J. Richard Middleton: Imago Dei and generosity

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27

“God’s intent from the beginning is thus for a cooperative world of shalom, generosity, and blessing, evident most fundamentally in His own mode of exercising power at creation. In the New Testament, Jesus even grounds love for enemies in the imago Dei, suggesting that this sort of radical generosity toward others reflects the Creator’s own “perfect” love toward all people shown in His causing sun and rain to benefit both the righteous and the wicked (Matt. 5:43-48; cf. Luke 6:27-35).

In the end, nothing less than God’s own exercise of creative activity ought to function as the ethical paradigm or model for our development of culture, with attendant care of the earth and just and loving interhuman action. By our wise exercise of cultural power we truly function as imago Dei, mediating the Creator’s presence in the full range of earthly activities, thus fulfilling the initial narrative sequence of the biblical story.”

J. Richard Middleton in A New Heaven and a New Earth: Reclaiming Biblical Eschatology (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2014) 52.

Yesterday I spent the morning discussing generosity in the image of God with Tim Dittloff of Stewardship Innovations. After lunch before my late afternoon flight home, he took me and some of his friends sailing on Lake Michigan on his boat, the “Imago Dei” (Latin for “image of God”), where I shot the above photo of Milwaukee.

After this amazing experience, I decided to read on this theme further this morning. Our lives must be defined by God’s ethical paradigm which reflects shalom, generosity, and blessing because that’s His image. Do these traits characterize the full range of our living? Do they embody our loving of others from friend to enemy? Do they shape how we interact with our culture and creation?

Father in heaven, thank you for making us in your image, male and female. Help us live as men and women of God who bring Your shalom to our communities. Help us serve as conduits of your generosity even to the most undeserving. Teach us to share Your blessings freely so that people may see You through us. Make it so by Your Holy Spirit I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Then he 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

“Take if from someone who has had a lifetime of experience of trying to help Christians understand their relationship to their finances, money has a very powerful and profound effect upon the human soul. I have watched hundreds of Christians in my time become financially blessed and then develop an acquisitive streak that in turn makes their souls as metallic as the coins they seek.

Someone has said that “having a good deal of money does not change a person, it merely unmasks them.” If a person is naturally selfish or greedy, money will simply show up those tendencies in a greater and clearer light. “An offering,” said one writer, “is minted personality.” We can tell a lot about the kind of person we are by what and how we give.”

Selwyn Hughes in Divine Mathematics: A Biblical Perspective on Investing in God’s Kingdom (Surrey, UK: CWR, 2004) 19.

This is a great little devotional book I like to read when I travel. Today’s reading reminds me that as God blesses us, we need to “be on guard” (in the words of Jesus) that an “acquisitive streak” (in the words of Selwyn Hughes) does not appear in our lives.

The Greek word for “greed” in this sentence can also be translated “covetousness or acquisitiveness”. Jesus is basically saying, “Beware of all the messages that bombard you that life is found in acquiring money and lots of things. It’s not found there!

What’s the best way to avoid an “acquisitive streak?” Focus on giving rather than getting! As God blesses us financially, we have learned to increase our level of giving not our level of living. I hope you will join us. Let’s mint our personalities as unselfish and generous!

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

“If your Christianity consists of slavery to religion in order to make yourself right before God, then it’s just as if you’re giving yourself to the pagan religions of the world. But Christianity is radically different from those worldly religions. Rather than slaves of religion, we are [children] in relationship with God…We can either make Christianity just like every other world religion and check off our boxes every week and go through the routine and the ritual, or we can step into the intimate presence of God.

We ought not to be a people who prayed a prayer a while ago and are now just trying to do our best to get things right with our lives on a week-in and week-out basis. We ought to serve God wholeheartedly, not because we’re trying to make ourselves right, but because we’ve been made right by God’s grace. We walk with him as [children] who know Him and love Him and enjoy Him and glorify Him, no matter what it costs…And Paul reminds us that because we are are free, we are not living for earthly pleasure…we [neither] live like everybody else, nor do we live for what everybody else lives for…and this changes everything about our lives in this world.”

David Platt and Tony Merida in Exalting Jesus in Galatians (Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary; Nashville: B & H Publishing, 2014) 89-90.

Today I lead a workshop with EFCA pastors to help them grasp their role in raising up a congregation of ministers who integrate their faith and work. My aim is to equip them mobilize those they serve to live differently from everyone else (as Platt and Merida would say) seven days a week!

With these pastors, I will present 30 practical ideas in four areas: (1) liturgy (activities in congregational gatherings), (2) pastoral care (rhythms for vocational pastors and marketplace leaders), (3) discipleship & spiritual formation (practices to mobilize a congregation of ministers), and (4) mission & outreach (steps that position the church to shape the community).

