Henri Nouwen: Content or clinging

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5

“A lot of giving and receiving has a violent quality, because the givers and receivers act more out of need than out of trust. What looks like generosity is actually manipulation, and what looks like love is really a cry for affection or support. When you know yourself as fully loved, you will be able to give according to the other’s capacity to receive, and you will be able to receive according to the other’s capacity to give. You will be grateful for what is given to you without clinging to it, and joyful for what you can give without bragging about it. You will be a free person, free to to love.”

Henri Nouwen in The Inner Voice of Love: A Journey Through Anguish to Freedom (New York: Image, 1966) 66.

Nouwen reminds us that our ability to serve as generous conduits is linked to the condition of our hearts: knowing that we are fully loved. Content conduits don’t cling to that which we receive. We also don’t try to control others, but rather, we love others through our giving. Contentment flows from the fact that God will never leave us nor forsake us.

I filled my car up with gas recently, and thought to myself how cool it is that the pump can fill my car according to its capacity to receive. Likewise, when we know we are fully loved we can fill people according to their capacity to receive. And we can do this joyfully because we ourselves are fully loved!

What about you? To grow in generosity rooted in the fact that you are fully loved, perhaps take some time to meditate on God’s love. Try reading Psalm 136 and revel in the truth that God’s love endures forever. Forever! Or if you like music, perhaps listen to the classic David Crowder song, How He Loves.

You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. Hebrews 10:34

“Every Christian is required to be an instrument in God’s rescuing action, and His power will not be exerted through us except at considerable cost to ourselves. Muzzy, safety-first Christianity is useless here. We must accept the world’s worst if we are to give it our best. The stinging lash of humiliation and disillusionment, those unfortunate events which strip us of the seamless robe of convention and reserve and expose us naked to the world in the weakness of our common humanity, the wounds given by those we love best, the revelation that someone we had trusted could not be trusted any more, and the peculiar loneliness and darkness inseparable form some phases of the spiritual life, when it looks as though we were forsaken and our ultimate hope betrayed: all these are sufficiently common experiences, and all can be united to the cross . . . And indeed, unless we can do this our world is chaos; for we cannot escape suffering, and we never understand it till we have embraced it, turned it into sacrifice, and given ourselves in it to God.”

Evelyn Underhill (1875-1941) in The School of Charity: Meditations on the Christian Creed (New York: Aeterna Press, 2015).

There are aspects of generosity I am still trying to grasp in my own spiritual journey. This is one of them. When we abandon “muzzy, safety-first Christianity” we find that our role in becoming “instruments in God’s rescuing action” is showing those around us that the way of Jesus is not a cheap, quick fix for life’s problems. Instead, it’s a pathway that costs us everything, which may deter some folks, but those who take it find that the gain far outweighs the cost. One thing I am learning is to stop trying to avoid suffering, but rather embrace it and turn it into sacrifice. This is divine generosity.

Father in heaven, help me remember those who are suffering and learn to joyfully suffer and accept injustice against me because overcoming evil with evil never works. Help me overcome it with good, because I know I have You, and You are good, and Your love endures forever. By the Holy Spirit cause me to never forget this so that I serve as a generous conduit of divine generosity that converts suffering to sacrifice just like Your Son, Jesus, in whose name I pray. Amen.

Let all that you do be done in love. 1 Corinthians 16:14

“When the evening of this life comes, you will be judged on love.”

John of the Cross (1542-1591) as recounted by Evelyn Underhill in The School of Charity: Meditations on the Christian Creed (New York: Aeterna Press, 2015) chapter 6, opening quote.

We got one of those troubling texts this week. Our daughter, Sophie, had been in a car accident. Thankfully, she and her fellow students are fine. Apparently a young man in a hurry ran a red light and hit her car.

While we wait and trust God to sort the situation (and pray the young man’s insurance covers her repairs), one thing has been evident: her San Diego Christian College community loves her! People have surrounded her with love.

If that was not enough, she was given a ride to school yesterday by a friend and (unfortunately!) dropped her phone when getting out of the car. Kindly, the librarian was quick to mask the shattered screen with tape.

In a world that celebrates performance and fame and says that bigger is better, I am thankful for the faithful followers of Christ at a small Christian college in Santee, California, because they show love!

