Henry Drummond: Surround yourself with the highest

For God knew His people in advance, and he chose them to become like His Son, so that His Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. Romans 8:29

“Since we are what we are by the impacts of those who surround us, those who surround themselves with the highest will be those who change into the highest. There are some men and some women in whose company we are always at our best. While with them we cannot think mean thoughts or speak ungenerous words. Their mere presence is elevation, purification, sanctity. All the best stops in our nature are drawn out by their intercourse, and we find a music in our souls that was never there before.”

Henry Drummond (1851-1897) Scottish Preacher, in his classic message: The Alchemy of Influence.

What impact does your life have on those around you? Does it lift them up? These are good questions to ask as we find ourselves in the “back to school” season, a time when we often interact with new people in various settings.

Listen to the punchline of Drummond’s message. It serves as a fitting charge for each of us, especially every young man or woman headed “back to school” at this time of year: “Make Christ your most constant companion.”

If each of us does that, God will transform us into the highest!

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

“This concluding proverb, which is also found in Matthew 7:2 and Mark 4:24, points out that the believer’s behavior toward others will determine God’s behavior toward him or her. The issue is not that human generosity is accorded with the same generosity (no more or no less) from God but that human generosity is rewarded with divine generosity, which is far greater, as the early part of this verse shows.”

Robert H. Stein in Luke (NAC 24; Nashville: B&H Publishing, 1992) 212.

With this proverb (descriptive statement) from Jesus, the Son of God, the declaration is clear: abundant, divine generosity awaits those who are generous. He even uses vivid language to make His point. Might it be that more people are not generous because they simply do not believe Him? Or perhaps people just don’t know about this? Help us Lord in our unbelief so that our lives proclaim Your truth to a skeptical, faith-scarce generation.

Since you excel in so many ways–in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us–I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving. 2 Corinthians 8:7

“Paul knew how to move and motivate people by means of sincere praise. There was one other thing they needed, however. They needed to grow in the grace of giving. Paul wanted to them to add generosity to their other virtues. He wanted their generosity to overflow. He wanted them to be richly endowed with this grace.”

John Phillips in Exploring 2 Corinthians: An Expository Commentary (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2002) 194.

Sammy and Sophie will soon return to college. They have been ordering textbooks and other supplies.

In our “last supper” together last night, I affirmed them and reminded them to “add generosity” to their lives as they head back to school. My prayer is that they abound in it and are richly endowed with this grace, so that all they do reflects the depths of God’s love.

Make it so, Lord Jesus, and richly endow everyone reading the grace of generosity, too.

The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. Psalm 24:1

“A lack of generosity refuses to acknowledge that your assets are not really yours, but God’s.”

Tim Keller in Generous Justice: How God’s Grace Makes Us Just (New York: Penguin, 2012) 91.

Jenni and I are updating our estate. The kids are both over 18 so it’s time. As part of the process, we had to complete a questionnaire listing our physical assets for our attorney, a long-time friend.

For the record, these are God’s assets in our stewardship: two Apple computers, two iPhones, two used (but dependable) Toyotas, my biblical studies library, Jenni’s spiritual formation library, fly fishing and other outdoor gear, a coffee maker (and other standard household appliances but the coffee maker is my favorite), some World Series and MLB memorabilia, some clothes and very ordinary furniture, many wonderful pictures (mostly of family members that have precious memories attached to them), various pieces of wall art (some are crosses, other pieces have words on them…some from my parents, others Jenni and I have purchased to make our home feel like a sanctuary), and financial resources in the amount of a few dollars in our bank account.

Our attorney, said, “That’s it?” He persisted in drilling down regarding retirement or savings accounts, IRA, 403b, pension plans, and the like. To which we replied. “All that is stored up in heaven.”

What about you? Take inventory. It’s a good exercise. What amount of God’s assets are in your hands and what does it reveal about your generosity?

Why share openly about our experience? I do it not draw attention to us, but rather to encourage everyone reading this to handle God’s assets in such a manner that your house is in order on earth, and so you are prepared to give an account for your stewardship before God in eternity.

Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. Galatians 5:16-17

“Unless we love natural goods — sex, alcohol, food, money, success, power — in the way God intended, we become their slaves, as any addict can attest. Jesus demonstrated in person how to live freely and fully, and not surprisingly he upset the religious establishment in the process. I cannot imagine anyone following Jesus around for two or three years and commenting, “My, think of all he missed out on.” More than likely they would say, “Think of all I am missing out on.” …

Perhaps the most powerful thing Christians can do to communicate to a skeptical world is to live fulfilled lives, exhibiting proof that Jesus’ way truly leads to a life most abundant and most thirst-satisfying. The fruits of the Spirit — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control — flow out of a healthy soul and in the process may attract those who have found such qualities elusive or unattainable.”

Philip Yancey in Vanishing Grace: What Ever Happened to the Good News? (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2014).

Our relationship to natural goods such as money shapes our lives. When we idolize money, we exhibit discontentment, greed, selfishness, and many other vices. Or as the Apostle Paul put it in his letter to the Galatians: our flesh prevents us from doing what we want to do.

