Timothy Keller: Hidden treasures

I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name. Isaiah 45:3

“We must not assume, for example, that if people are materialistic, they need only to be exhorted to give more. That would be to act solely on the will. That will produce temporary guilt – which might help the offering that day – but it will not bring about a long-term change to the peoples’ life patterns because their hearts have not been reached. Nor should we simply tell stories of peoples’ lives being changed through acts of generosity. That will act directly on the emotions, creating pity or inspiration and (perhaps) leading to a passing impulse to give some money to a cause but, again, the emotion will fade and there will be no long-term change.

If people are materialistic and ungenerous, it means they have not truly understood how Jesus, though rich, became poor for them. It means they have not understood what it means that in Christ we have all riches and treasures. They may not subscribe to this as a doctrine, but the affections of their hearts are clinging to material things, finding them more excellent and beautiful than Jesus Himself. They may have a superficial intellectual grasp of Jesus’ spiritual wealth, but they do not truly grasp it. Thus in preaching we must represent Christ in the particular way that He replaces material things in their affections.”

Timothy Keller in Preaching: Communicating Faith in an Age of Skepticism (New York: Viking, 2015) 161-162.

I arrived safely home from North Dakota only to depart this morning for Texas with Jenni to teach this weekend at All Saint Church in Dallas. As Keller puts it, our ultimate aim in teaching is not to exhort them to give more or tell stories of acts of generosity. If that’s all we did, the impact of our teaching would be short-lived. To have lasting impact we plan present Christ so that He replaces things in their minds and hearts. It’s only possible with God’s help. We’d appreciate your prayers for us.

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Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:40-41

“The paradox of prayer is that it asks for a serious effort while it can only be received as a gift. We cannot plan, organize or manipulate God; but without a careful discipline, we cannot receive him either. When prayer makes us reach out to God, not on our own but on God’s terms, then prayer pulls us away from self-preoccupations, encourages us to leave familiar ground, and challenges us to enter into a new world which cannot be contained within the narrow boundaries of our mind or heart. Prayer, therefore, is a great adventure because the God with whom we enter into a new relationship is greater than we are and defies all our calculations and predictions.”

Henri J.M. Nouwen in Returning to God: A Lenten Journey with Henri J.M. Nouwen, ed. Steve Mueller, 14. Click to download it freely.

By the time this posts I should be departing North Dakota, heading into South Dakota, Wyoming, and eventually, Colorado en route home (unfortunately, without my iPhone…though in God’s providence, John lost his iPhone days before I arrived and ordered a new one. Just before his new phone arrived, he found his old one, then I lost mine, so he graciously gave his old one). I am giving thanks for some sweet fellowship with brothers and for 12 pheasant for my family to eat this winter.

Ten hours in a car is a long trip alone, which is why I have blocked the day to listen and pray. The benefit of praying while driving is that I am highly motivated to stay awake. Have you ever blocked a day to listen and pray? Nouwen is spot on in saying it’s both a gift, that is, a reflection of God’s generosity, and an adventure. The irony is that most people, including myself at times, say they are too busy to pray. What about you? Is it time to schedule a day with God?

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“Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.” Matthew 5:48 (The Message)

“Morality does matter to God. Performance reviews still count, both in this world and the next. But God is even more passionate about being gracious to us all. This is how God designed human life to be lived. And the radical call of Jesus is to act like God in this extravagant non-discriminating way — raining down kindness even on our enemies. This is a foundational law of nature and the universe. If this is counterintuitive for us, it shows how deeply ingrained our instinct to selective kindness is.

This principle has enormous implications in every area of our lives. Jesus says if we follow God’s lead, we will discover our true selves, our ‘God-created selves’. “Live out your God-created identity,” he says. “Live generously and graciously towards others, the way God lives toward you. (Matthew 5:48 MSG) One of the distinguishing marks of the image of God in us is our capacity for generous self-giving love.”

David L. Knight in Downstream from Eden: The Amazing Gift of Water for a Thirsty World (Bloomington: WestBow, 2012) 51.

In the wake of the elections in the USA, it appears that God not only cares about morality but the people do too. Ultimately, God, who puts rulers in authority, has been gracious to our nation. Thank you God. May God guide and direct each leader to understand and follow His ways.

What about us, that is, you and me? How should we live toward others in the wake of a divisive season? We should live out our God created identity, of course, and not show selective kindness! Let’s resolve to extend generous self-giving love to others, both friends and enemies.

This week, I’m thankful for the kindness John Roswech, Shawn McFarland, and others are showing me in North Dakota. While John and I only shot one bird each yesterday, hiking over ten miles, Shawn was kind enough to share his three with me. Today Shawn’s offered to help me return the the field and look for my phone after John and I tried on Monday. Thanks brothers.