In the end, it’s all that really matters.

Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. Hebrews 13:1-3

“Generosity involves the “pouring over” of the boundaries of the self and society in order to enclose the presence of others . . . The purpose of this enclosure of others, however, does not function simply to make others part of the self or society, but to give them the benefit of the resources of self and society. Generosity in this sense encloses others within self and society to bestow on the other the riches and the blessings of the self and society . . . By generosity, the outsiders become insiders, others become part of the self, and foreigners become part of the corporate entity, the society.

Hospitality is the shifting of the center of the self, or correlatively the society, to another self or society in order to put the necessities and desires of others first. Whereas generosity maintains the self and expands its boundaries, hospitality relocates the center of the self itself and places it in the other. This relocation bestows upon others an increment of honor and respect and makes the needs of the other primary to the self . . .

Both generosity and hospitality, precisely as mirror images of one another, open the self to the world and to the people around it and places a high valuation upon those others . . . Especially when it is inconvenient and disruptive, the seeker puts aside personal pursuits and activities to expand the boundaries of the self to include others (generosity) and to locate the self in an exterior person (hospitality) in order to minister to another needs as though they were the seeker’s own.”

Richard Valantasis in Centuries of Holiness: Ancient Spirituality Refracted for a Post-Modern Age (New York: Continuum, 2005) 147.

My mind is drawn this morning to the intersection of generosity and hospitality in order to minister to the needs of others as my wife, Jenni, and I are hosting Gladys Güitz and Andrea Marroquin from Potter’s House in Guatemala in our townhouse over the next few days.

Though the post seems long, don’t miss what Valantasis is saying (and I also hope you like the new header photo I shot on Tuesday evening on our walk with our dog, Joy). It’s a beautiful set of ideas that get to the heart of what must motivate us to carry out the instructions in today’s Scripture reading

Generosity is voluntarily expanding our boundaries to include others as insiders to benefit from all that God has given us. In plain terms, generosity says: “What’s mine is yours.” Hospitality, then, shifts the focus of the society (or in smaller cases, the household) to serve the stranger as a guest. It says, “How can we minister to you?”

Let’s read again the final sentence and therein read ourselves as the seeker: “Especially when it is inconvenient and disruptive, the seeker puts aside personal pursuits and activities to expand the boundaries of the self to include others (generosity) and to locate the self in an exterior person (hospitality) in order to minister to another needs as though they were the seeker’s own.”

I am convinced that our best ministry happens when we welcome inconvenience and disruption. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I am receptive to these opportunities and sometimes I am not. I suggest that we “plan margin” for these moments so we don’t miss them altogether (think of the blessing that the priest and the Levite missed out on in the Good Samaritan story in Luke 10:25-37). I say this because today’s text literally tells us not to “forget” to do this.

Father in Heaven, help us extend generosity and practice hospitality to welcome people even when it’s inconvenient and disruptive, so that we are known for lovingly making space in life for others, and for remembering those who are suffering. Empower us to this way of living by your Holy Spirit, I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Philippians 2:1-2

“We can do so much when we join forces with other brothers and sisters and do [God’s] work in the world. Verse two ends with this phrase: “Being in full accord and of one mind.” When we have one mind, we can have a greater impact for good. Brothers and sisters of one mind are united together to be the hands and feet of Christ in their community. Family who are “of one mind” still have their differences, but they lay them aside so they can do more together.”

Joel Bruce in Our Generous God: Discover God’s Generosity to You in Christ (Bloomington: Westbow, 2011) 112.

Today I honor my brother, Dr. David Hoag, who was recently appointed to serve as president for Warner University. It’s been a privilege to work together with David in doing God’s work over the years. I call him with questions. He jumps to assist me and share ideas or other helpful resources. And vice versa, it’s a joy to aid him whenever he needs me. When we collaborate, love, and support each other generously, we have a “greater impact for good” together.

Do you serve God with others with one mind?

That was the Apostle Paul’s desire for the Philippians, Joel Bruce’s aim for his readers, and my hope for you today. When we have the mind of Christ and take the posture of Christ, which is to pour out ourselves in humble service to others, we don’t end up empty, but enriched for continued fruitfulness. All heaven breaks loose when we work together with this mindset!

