything we need in Christ. We are fully nourished by the Bread of Life. We have “enough” in Him. Make sense?

Having arrived safely in Chennai, India (pictured above from the rooftop of my hotel), I will attend The Generosity Summit 3.0 from Thursday to Saturday. What a privilege to learn from and with fellow believers who seek to “live given” and aim at grasping the “generosity of abundance” found in Jesus Christ.

What’s it like here? Beautiful, colorful, hot and humid — over 100 degrees today. I am in Chennai (think: the Los Angeles of India) and the home of the longest beach in the world, Marina Beach. So if L.A. has “Long Beach” perhaps Chennai has “Longest Beach”, though I will likely not see it because I will be in meetings.

Help all of us, Father, wherever we are, to “live given” so that others will discover the mystery of poverty is the pathway to hungering and thirsting no more. Satisfy our souls with the Bread of Life. Show the abundance of generosity through us by your Holy Spirit, I ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

When [Jesus] had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, He lifted up His hands and blessed them. While He was blessing them, He left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God. Luke 24:50-53

“The key to spiritual satisfaction is being right with God. When through faith we are in the position of sonship, then God’s riches become our riches; God’s abundance, our abundance; God’s power, our power. When a proper relationship has been restored between us and God, then happiness, contentment, and peace of mind will be a natural outgrowth of that restored relationship.”

Billy Graham (1918-2018) in The Secret of Happiness (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1985) 70.

Today we observe the ascension of Christ. Hard to believe that it’s been 40 days since Easter! Time flies when you are having fun exploring the relationship between “abundance” and generosity through church history.

With the recent passing of Billy Graham it seemed fitting to locate the theme in his writings. I am typing this from Washington Dulles airport. Assuming flights are on schedule, I should be somewhere between Frankfurt, Germany, and Chennai, India, when this posts.

Are you spiritually satisfied? Only in Christ do we have everything we have ever needed and will ever need. God’s abundance is our abundance. This truth aims at bringing us the same joy it brought the first disciples. I pray each person reading this grasps this realization.

The reality of His ascension must not leave us feeling alone but should serve to remind us that our Lord is with us always, even to the end of the age. Knowing that He is with us always, empowers us with courage and strength to serve generously where we live or on the other side of the planet!

Thank you Lord that wherever we go You are there, and You are everything we need!

Do not be overawed when others grow rich, when the splendor of their houses increases; for they will take nothing with them when they die, their splendor will not descend with them. Though while they live they count themselves blessed — and people praise you when you prosper — they will join those who have gone before them, who will never again see the light of life. People who have wealth but lack understanding are like the beasts that perish. Psalm 49:16-20

“Consider, that the more favorable Providence has been to you, it should make you the more earnest and solicitous to relieve those whom you may find in distress: it is of the utmost consequence, what is well pleasing to your fellow-creatures, and doing your duty to God. When you are called from hence, then all riches and grandeur will be over; the grave will make no distinction; great estates will be of no signification in the other world; and if you have made a bad use of the talent which God hath put into your hands, it will be only an aggravation of your condemnation at the great day of account, when God shall come to demand your souls, and to call you to an account, for the use to which you have put the abundance of the things of this life.”

George Whitefield (1714-1770) “The Great Duty of Charity Recommended” in Selected Sermons of George Whitefield, 402. If you have ten minutes. Click and read this sermon (397-403).

Why did the church need a Great Awakening in the days of Whitefield? Sadly, it had settled comfortably into the world. The Industrial Revolution changed how people related to wealth. Christians adopted the worldly view of accumulation rather than obeying God’s commands regarding the distribution of material provision. It’s as if they thought they knew better.

We need another great awakening today. Pray with me for one!

In reading Psalm 49, we realize how attractive the worldly narrative appears. We become overawed by it. We dream about it. And we are tempted to give out lives to attain it. I find that younger followers of Christ seem more receptive to biblical teaching on generosity because older folks have followed the world’s way of thinking so long they are too vested to recalculate their route. It’s sad.

Has Providence been favorable to you? Don’t let your story end with “aggravation of your condemnation at the great day of account”, but rather, regardless of your age, choose obedience and in so doing, prepare to give an account. Everyone enters eternity empty-handed. The use of abundance shows what we believed while we were alive. Don’t think for a minute that the worldly narrative will lead you to hear “well done.”