In his book, Knight adds this prayer for us. It’s a fitting start for our post-election day: Generous God, spur me on to more spontaneous love, mentor me to be more openhanded in showing kindness, to reflect your sunshine into the world without filters and to refresh others as generously as you refresh me. Amen.

God bless America.

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Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Deuteronomy 11:18-19

“If we do not prepare our children to handle money well – and with a biblical perspective – we have not prepared them for the future. Because of the homes pioneer parents grew up in, we may not have been taught the biblical worldview regarding money and possessions. But for the sake of our children and their future, it’s essential that we learn godly money management…

Money encompasses so much of a young adult’s life. Before we release one of our children from the nest, we need to teach them these lessons:

– God owns it all, so hold things and money loosely. They don’t really belong to you.

– God is faithful and will provide for your needs.

– You can learn the secret of contentment.

– Someday you will give an account of your life, including how you spent the money God entrusted to you. Live in such a way that you will hear God say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:23).

– Set aside the first portion of your income for God. Be willing to give, even when it means you’ll have to do without some things.

– Budgeting is your best friend.

– Financial decisions made in haste will haunt you later. And remember: There is no such thing as “get rich quick.”

– Honesty and integrity in your work are always preferable to cheating or lying to advance.

– Put aside savings for emergencies.

– Learning to trust God in finances takes a lifetime.

– You will balance a checkbook before you leave this house!

– Borrowing money makes you a slave to the lender. Avoid it, if possible.”

Mary DeMuth in Building the Christian Family You Never Had: A Practical Guide for Pioneer Parents (Colorado Springs: WaterBrook, 2006) 171-172.

I don’t know how the elections for officials in the USA will go today, but I know this about our society. Many don’t know prudent, biblical counsel for handling large sums of money because their parents did not teach them how to handle small sums of money.

In my online reading, I came across this book and appreciate DeMuth’s advice for “pioneer parents,” that is, parents who grew up with teachings from society rather than teachings from Scripture: “for the sake of our children and their future, it’s essential that we learn godly money management.” Did you catch that? If your parents did not teach you about godly money management, you are the one who must learn so you can model faithful and obedient patterns for your children.

Apparently the LORD thinks I need to work on my relationship with things. I lost my iPhone yesterday in a field while pheasant hunting in North Dakota near the end of the first field, and I could not stop thinking about it. My host, John, offered me a free phone, while my other host Shawn, offered to go back tomorrow to look for it, and my family is willing to help activate the “Find My iPhone” function. Will we find it? Who knows? I don’t think it matters. What I learned through this crisis is that friends and family are more valuable than the best phone money can buy!

Many are praying for God’s mercy on our nation during these troubling times. I am among them. What can we do today beyond cast our vote for imperfect candidates whose values and party platforms most closely align with teachings in Scripture? I believe we can teach our children how to live and help others who are pioneer parents. In so doing, we change the world one person (or one family) at a time.

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Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything. Proverbs 11:24

“The number one reason that both pastors and parishioners cited as the major barrier to Christian generosity is the individualistic, consumeristic nature of American society. Pastors said that the individualism in American society, including within the church, undermines the priority of financial giving. “We have very selfish, I-focused church,” they said. “It’s a lack of inner transformation,” other judged.

“We’re selfish. The theology of scarcity, that “I need to hoard everything I have and need to be investing for my own security,” they said was a big problem. Very many pastors explicitly named consumerism as a major culprit in discouraging generous financial giving, which they explained as a confusing of needs with wants and a consequent reluctance to give money away.”

Christian Smith and Michael Emerson in Passing the Plate: Why American Christians Don’t Give Away More Money (Oxford: OUP, 2008) 125.

As I noted yesterday, my focus for the next few meditations has shifted to a new topic. I want to explore the prudent pathway for those blessed with abundance.

The paradox of handling possessions according to Solomon is mind-boggling. Those who give freely see their wealth increase, whereas the stingy suffer great loss. Research affirms this. Not only do societal values lead people to store up treasures for themselves (despite what Jesus teaches), but those who do often end up feeling empty and dying alone. The selfish I-focused way of thinking comes back to bite them in the end. Alternatively, those who bless others through their lives tend to have many around them, enriching them, in their later years.

I made it safely to the plains of North Dakota (pictured above) and am enjoying time with Christian brothers John Roswech and Shawn McFarland. In God’s providence and at varying levels, both have been abundantly blessed. I am thankful for their hospitality. More than that, I rejoice that their views reflect what Scripture says to do with wealth regardless of what society says!

