Ron Blue: Give while you live

For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward. Mark 9:41

“The Bible says God is a rewarder. The giving you do on earth will result in eternal rewards. Even the smallest generous action such as giving a cup of water in Jesus’ name, merits rewards.

Thinking through the implications of this truths, my own belief is that you get no eternal reward for assets given at death. You don’t have any choice. You are leaving it all anyway!

How can you receive a reward for something you kept your entire life and were forced to give only at death? God will reward you later for your sacrifices now, for your faith shown now, for your unselfishness now in this life.”

Ron Blue with Jeremy White in Splitting Heirs (Chicago: Northfield, 2004) 102-103.

As I read resources to develop a well-rounded biblical view of “inheritance” for our thinking, Blue reminds us simply to do our giving while we are living because we will receive no rewards for what is done after we are dead. Good advice!

If we do this, we also model obedience for our children (and children’s children) and we pass on a legacy of generosity, because as the saying goes, “more is caught than taught.” Those after us will follow what we do more than what we say.

Heavenly Father, by your Holy Spirit, guide me while I am living regarding my giving, so that my life reflects your generosity to my children and children’s children, and so I receive rewards for obedience to lay at your feet in grateful worship. Make it so I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Colossians 3:12

“Lewis was a truly modest man. If his books came naturally into our conversation, he would talk about them with the same detachment as in discussing some stranger’s works. But he had no interest as far as I could see in his literary or theological position in the world. One evening this came up rather naturally.

We had been talking about one of our favorite books, Malory’s Morte d’Arthur, and I mentioned how disappointed I sometimes felt when, say, Sir Launcelot went out to deliver a helpless lady from some peril or other. Then, just at the point where you can’t admire him enough for his selflessness, he explains to someone, as though it was the most natural thing in the world, that he is doing it to “win worship” – that is, to increase his reputation. We recognized it as an inheritance from Paganism.

Without intending any embarrassment, I asked Lewis if he was ever aware of the fact that regardless of his intentions, he was “winning worship” from his books. He said in the low, still voice, and with the deepest and most complete humility I’ve ever observed in anyone, “One cannot be too careful not to think of it.” The house, the garden, the whole universe seemed hushed for a moment, and then we began talking again.”

Walter Hooper recounting his conversation with C.S. Lewis in the introduction to The Weight of Glory by C.S. Lewis, dated 7 March 1980 at Oxford, revised edition (New York: Harper Collins, 1980) 13-14.

In exploring the works of C.S. Lewis for “inheritance” I came upon a pleasant surprise. Hooper’s recollection of this conversation with Lewis is absolutely priceless! It gives us a glimpse into the humble heart of one of the greatest authors of all time, the favorite of many in the modern era, including me.

The inheritance of C.S. Lewis to readers like you and me is not his brilliance or even his books. It’s his complete humility. Lord, make us people who clothe ourselves with complete humility, so that with great care, everything we say and do generously glorifies You! May this be our inheritance to our children and our children’s children!

I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. 2 Timothy 1:5

“The Bible is a treasure. It contains enough to make us rich for time and eternity. It contains the secret of happy living. It contains the key of heaven. It contains the title-deeds of an inheritance incorruptible, and that facets not away. It contains the pearl of great price.”

James Hamilton (1814-1867) Scottish author and Presbyterian minister in Dictionary of Burning Words of Brilliant Writers, compiled by Josiah Hotchkiss Gilbert (New York: Wilbur B. Ketcham, 1895) 80.

As I explore “inheritance” in the Scriptures, I find that God’s Word contains unfathomable and incorruptible riches, including the greatest thing everyone needs: light for living now and life eternal in Christ. As Hamilton notes, it’s a great inheritance because “it contains enough to make us rich for time and eternity.”

Know anyone who is spiritually destitute and lost in darkness today? Ask God to give you an opportunity to share the riches of Christ with them. The inheritance you received (having been qualified or made right by the work of Christ on the cross) gives you light for living now and life eternal in Christ. It’s an inheritance to enjoy and share!