Please pray for fruitful time with them. Reply to this email if you want my a PDF version of my handout.

But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. Psalm 5:11

“Even in the deepest and darkest places of our lives, we need to step back and acknowledge God’s present provisions. Like children who are quick to lose perspective, we need to remember with whom we are walking through this painful journey…

The saying “Count your blessings” may seem old and trite. But there’s no better time to do this than when you face life’s trials. Ask yourself: What are some of the signs of God’s daily provision? How is God’s generous hand still evident in your crisis? What are the things for which you can now be thankful?”

Mike Fabarez in Lifelines for Tough Times: God’s Presence and Help When You Hurt (Eugene: Harvest House, 2014) 70.

Late last night I flew to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and this morning I am driving up to Green Lake to attend the EFCA Forest Lakes District Conference at which I will speak tomorrow. Today I am choosing to focus on God’s present provisions despite some crisis situations that members of my family are facing at the moment. It is easy to allow little things in the big scope of life throw us off. We can’t let that happen!

Am I frustrated that it appears that injustice is prevailing against my daughter, Sophie. Sure I am, and so is the rest of my family! But God has been and is so good to us in countless ways, so as a family we are choosing to be thankful. God will sort out her wrecked car. We trust Him. He provides bountifully for us. We rejoice despite trials because He has spread His protection over us. That’s generosity!

“Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?” Matthew 20:15

“Most of the workers receive much more than they expected when they were hired, and some have their daily needs paid for by a small fraction of a day’s work. The passage portrays generosity, not stinginess. At the spiritual level, no one should ever ask God to be fair, for that is an implicit request for damnation. One should always desire grace!”

Craig Blomberg in Interpreting the Parables, Second Edition (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2012) 285.

“It’s not fair.” I can hear myself saying this, because it appears that the young man who ran a red light and hit my daughter’s car will get off because despite the testimony of witnesses. It cannot be proven that the light was red. He says it was green. “It’s not fair.”

So to minister to my soul and look for help I turned to this text where the workers shout a similar cry. Those that worked all day and those that only worked the last hour made the same wage. The landowner was generous because the parable is not about fair wages but about grace.

Blomberg rightly reminds me this morning not to cry out to God for “fairness” but rather for grace: for more grace for my son and daughter when things in life seem to work against them, and for more grace for Jenni and me to forgive rather than remain angry at this young man.

Father in heaven, thank you for not being fair to us, because we’d be damned as a result. Thanks instead that you generously extend your matchless grace to us. Sort the challenges in our lives by your grace, mercy, and love. Help us trust you by your Holy Spirit I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen. 

“The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7b

“A debt-free multi-millionaire can fail these tests; an indebted college student can pass . . . While it is wise to follow plans and advice that lead to “financial freedom,” it is pointless to do so without first obtaining a freedom of the heart that only comes from passing the tests below — tests that carry wisdom governing how we should relate to God and money.

Test One: Are You Content in Your Circumstances? . . . Financially mature Christians will be content with their lives today, rather than impatiently waiting for a better tomorrow . . .

Test Two: Are You Guarding Against Greed? . . . Greed leads us to over-spend or over-save in pursuit of fulfillment outside of God Himself . . . So, where do you struggle with greed? Are you more prone to over-spend, or over-save?

Test Three: Do You Give Generously? Christians give generously in order to follow the model of Christ, as a response to God’s grace . . . When God pours money into our lives, our highest and best use of the funds is to pass them along to demonstrate His love to the world through generous giving.

John Cortines in his 29 September 2016 article entitled “What the Bible Really Says About How to Handle Your Money: Three Biblical Tests for Financial Maturity” shared with me by one of my former students, Peter Goehring.

This was a good little article. It hit home because I have been working on some talks that I will give over the next month linked to generosity and my focus has been on the condition of our heart. These three “tests,” or perhaps a better word might be “questions,” are great for anyone in ministry to ask themselves and those they serve to move toward the “freedom of the heart” that God desires for each of us!

“I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one.” Ezekiel 22:30

“My grievance with contemporary society is with its decrepitude. There are few towering pleasures to allure me, almost no beauty to bewitch me, nothing erotic to arouse me, no intellectual circles or positions to challenge or provoke me, no burgeoning philosophies or theologies and no new art to catch my attention or engage my mind, no arousing political, social, or religious movements to stimulate or excite me. There are no free men to lead me. No saints to inspire me. No sinners sinful enough to either impress me or share my plight. No one human enough to validate the “going” lifestyle. It is hard to linger in that dull world without being dulled.

I stake the future on the few humble and hearty lovers who seek God passionately in the marvelous, messy world of redeemed and related activities that lie in front of our noses.”