Alternatively, when (as Yancey notes) we relate to natural goods in the way God intended, that is to say, when we follow the design of Jesus related to things such as money, our fulfilled lives become our greatest witness to a skeptical world.

What fruits are evident in your life and what do they reveal about you? Would others say that you are living a fulfilled life? When we relate rightly to God and natural goods, we don’t miss out on anything. Ironically, it’s the only way to take hold of that which money can’t buy.

And [Jesus] said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.” Luke 9:22-24

“Our hearts can only know one ruler. Our lives can only follow one leader. Our passions can only focus on one object. Our allegiance can only fall to one Lord. Our choice to follow one ruler means absolute rejection of all alternatives. The object of our love requires us to forsake all others. It’s not who you are leading, but who is leading you that matters!

Commitment to one path and one leader means leaving every other possible route behind. Committing our lives in one direction means absolute death to all other competing possibilities. I know we wish this weren’t so. We wish we could keep our options open, play the field, and explore all possibilities without closing the door on any of them. But in our spiritual lives, a vacillating loyalty is a choice for self-indulgence over the walk of faith.

What is at stake in this decision is the gift of true intimacy with God. It is only when we deny all of the selfish alternatives that we find the life that is lived in the presence and bright countenance of the God who created us for Himself. If we want to know the joy of that life, we have to die to the life that is focused on the self. And out of this death comes freedom, certainty, and the peace of God that passes all understanding.”

R. Scott Rodin in Steward Leader Meditations: Fifty Devotions for the Leadership Journey (Colbert: KLP, 2016) 70. If you are looking for a devotional linked to stewardship leadership, check this one out by my friend, Scott!

This particular excerpt from a meditation struck me because the words “vacillating loyalty” describe what I see in the world today.

In business, people vacillate toward deals or decisions that benefit themselves. In politics, voters vacillate toward candidates and platforms that promise to preserve their way of life. In ministry, congregants vacillate toward churches that meet their needs and organizations that advance the causes they think are most important. At the core, these tendencies reveal our self-centeredness.

What’s all this got to do with generosity? Only those who lose their life will find it. Only those who let go of that which they do not own will take hold of that which money can’t buy. As Scott puts it: the gift of true intimacy with God.

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 21:4

“Giving isn’t sacrificial unless you sacrifice to give. Many professing Christians give only token amounts to the work of God’s kingdom. A much smaller number give well. Perhaps only a few give sacrificially.

Polls consistently show that the more money Americans make, the less sacrificially we give. With each transition to a higher income bracket, the smaller percentage of our income we give each year to churches, charities, and other nonprofit groups. Wouldn’t you agree that if we are making more money than ever but giving a smaller percentage than before, then we are not giving sacrificially? We may be giving larger amounts, but actually sacrificing less financially for the kingdom of God.

I’ve never known anyone who gave sacrificially—whether through a one-time sacrificial gift or consistent sacrificial offerings—who regretted it. Sure, they missed having some of the things they could have enjoyed if they spent the money on themselves. But the joy and fulfillment gained by giving away something they could not ultimately keep was more than worth the sacrifice.”

Donald S. Whitney in Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, revised and updated (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2014) 175.

The only kind of giving Jesus celebrated was sacrificial giving. On this note Jenni and I have learned that when we sacrifice, we realize experientially that when Christ is all we have, that He is all we have ever needed all along.

The challenge of sacrificial giving is that it constantly stretches us. We never arrive. It’s not rooted in a percentage but teaches us a posture. Are you giving sacrificially? What changes might you need to make in your life to give sacrificially?

You shall not charge interest to your countrymen: interest on money, food, or anything that may be loaned at interest. Deuteronomy 23:19

“There is one bit of advice given to us by the ancient heathen Greeks, and by the Jews in the Old Testament, and by the great Christian teachers of the Middle Ages, which the modern economic system has completely disobeyed. All these people told us not to lend money at interest; and lending money at interest—what we call investment—is the basis of our whole system. Now it may not absolutely follow that we are wrong.

Some people say that when Moses and Aristotle and the Christians agreed in forbidding interest (or ‘usury’ as they called it), they could not foresee the joint stock company, and were only thinking of the private money-lender, and that, therefore, we need not bother about what they said. That is a question I cannot decide on. I am not an economist and I simply do not know whether the investment system is responsible for the state we are in or not.

This is where we want the Christian economist. But I should not have been honest if I had not told you that the three great civilizations agreed (or so it seems at first sight) in condemning the very thing on which we have based our whole life. One more point and I am done. In the passage where the New Testament says that everyone must work, it gives as a reason ‘in order that he may have something to give to those in need’ [Ephesians 4:28]. Charity—giving to the poor—is an essential part of Christian morality: in the frightening parable of the sheep and the goats it seems to be the point on which everything turns. Some people nowadays say that charity ought to be unnecessary and that instead of giving to the poor we ought to be producing a society in which there were no poor to give to.

They may be quite right in saying that we ought to produce that kind of society. But if anyone thinks that, as a consequence, you can stop giving in the meantime, then he has parted company with all Christian morality. I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusements, etc, is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving away too little. If our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say they are too small. There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot do because our charitable expenditure excludes them. I am speaking now of “charities” in the common way.