Today I honor my mother, Patsy Hoag, as it is her birthday! She has given me an inheritance incorruptible worth more than all the riches in the world. She imparted to me a deep faith in Jesus Christ that lived in her mother, Betty, that lives in her, and now lives in me. She’s also modeled how to share it generously with the lost and is still gracious leading people to Christ even now.

Thanks Mom! I love you! Happy Birthday!

Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.” Matthew 25:34

“From the first, the inheritance promised by Yahweh to Abraham and his descendants was the land of Canaan. Israel’s possession of the land rested solely on the gift of Yahweh, and though only entered into with hard fighting, was not theirs by self-effort…The land was to be possessed forever, yet continued enjoyment and possession was conditional upon faithfulness to God…

In the NT…the inheritance is “in Christ”…Whereas the inheritance is His by right, in that He is the only begotten Son, it is possessed by the believer by grace, as he [or she] is adopted as a son [or a daughter] in Jesus Christ. The inheritance is the kingdom of God with all it’s blessings. While enjoyment of it begins in this life, insofar as the kingdom is already present, the full possession must be future.”

Walter Elwell in Evangelical Dictionary of Theology (Baker Reference Library; Grand Rapids, Baker, 2001) 607-608.

A friend of mine, John Stanley, author of Connected for Good, asked me to write on the biblical idea of inheritance for his website, Generosity Gameplan, so my meditations over the next few days reflects my research.

The world defines inheritance as “the money and possessions you leave to your children (and any grandchildren).” That is not surprising as the economy of this world presents money as the greatest thing anyone can possess, and thus, the best legacy anyone can leave.

Alternatively, the biblical account reports that God promises His people a place to enjoy a relationship to Him as an inheritance, also known as: land. Their failures are redeemed in Christ who brings everything together that is broken in God’s economy.

It’s fitting then, that Elwell would define “inheritance” from a biblical perspective, as life in the Kingdom with all its blessings, grasped only in Christ. Our enjoyment of it is partial at present and will fully be enjoyed in eternity.

Consequently, if you want to give a lasting and generous inheritance to your children and your grandchildren that is filled with blessings now and abundance in eternity, don’t give them money, give them Christ!

But You, Sovereign Lord, help me for Your name’s sake; out of the goodness of Your love, deliver me. For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me…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: 21-22, 30-31

“The goodness of God is that which disposes Him to be kind, cordial, benevolent, and full of good will toward men. He is tenderhearted and of quick sympathy, and His unfailing attitude toward all moral beings is open, frank, and friendly. By His nature He is inclined to bestow blessedness and He takes holy pleasure in the happiness of His people.

That God is good is taught or implied on every page of the Bible and must be received as an article of faith as impregnable as the throne of God. It is a foundation stone for all sound thought about God and is necessary to moral sanity. To allow that God could be other than good is to deny the validity of all thought and end ill the negation of every moral judgment. If God is not good, then there can be no distinction between kindness and cruelty, and heaven can be hell and hell, heaven.

The goodness of God is the drive behind all the blessings He daily bestows upon us. God created us because He felt good in His heart and He redeemed us for the same reason.”

A. W. Tozer (1897-1963) in his classic work, Knowledge of the Holy, excerpt from “The Goodness of God” section of chapter 16.

This week from home I have calls with many EFCA pastors, so my mind turns to friends like Randy Discher who has faithfully served his church for about three decades. Randy loves A.W. Tozer so I read an excerpt of Knowledge of the Holy as I think about and pray for him and his peers today.

The goodness of God is the bedrock of our lives and all local church ministry. Out of God’s goodness flows our redemption and our collective redemptive efforts. We, the Church, are here to make known His goodness to all around us. This is true everywhere: from Littleton, Colorado to Guatemala City, Guatemala.