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Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Matthew 6:34

“One of our greatest foes is distracting care, overanxiety. Jesus does not condemn prudence or forethought; indeed, He regards these as human endowments of real value. What He does condemn is worry about the uncertainties of the future. Anticipate your needs, but do not harass yourself and become a slave to fear and morbid dread. The words of Jesus are addressed primarily to peasant folk whose reserves are very limited, but even the better off have need to learn this lesson.”

John Gardner in “Bible Notes for Daily Devotions: Leaves from an Interpreter’s Notebook” in Record of Christian Work, volume 40 (East Northfield, MA: RCW, 1921) 553.

Today I am shifting my attention to the balance Gardner describes as “prudence and forethought” while avoiding “distracting care” and “overanxiety” that can enslave us to fear. Especially in this season of uncertainty about the future with the presidential elections in the USA, we can be tempted to worry about tomorrow. We must not do it!

Biblically, we must acknowledge worry for the sin that it is. Worry reflects a failure to trust God with tomorrow and so it stops generosity in its tracks today! Once worry grips us, we take matters into our own hands and do things like store up treasures on earth. In the larger literary context for today’s text, Jesus Himself tells us not to do it (cf. Matthew 6:19-34).

What’s the solution? We must trust in God and use His resources with “prudence and forethought” without becoming enslaved to worry. Realize that Jesus told people who probably only had two mites to rub together not to store up treasures on earth and to depend on God for their daily bread (and everything else). He can be trusted to take care of us too.

Does distracting care overwhelm you? Humbly acknowledge it right now. Elsewhere we are reminded what to do with it. Give it to the LORD and experience His peace! Join me in this. Today I am driving ten hours north to Mott, ND, with my German Shorthair Pointer, Joy. That’s a lot of windshield time to identify my distracting cares and give them to Jesus. I see it as extended supplication time for various writing and service projects.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

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At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:3-7

“All the righteous works we attempt cannot provide the rescue from our misery. God’s mercy alone is the agent of salvation. Paul’s words seem to drip with God’s great kindness. God saved us. God washed us. God rebirthed and renewed us. God poured out the Holy Spirit on us. God was generous with us. God gives us an inheritance. God gives us a hope of eternal life.

Because God’s kindness, cleansing, anointing, and inheritance met us in our broken and needy state, Christians continue God’s tradition of mercy. The connection to money comes here. Because we take on God’s character of extravagant mercy, we harness money’s power for that purpose. We support efforts to share God’s extravagant love with other needy and broken people.”

Mark Vincent in A Christian View of Money, Third Edition: Celebrating God’s Generosity (Eugene: Wipf & Stock, 1997) 47-48. Mark is both a personal friend and a capable scholar. If you have not read this book, it’s worth your time.

This marks my final post on the topic of inheritance and its connection to generosity, at least for now. About the time this meditation posts, Jenni and I will be boarding our flight back to Denver. You will have to wait until tomorrow to see my next theme.

Today’s biblical text celebrates the inheritance that the Apostle Paul passed on to Titus, which eventually made it to my parents and to me, so that I too would become an heir of the hope of eternal life.

Notice how Vincent puts money in its rightful place for Christ followers. Our role is to “continue God’s tradition” of harnessing the power of money to make known God’s extravagant mercy!

Still want to read more on this topic? For further reading linked to inheritance, check out the recent blog post I wrote entitled “Four Tips for Leaving a Legacy of Christian Generosity” and consider prayerfully putting some of the ideas therein into practice.

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Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, Sovereign Lord, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever. 2 Samuel 7:29

“Great is Thy faithfulness”

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee,
Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not,
As Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be.

[Chorus] Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed, Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above;
Join with all nature in manifold witness,
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love.

[Chorus]

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today, and bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside.

[Chorus]

Thomas Obadiah Chisholm (1866-1960) wrote the lyrics to this famous hymn, “Great is Thy Faithfulness,” which will be sung today at the inauguration service for my brother, Dr. David Hoag, as he becomes the third president of Warner University (one of the buildings is pictured above in the header photo).

As I studied the program for today’s service, I noticed this song precedes the “Blessing and Benediction” that I get to give to conclude the service. Though the lyrics are quite familiar, I was stirred by the Holy Spirit when I read this line from the chorus in preparation for this day:

“All I have needed, Thy hand hath provided!”

God has provided David with all he has ever received and everything He will ever need to fulfill his role as president. The same is true for each of us because we serve a generous God! All you and I have ever received or will ever need has come to us from the hand of our generous God.

Let’s praise Him today! Join us in singing “Great is Thy Faithfulness” with us!