See why we need another great awakening? Father in heaven, cause our collective obedience to bring global revival. Lead me safely to Washington, D.C., and Frankfurt, Germany, today en route to Chennai, India. Thank you for opening doors for ministry and service in a context where obedience despite growing opposition comes into view as the most powerful witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Then [Jesus] said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” Luke 12:15

“To open and explain them. A little before, our Lord had been giving a solemn caution to one who spoke to him about dividing his inheritance. “Beware of covetousness; for the life a man,” that is, the happiness of it, “does not consist in the abundance of the things that he possesseth.” To prove and illustrate this weighty truth, our Lord relates this remarkable story. It is not improbable, it was one that had lately occurred, and that was fresh in the memory of some that were present. “The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plenteously.” The riches of the ancients consisted chiefly in the fruits of the earth. “And he said within himself, What shall I do?” The very language of want and distress! The voice of one that is afflicted, and groaning under his burden. What shalt thou do? Why, are not those at the door whom God hath appointed to receive what thou canst spare? What shalt thou do? Why, disperse abroad, and give to the poor. Feed the hungry. Clothe the naked. Be a father to the fatherless, and a husband to the widow. Freely thou hast received; freely give. O no! He is wiser than this comes to; he knows better than so.”

John Wesley (1703-1791) in “On Worldly Folly” Sermon 119.

When I turned my attention from Counter-Reformation voices to Great Awakening voices, it seemed fitting to explore abundance in the sermons of John Wesley. This one caught my attention as just yesterday Francis de Sales reminded us of the folly of avarice. Likewise, Wesley reveals the idiocy of the idea.

Moving toward the Industrial Revolution, many people experienced material prosperity. Upward socio-economic mobility would become widespread. With it, paradoxically, would come want and distress. Thus, Wesley rightly urged the rich to disperse abundance abroad following our Lord’s commands.

Why don’t more followers of Christ disperse abundance?

Thanks, at least in part to the Industrial Revolution, we saw a seismic shift. Society said, “More is better!” Production surpassed people in importance. Thus, worldliness and avarice went from foolishness to fashionable. Don’t believe it for a second! Be content with what you have, and if God supplies abundance. Disperse it!

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. Galatians 5:13

“Do as many lowly, humble deeds as lie in your power, even if you perform them unwillingly at first; for by this means you will form a habit of humility, and you will weaken your vanity, so that when temptation arises, you will be less predisposed to yield, and stronger to resist. Or if you are given to avarice, think often of the folly of this sin, which makes us the slave of what was made only to serve us; remember how when we die we must leave all we possess to those who come after us, who may squander it, ruin their own souls by misusing it, and so forth. Speak against covetousness, commend the abhorrence in which it is held by the world; and constrain yourself to abundant almsgiving, as also to not always using opportunities of accumulation. If you have a tendency to trifle with the affections, often call to mind what a dangerous amusement it is for yourself and others; how unworthy a thing it is to use the noblest feelings of the heart as a mere pastime; and how readily such trifling becomes mere levity. Let your conversation turn on purity and simplicity of heart, and strive to frame your actions accordingly”

Francis de Sales (1567-1622) in Introduction to the Devout Life 121. Francis served as Bishop of Geneva. He had a reputation for the gentle approach he took to the divisions from the Reformation by providing clear directions that confront sin and call for righteous living.

What a joy to travel with my daughter, Sophie, and her boyfriend, Peter! They exhibit what Francis de Sales describes asa “habit of humility” toward others. Like Francis long before them, they point people toward humble obedience to Jesus and gracious sharing with others, and they lead by example.

Today’s post contains rich insights. In response, many questions emerge: Do we reflect on avarice as folly? It is! Do we make money our slave through abundant almsgiving, lest accumulation enslave us? Bank statements tell the true story. Do we speak against covetousness or do our lives reflect it? Integrity matters!

It’s apparent why Francis would help followers of Christ, both Catholic or Protestant, during and after the Reformation. He challenged people to focus on what Christ cares about: generous living that reflects humble obedience to God. What does your life reflect?