Hat tip to President Hoag as he turns 53 today. I love you David! Happy Birthday.

Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. Ephesians 4:28

“I’m not driven to make money. I am called to help others through my business endeavors, through my giving, and by the very fact that my service centers provide jobs. We teach our team members vital life skills. They learn to listen to customers, how to recover from setbacks, how to work with others, how to exceed expectations, and how to be empathetic. We impart positive work attitudes and habits. We try to provide our team with a university of life.”

Ken Blanchard and S. Truett Cathy, The Generosity Factor: Discover the Joy of Giving Your Time, Talent, and Treasure (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002) 83-84. S. Truett Cathy was the founder of the Chick-Fil-A fast food chain.

A friend recently emailed me struggling linked to work. My friend’s supervisors and co-workers appear to be motivated by greed and “value extraction” (getting for self) rather than generosity and “value creation” (giving to others). Sound familiar? Perhaps you have been or are in a similar situation.

I gave four words of advice in reply: (1) Pray for the ungenerous people in your life to realize all Christ has done for them (this is a vital first step to shifting perspectives). (2) Discipline yourself to model in various ways the generosity you want others to exhibit. (3) Tell stories of generous business operators (Leaders at Chick-Fil-A attest that generosity is not just God’s design for us; it’s good business!). (4) Ask God to either deliver you from your situation or give you grace to endure it.

In Apostle Paul’s day, the financial capital of the ancient world was Ephesus. It’s not surprising that many people in that city worked for personal gain. Many did this despite the fact that value extraction for self was considered “stealing” in the ancient economic mindset. He wanted them to think and act differently, so he made it very clear saying that the purpose of work in God’s economy is not for getting, but for giving, or literally, to have something “to share with those in need.”

Though the modern cultural mindset says, “I earned the money, it’s mine.” God’s Word teaches us the opposite. Everything belongs to God and is entrusted to us as stewards to accomplish God’s purposes. Only when we abandon the world’s way of thinking (value extraction) and take hold of God’s design for us (value creation) do we become generous business operators and generous workers in God’s world.

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. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus. Philippians 2:3-5

“Do not imagine that if you meet a really humble man he will be what most people call “humble” nowadays: he will not be a sort of greasy, smarmy person, who is always telling you that, of course, he is nobody. Probably all you will think about him is that he seemed a cheerful, intelligent chap who took a real interest in what you said to him. If you do dislike him it will be because you feel a little envious of anyone who seems to enjoy life so easily.

He will not be thinking about humility: he will not be thinking about himself at all. If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can, I think, tell him the first step. The first step is to realise that one is proud. And a biggish step, too. At least, nothing whatever can be done before it. If you think you are not conceited, it means you are very conceited indeed.”

C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity (New York: Harper Collins, 1980) 128.

Why this quote from Lewis today? What’s it got to do with generosity?

A friend of mine lost a dear friend and mentor who was, no doubt, an “intelligent chap who took a real interest” in my friend, which made me think of this snippet from Mere Christianity. Then my mind went to the mentors in my life (blokes like Wes Willmer, Tom Assmus, Dan Busby, and the men of the Tuesday morning Pinehurst Bible Study that I have attended for 15 years). These men generously exhibit humility. They think and care not for themselves but for others.

Since my friend whose mentor passed away can’t reach out and thank his mentor, let us reach out to thank ours today. Perhaps forward this email to one of your mentors and tell them how much you appreciate them for not being “smarmy” toward you (I had to look that word up: it means “insincere”). Lewis, much like the Apostle Paul, reminds us that we must abandon selfishness and acknowledge our pride to have the humble mindset of Christ. We must do this to have any impact on the lives of those around us.

Father, forgive our conceit and help us center our thoughts on You and others, just like Jesus, so that our lives generously bless others, even as we have been blessed. Amen.

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. 1 Timothy 6:17-19

“Generosity is a Christian duty, says Paul, something that pastors can command. He is probably echoing Deuteronomy 15, where God says to the Israelites, “Give generously to him [the poor person] and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you . . . There will always be poor people in the land [or on the earth]. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers . . . Give to him [i.e., the poor person] as the Lord your God has blessed you. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord you God redeemed you. That is why I give you this command today” (vv. 10-11, 14-15).”