Particular cases of distress among your own relatives, friends, neighbours or employees, which God, as it were, forces upon your notice, may demand much more: even to the crippling and endangering of your own position. For many of us the great obstacle to charity lies not in our luxurious living or desire for more money, but in our fear—fear of insecurity. This must often be recognised as a temptation. Sometimes our pride also hinders our charity; we are tempted to spend more than we ought on the showy forms of generosity (tipping, hospitality) and less than we ought on those who really need our help.”

C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) in Mere Christianity (New York: Harper One, 1980) 85-87.

While I have previous quoted a portion of this meditation, in his exploration of “Social Morality” I believe Lewis puts his finger on the fundamental flaw in the economy of this world. Work should not driven by greed for personal gain and investment rooted in usury. We work to have something to enjoy and share. Consequently, in the economy of God all investments are based not on usury but linked to generosity, which Jesus describes as storing up treasures in heaven.

Rather than comment any further myself, listen to the concluding comments of Lewis for this section of Mere Christianity (one of my top-ten all-time favorite books)! They are most fitting for American readers today because of the political climate in which we find ourselves, though applicable all around the world.

“And now, before I end, I am going to venture on a guess as to how this section has affected any who have read it. My guess is that there are some Leftist people among them who are very angry that it has not gone further in that direction, and some people of an opposite sort who are angry because they think it has gone much too far. If so, that brings us right up against the real snag in all this drawing up of blueprints for a Christian society. Most of us are not really approaching the subject in order to find out what Christianity says: we are approaching it in the hope of finding support from Christianity for the views of our own party.

We are looking for an ally where we are offered either a Master or—a Judge. I am just the same. There are bits in this section that I wanted to leave out. And that is why nothing whatever is going to come of such talks unless we go a much longer way round. A Christian society is not going to arrive until most of us really want it: and we are not going to want it until we become fully Christian. I may repeat “Do as you would be done by” till I am black in the face, but I cannot really carry it out till I love my neighbour as myself: and I cannot learn to love my neighbour as myself till I learn to love God: and I cannot learn to love God except by learning to obey Him. And so, as I warned you, we are driven on to something more inward—driven on from social matters to religious matters. For the longest way round is the shortest way home.”

One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. Proverbs 11:24

“Generous giving contributes to abundance and withholding to shortage and scarcity. The operative word in the text is ‘freely’. There is something about generous (and wise) giving that does something not only for those who are the recipients of the giving but for the giver also. Those who hold on to what they have and refuse to be generous towards those less fortunate than themselves may not experience poverty in financial terms, but they will undoubtedly experience it in spiritual terms. And there can be nothing worse than poverty of soul.”

Selwyn Hughes in Divine Mathematics: A Biblical Perspective on Investing in God’s Kingdom (Surrey, UK: CWR, 2004) 9. Special thanks to Cameron Doolittle of Generosity Path for recommending this wonderful little book.

Living according to “Divine Mathematics” results in abundance and spiritual richness, whereas following the world’s system leads to scarcity and poverty of soul. Only those who live into the abundance paradigm, which requires faith, ever grasp it.

This is not about prosperity gospel, in which giving is about getting material wealth in return. This is about learning to give ‘freely’ rooted in the realization that all we have came to us ‘freely’ by grace from God. The function of the word ‘freely’ truly does determine a person’s spiritual richness or poverty.

To look at it another way, when we live according to “Divine Mathematics” (as Hughes puts it) we realize we are not simply end-users of all that comes to us, but rather distributors of God’s love and care. When we don’t let it flow through us, we are the ones who miss out, and as a result, we experience scarcity and the spiritual poverty that comes with it.

Remember the words of Jesus Himself. Freely you have received; freely give. Matthew 10:8b

Do you give freely?

Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the Kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. Luke 12:32-33

“The tangible resources of God’s Kingdom have been placed at our disposal. We have the privilege of investing those resources–not just our money, but our time, possessions, ideas, relationships, skills, spiritual gifts, and so forth–to produce positive results for the Kingdom. The progress of God’s work depends to some extent upon how we utilize the ample resources that He has entrusted to us. You are, in effect, a portfolio manager for the Kingdom of God…

God has given you the checkbook and told you to invest it in whatever ways will bring about the best outcomes for His glory and purposes. And, of course, you will be evaluated for how wisely you invested those resources. It has often been said that you can tell a person’s priorities by examining his or her checkbook. If someone were to examine your checkbook–as well as your schedule and personal goals–what message would he or she receive?”

Frank Viola and George Barna in Pagan Christianity?: Exploring the Roots of our Church Practices (Carol Stream: Tyndale, 2008) 257-258.

“Portfolio Manager” is great word picture for our role in investing God’s resources. I wrote a one-page article called “Spiritual Formation and Stewardship” back in 2006. It includes a “Stewardship Portfolio” that may be helpful for you to maximize your stewardship of the gifts and goods that God has entrusted to you. Click here to read or download it. Feel free to share it with others as well. The goal is that our actions send the message that we are faithful and generous portfolio managers for God.