Whether or not you are needy and hurting today, worship the Lord in His goodness and see what happens. Do it. Take five minutes to praise God for His goodness.

I believe you will not only experience a deeper understanding of the love of our great God in this daily exercise. You will be satisfied and blessed. This is not an end but so that you are a means of sharing His goodness and blessing.

This is what generosity is all about, because all goodness (the biblical term for “generosity”), flows from God. We extol You, Sovereign Lord!

Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus. 1 Timothy 3:13

“Labor a little now, and soon you shall find great rest, in truth, eternal joy; for if you continue faithful and diligent in doing, God will undoubtedly be faithful and generous in rewarding. Continue to have reasonable hope of gaining salvation, but do not act as though you were certain of it lest you grow indolent and proud.”

Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471) in The Imitation of Christ, excerpt from chapter 25, “Zeal in Amending our Lives” (Grand Rapids: CCEL) 38.

There’s much work to be done in Guatemala (pictured above) for the society to shift from corruption to credibility. It will only be possible with God’s help, diligent labor, and humility. Isn’t that true everywhere? Wherever God has placed you today, labor for Christ, knowing He will be generous in rewarding you.

The biblical idea of gaining standing and salvation is not linked to earning it, but living out the purpose of our faith. Our labor with love shines light wherever we go. Though Jenni and I have returned home from Guatemala and need some rest, our hearts are filled with joy that is but a glimpse of what we will experience in eternity.

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord Himself, is the Rock eternal. Isaiah 26:3-4

“Seeing that we have such a God to trust to, let us rest upon Him with all our weight; let us resolutely drive out all unbelief, and endeavour to get rid of doubts and fears, which so much mar our comfort; since there is no excuse for fear where God is the foundation of our trust. A loving parent would be sorely grieved if his child could not trust him; and how ungenerous, how unkind is our conduct when we put so little confidence in our heavenly Father who has never failed us, and who never will. It were well if doubting were banished from the household of God…We have been in many trials, but we have never yet been cast where we could not find in our God all that we needed. Let us then be encouraged to trust in the Lord for ever, assured that His ever lasting strength will be, as it has been, our succor and stay.”

Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) in Morning and Evening Devotions reading for the evening of July 5.

Jenni and I return home from Guatemala today after a full and fruitful long weekend of service. We are thankful that God has been our generous succor and stay. He has been generous to assist us in our times of need, to fill us richly with peace, and kind to support us with strength.

What about you today? Do the burdens of life weigh you down? Have doubts and fears overwhelmed you like a cloud? If so, pause to remember the faithfulness and generosity of our God. Re-read today’s text from Isaiah and trust in Him afresh today for He is our succor and stay!

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” Matthew 25:41-46

“The question is not Jesus’ question to persons. It’s the peoples’ question of Jesus. And note both the sheep and the goats ask this same question. ‘Lord, when did we see you?’

His answer is stunning. He effectively says something like, “Remember that time you bought groceries for that family at Thanksgiving whose dad had just been put in prison and then you turned around and made a completely anonymous and extraordinarily generous gift of cash to them to help them with Christmas gifts for their children? Well, I was a member of that family. That was me you helped.”

Note, he doesn’t say, “Great job! You did exactly what I would have done if I had been there.” Jesus is not saying if you are my disciple you should help the poor. He is saying, “I am the poor.” Whatever you did or did not do for one of the least of these you did or did not do to me.

In case what I just said didn’t register, and I admit the statement seems so radical as to not register, let me try it again. Jesus is not for the poor. Jesus is the poor. Wouldn’t this mean that loving the poor is the same thing as loving Jesus?”

J.D. Walt in “Why Jesus Is Not For the Poor—He Is the Poor” Seedbed Daily Text for 21 October 2016. J.D. is a dear brother. I appreciate the wisdom in his Daily Text blog, and yet again, J.D. is spot on!