William McNamara in The Human Adventure (Garden City: Image, 1976) 9; and Mystical Passion (New York: Paulist Press, 1979) 3; as cited by Eugene Peterson in Run with the Horses: The Quest for Life at Its Best (Downers Grove: IVP, 2009) 13-14.

If there’s one thing about which Americans (and the watching world) agree during this season of political propaganda, it’s that we are not thrilled about our options. That said, I stand with McNamara who stakes our future on “the few humble and hearty lovers who seek God passionately in the marvelous, messy world of redeemed and related activities that lie in front of our noses.” Let’s be those folks today, generous to stand in the gap on behalf of this land while it seems like so much around us is falling apart.

God help us be generous in the little things today, in seemingly insignificant settings where no one is watching or no one may ever notice. Help us do this as we love and seek you passionately.

“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.” Luke 6:27-31

“There is here a progression from love, to doing good, to going beyond ourselves (in blessing and prayer) for the benefit of those harming us, to giving over and above what is taken. It seems likely that there is also a progression on the other side: one of evil — from being hostile toward us (an enemy), to hating, to cursing (verbal abuse), to mistreating through physical abuse and the taking of our possessions. The generosity commended and commanded is further characterized by how it responds to those who only ask for our goods, and how it does not seek the return of goods taken from us.

It is necessary to reemphasize that these words of Jesus are not laws, but are illustrations. One who can think of morality and moral goodness only in terms of laws will find the teaching of Jesus simply outrageous or impossible. As I see it, these teachings are indications of what children of the kingdom will be constrained to do, and be able to do, in many circumstances, perhaps most, because of the faith, hope and love — not precluding understanding — present in them. We are not here dealing with behaviors of weak and wimpy, depressed and gloomy people.”

Dallas Willard (1935-2013) in Renewing the Christian Mind: Essays, Interviews, and Talks (New York: Harper One, 2016) 347.

These are two great words from one of my favorite modern authors on the teachings of Jesus: “illustrations and indications.” Because of the impact of God’s grace and love on our lives, our responses as followers of Christ, such as loving our enemies or being radically generous, are not oppressive laws but indications and illustrations of what God’s people do when captivated by His goodness.

Father in heaven, our world (sadly!) seems filled with depression and gloom, and weak and wimpy people. Empower each of us who has been transformed by Your love to make your glory known through how we forgive and love the undeserving, how we share and give to those in need, and how we help and lift up the weak. Do this so that we might be illustrations and indications that You reign and Your hope is both sure and secure. Aid us to this end today, we ask in the matchless name of Jesus. Amen.

Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. Matthew 5:42

“‘Tis the most absolute and indispensable duty of a people of God to give bountifully and willingly for the supply of the wants of the needy.”

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) in opening subject line of section 1: Christian Charity (1732).

“Absolute and indispensable duty” are strong words, but the more I study the Scriptures, the more I believe they are correct. Whether we read Moses in the OT Law (Deuteronomy 15:7), Jesus in today’s Scripture reading (above), the Apostle Paul in the early church in the NT (1 Timothy 6:17-19), or numerous other biblical texts, we see command language linked to sharing.

Even John the Evangelist writes that failure to show compassion on the needy calls to question whether God’s love is in a person (1 John 3:17). Sharing surplus with those who have inadequate supply is not optional, but rather an absolute and indispensable duty of the follower of Jesus Christ.

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach. They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden. Everything they do is for show.” Matthew 23:1-5a

“The divine punishment of hypocrisy is fatigue. Those in Shakespeare’s fine simile, whose hearts are all false as stairs of sand, must really have much of that exhausted sensation that comes of walking through sand when it is loose and deep. The hypocrite is that unluckiest of actors who is never out of a job.”

G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936) as cited in in T.P.’s Weekly, 26 June 1914.

Today we see the divine punishment for doing good with bad motives. Those who try to do good deeds in the strength of the flesh, as fulfilling a requirement from religious leaders, or for praise of people, are hypocrites who will find themselves exhausted and empty.

In the NT world people praised those who did good deeds and acts of beneficence. What motivated their giving? The Greeks referred to the driving force as philotimia, or “love of glory.” It was all for show!

This past Sunday, Pastor James Hoxworth mentioned the first line of this quote in his sermon, so I looked it up in its entirety. With his vintage blend of wit and wisdom, Chesterton again hits the nail on the head. We are learning that living generously in Christ leaves us not exhausted and empty, but energized and enriched, because it’s all for God and fueled by God.

Sadly, both Jesus and Chesterton would add that there will always be frauds who do not practice what they preach. And just imagine the fatigue they get as their reward.

What about you? Would Jesus label you a hypocrite? Do your practices match the teachings of Jesus? We are discovering that the way of Jesus is not burdensome but life-giving.