And if you want to know the blessing I believe the Sovereign LORD gave me to give David as a gift to read on good days and bad, read 2 Samuel 7:18-29. It is known widely as “the Blessing of David” and I pray it blesses you today too. Join us in celebrating the faithfulness of God!

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A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children, but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous. Proverbs 13:22

“In Old Testament times, it was essential that parents pass land ownership to their children and grandchildren. Many people were too poor to buy land. With no inheritance, they would end up enslaved or unable to care for their parents and grandparents, who normally lived on the property with them. Hence they were told, “A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children” (Proverbs 13:22, NIV).

What’s different about inheritance in our culture? Today in America and many other affluent countries, inheritances are usually windfalls coming to people who live separately from their parents; have regular sources of income generated by their own work, skills, saving, and investing; and have far more than they need…When such people inherit a farm, house, or other real estate, what becomes of it? Typically, they sell it. The inheritance doesn’t enhance their work; it simply increases their standard of living, sometimes dramatically.

I consider it important not to leave money to our daughters that would interfere with my sons-in-law’s responsibility to provide for them. Fortunately, my sons-in-law are very responsible, and I trust them fully. But how dare any of us, whether family or friends or government, allow our financial subsidies to deny the character-building privilege and divine calling of a man to work to provide for his wife and children? Many well-meaning parents have caused serious marital conflicts by leaving money to their grown children.”

Randy Alcorn in Managing God’s Money: A Biblical Guide (Carol Stream: Tyndale, 2011) 207-208.

Though today’s biblical text is often used to argue for leaving large sums of money to children, it actually communicates the opposite. When it says “a good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,” in biblical terms, that means leave your offspring a place, a trade, and deep faith. And notice, the biblical behavior presented in the proverb stands in contrast to the sinner who stores up wealth. God will redeploy it to those who will steward it well.

Follow Alcorn’s advice. Don’t leave money to your children. Help them get rolling while you are living, but don’t make them have to liquidate the pile of assets that God entrusted to you. You could ruin them and rob them of the “character-building privilege” of doing hard work, earning a living, and caring for the needs of their family.

Yesterday, Jenni and I flew to Florida for my brother’s inauguration as president of Warner University. We are excited for David and his wife Joanna, and this new season of service that God has for them. We are here with my parents, and I am so thankful for the inheritance they gave David, Heather and me. They helped us get a place, taught us how to work, and most importantly, imparted to us a deep faith in Jesus Christ.

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For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

“Reflection helps us listen to our life, previewing and reviewing our days with thanksgiving. However, if we are not practicing any of the myriad options for the discipline of reflection, we miss so much of what the Lord has in store for us to receive from his generous and loving hand. The more we attend to the practice of reflection the more we ultimately learn, discover and receive from God.

There are countless ways to practice reflective disciplines: journaling, photography, creative arts, holy conversations, pausing, noticing, attending, wondering, and pondering. We can reflect alone and in the quietness of solitude, and we can reflect with a loved one in the daily-ness of our relational connections. We can sit with a single verse or segment of the biblical text; hold that verse(s) prayerfully or interview the text in an exploratory fashion.

The key to unlocking this spiritual practice is recognizing why we do so. I would suggest that the singularly most important reason is because we are generally a forgetful people…The pinnacle call to remembrance comes when Jesus institutes the Lord’s Supper as a reflective practice…The life, death and resurrection of Jesus is wrapped up in this incredible time…We remember and we give thanks, over and over again, in similar fashion each time. Why? So that we never ever forget.”

Stephen Macchia in SILENCIO, 47th edition, “Reflection: Remember & Give Thanks” a resource of Leadership Transformations, Inc., November 2016.

As I think about “inheritance” in biblical terms which comprises passing on a place, teaching a trade, and sharing our faith with our children, helping them learn to reflect with gratitude comes into view as a vital exercise that must be included.

For Jenni and me, sitting in quietness and solitude and thinking about the implications of a Bible verse are life giving daily disciplines. Sammy loves to experience the wonder of God’s extravagance in creation, while Sophie loves to journal. What about you? Do you have a daily practice that helps you reflect on all that our generous God is doing around you and for you?

Macchia rightly notes that perhaps the greatest reflective exercise is the Lord’s Supper. It’s my favorite part of church every Sunday. When we are in Denver we attend Bridgeway Community Church, as our son, Sammy, helped plant the church just over two years ago.

Each week we proclaim the same three short statements in the service so we never forget them: “Christ died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.” When we pass on our faith to our children as an inheritance, sometimes it comes back to bless us. I know that part of the service blesses Jenni and me every week!

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