This post is fitting as Jenni is in Guatemala this weekend as well, though not at my ECFA-related meetings, but at Potter’s House Guatemala. She’s joined by a friend, Donna Hepp from Oklahoma City, and leading a spiritual retreat and training about 80 volunteer teachers who will guide about 2,000 children through the VBS curriculum that she wrote and that Potter’s House translated.

Over the last five years, more than a thousand children have come to faith in Jesus Christ through VBS each November. I am not exaggerating, and the children have been plugged into Bible clubs to disciple them in their faith. As God leads (because all we steward belongs to Him), join us in supporting Potter’s House Guatemala. When you do, you are not sharing with the poor in the garbage dump. You are giving to Jesus!

“God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:24

“We must not make too much of a distinction between giving and receiving, for too sharp a distinction would lead us to misconstrue worship and thus distort hospitality. Our giving is never just “ours,” nor for that matter can we claim our “receiving” as solely what we do. Christian hospitality is not primarily about what we do. Rather hospitality and worship are better thought of as our participation in God’s own communion, God’s own giving and receiving, made possible in Christ through the Holy Spirit. Hospitality is participation in what God is doing…

Even our giving is not “ours” but a sharing in what God is doing. Our worship is possible only because God gathers us and gifts us with the capacity to worship. Even more, God does not give to us only as individuals (for our own sakes) but God gives to the church as a whole. Truly to receive from God is to be made part of a people, called to worship, to give and to receive for and on behalf of the world…

In worship, we learn to “hang onto nothing.” Worship enables us to embody the fact that our lives, the church, and the created world are gifts from God; we ourselves are totally dependent on giving and receiving the love of God. This dependence is not bad news, our culture’s emphasis on independence to the contrary. Rather, such communion is the way we become more fully the body of Christ.”

Elizabeth Newman in Untamed Hospitality: Welcoming God and Other Strangers (Grand Rapids: Brazos, 2007) 59-60.

I am thankful the Lord led me to read Newman in my online reading this morning, as she helped me better understand they work of God in our lives. For example, when we take international trips, we feel like we empty ourselves in service and worship to God and find He fills us with strength and envelopes us with hospitality through members of His Body.

Over the last two months we got to extend hospitality to others who visited us. Hopefully they felt the same divine care through us. In learning to “hang onto nothing” (as Newman puts it), our worship and hospitality reflect both our communion with God and our participation in His work. God’s working down here in Guatemala on this trip through others, and I believe through us too. What a gift to play a part in it!

Hang onto nothing today (and everyday) in your worship. Celebrate everything as a gift from God. Serve as a conduit that gives and receives freely the love of God. Maintain a posture of dependence on God at all times. Do this regardless of what anyone else is doing. In all this, I think you too will find that worship and hospitality is merely participating with God in His work.

The Lord detests dishonest scales, but accurate weights find favor with Him. When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity. Proverbs 11:1-3

“Fiscal operations in the church or nonprofit religious organizations requires a keen sense of attention to detail on the part of the administrator because of the double-edged sword of trust in the leadership that is inherent in the Christian community and necessity for honest and accurate records the responsibility demands.

Many venues in ministerial leadership can be forgiven when less-than-exceptional performance comes to light, but the administration of the fiscal resources is not one of them — either from the local parishioner’s point of view or from the legal authorities that monitor the contributions to those entities.”

Robert H. Welch in Church Administration: Creating Efficiency for Effective Ministry, second edition (Nashville: B & H Publishing, 2011) 185.

Over the next three days I have multiple meetings in Guatemala City with John Van Drunen, ECFA Executive Vice President. We have been invited here to meet with ministry administrators and financial professionals to discuss Standards of Responsible Stewardship.

Our prayer is that these meetings find favor with God and that the Holy Spirit moves so that national leaders form a coalition (and someday a peer accountability group like ECFA) for Guatemala to champion the faithful administration of God’s work and encourage greater Christian generosity.

Make it so, Lord Jesus!