When I felt secure, I said, “I will never be shaken.” Lord, when you favored me, you made my royal mountain stand firm; but when you hid your face, I was dismayed. To you, Lord, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy: “What is gained if I am silenced, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness? Hear, Lord, and be merciful to me; Lord, be my help.” You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever. Psalm 30:6-12

“This is the first and principal benefit caused by this arid and dark night of contemplation: the knowledge of oneself and of one’s misery. For, besides the fact that all the favours which God grants to the soul are habitually granted to them enwrapped in this knowledge, these aridities and this emptiness of the faculties, compared with the abundance which the soul experienced aforetime and the difficulty which it finds in good works, make it recognize its own lowliness and misery, which in the time of its prosperity it was unable to see.”

John of the Cross (1542-1591) in Dark Night of the Soul, trans. and ed. by E. Allison Peers (Critical Edition of P. Silverio De Santa Teresa, C.D.) 37.

While Luther, Calvin, and others fought the battle for the mind in Germany and Switzerland as part of the Reformation, Teresa of Ávila and John of the Cross wrestled for the heart down in Spain as part of the Counter-Reformation. Their work was foundational for the spiritual formation movement.

In today’s Psalm, David recounts highs and lows. Times when he called to God for help and times when God made him stand firm. What’s this got to do with generosity as we explore the theme of abundance through church history?

Dry and dark times in life drive us to God. They teach us knowledge of Him that we did not know. They accomplish good works in us that could not otherwise be accomplished. They teach us lessons that we simply cannot grasp in times of prosperity. Think about it (Selah).

Perhaps our greatest act of generosity for another person today might cost us more than money. It might be the combination of a listening ear, our loving presence, and a probing question that invites them to consider what God may be teaching them through a trial.

Sit with them in that place, because it’s dark and lonely. Often we try to make everything great for them, when our most generous act toward them might be our loving presence. Jenni excels at this. I have my moments. If words are in order, maybe share lessons you have learned in such times.

Today I fly to San Diego to drive our daughter, Sophie, and her boyfriend, Peter, as far as Richfield, Utah (about half way home). May bless us with rich conversation along the way. I plan to ask about the highs and lows of their junior year in college and what God taught them as individuals and as a couple.

Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly — mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? 1 Corinthians 3:1-3

“We must reflect that, with the help of God, we can strive to have a great contempt for the world, no regard for honour, and no attachment to possessions. For so ungenerous are we that we imagine the earth will go from under our feet if we try to forget the body a little and to cultivate the spirit. Or, again, we think that to have an abundance of all we need is a help to recollection because anxieties disturb prayer. It distresses me to reflect that we have so little confidence in God, and so much love for ourselves, that anxieties like this upset us. When we have made so little spiritual progress, the smallest things will trouble us as much as important and weighty things will trouble others, and yet in our own minds we presume to think ourselves spiritual. Now to me it seems that this kind of life is an attempt to reconcile body and soul, so that we may lose neither comfort in this world nor fruition of God in the world to come. We shall get along all right if we walk in righteousness and hold fast to virtue, but it will mean advancing at the pace of a hen and will never lead us to spiritual freedom.”

Teresa of Ávila (1515-1582) in The Life of Teresa of Jesus: The Autobiography of Teresa of Ávila, trans. and ed. by E. Allison Peers (Critical Edition of P. Silver De Santa Teresa, C. D.) 80.

For many people, attachments to possessions, which in their minds aims at lessening anxieties, actually serves to increase them, and it makes them ungenerous.

In exploring the theme of abundance, I find Teresa of Ávila’s comments appear to mirror the Apostle Paul and his letter to the Corinthians. Worldliness hinders spiritual growth, or in graphic terms, “it will mean advancing at the pace of a hen and will never lead us to spiritual freedom.”

Let’s not aim at preserving “comfort in this world” but rather share according to our ability. When we do, our giving reflects biblical generosity, and our living shows we chose the path of righteousness.

It’s been great to visit Florida to see my parents, my brother and his wife, and our two nieces, one of which graduated from Warner University. We’ve also been blessed to see the condo God has supplied for my parents, adjacent to campus. God abundantly looks out for the needs of humble servants.

We took them to see the Atlantic Ocean for the first time since they moved here (pictured above on our drive yesterday between Vero Beach and Cocoa Beach). We fly home today, thankful for a short but sweet visit.