Christopher J.H. Wright in “Paul, a New Testament Model: His Collection for the Poor in Jerusalem” in Accountability in Missions: Korean and Western Case Studies edited by Jonathan J. Bonk (Eugene: Wipf & Stock, 2011) 41.

Some people may be uncomfortable when I say “command generosity” but we see this language both in the OT and the NT. Today I have meetings with Korean-American church leaders in the Washington D.C. area who are likely more comfortable commanding their people to be generous because of cultural dynamics at play.

Why might most Americans feel uncomfortable with “command” language?

There are many possible reasons for this. One may be that our American culture tends to measure giving based on merit, which is the opposite of grace (often defined as unmerited favor). God desires that His people reflect his grace and generosity through openhanded sharing. He desires this so much that He “commands” us to do this.

The Korean culture is also far more hierarchical than the American culture (think: as a group their cultural tendency is to honor the instructions of authorities and people atop organizational structures). In such settings it may be more common to have a leader issue a command, whereas such language rarely flows from American leaders.

Regardless, rather than point any fingers at others, how about if each of us hear the command from the Apostle Paul directed to us personally. God commands you and me to live generously because of what is at stake: those who get it, take hold of life as God intends for us. So you could say, those who don’t obey are the ones who miss out.

It’s yet another profound paradox of the Christian faith. Obey the command and take hold of life. Fail to obey and miss grasping life as God intends for us. In other words, when we don’t live this way, God does not miss out, because He does not need our giving. We are the ones who miss out.

No wonder He uses command language! He does not want us to miss out on “the life that is truly life.”

So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:31-33

“It’s difficult to be generous if we worry about things, especially money. Conversely, if God and His ways are more important to us than anything else, we can be generous and not worry that we’ll run out of “all these things.” We have to be careful here. This is a promise about life, not about material wealth. Jesus is not telling us that if we give, we get more money in return. Rather, generosity produces the virtues of joy, peace, purpose, and contentment that give life and true meaning. At the same time, many of the people who have joined our conversation have increased their generosity, yet I do not recall a single instance where anyone ran out of money because he or she gave too much away. But suppose someone did. Suppose he [or she] gave every penny away and his [or her] account hit zero. According to this promise, God will take care of him [or her]. Do we really believe the Bible? Can we trust it? How do we move into greater levels of trust?”

Todd Harper in Abundant: Experiencing the Incredible Journey of Generosity (Chattanooga: Generous Giving, 2016) 39-40.

This is a great new book from Generous Giving. Harper invites readers to explore the spiritual journey of growing in generosity which is rooted in trusting in God and His promises. I enthusiastically commend it to the readers of my daily meditations. Here’s the endorsement I was privileged to include in the front of the book.

“Jesus does not call the rich to a posture of destitution, but rather, joyful distribution. Want to explore this idea further? This is the book for you! Todd Harper meets you where you are and graciously guides you from trying to maximize your net worth to maximizing kingdom impact. The best part is that you will find the journey to be the most enriching trip of your life.”

I am worshipping at Korean Central Presbyterian Church in Centreville, Virginia, outside of Washington D.C., this morning and interacting with leaders from KCPC and other leading Korean-American churches today and tomorrow. While these leaders grasp generosity and trust in God at profoundly deep levels, there is room for growth linked to demonstrating financial transparency and accountability to rally greater participation in the gospel. Our meetings will orbit around helping them understand the benefits of ECFA membership. This is not about expanding ECFA so much helping them enhance trust through greater transparency to expand God’s kingdom.

As it is written, “He has distributed freely, He has given to the poor [penes]; His righteousness endures forever.” 2 Corinthians 9:9

“The New Testament recognizes two classes of poor. The first of these, the penes, or working class poor, are mentioned only once (2 Corinthians 9:9). The penes made a living with their hands . . . The primary word for poor in the New Testament . . . ptoichoi . . . appears 34 times, each time describing persons living in abject poverty: helpless, destitute, beaten down, often reduced to begging as a means of survival.”

Charles E. Smith in Beside Still Waters: Shepherding in the New Millennium (Lincoln: Writer’s Showcase, 2002) 47.

This verse came up in my teaching this week and I can’t get it out of my mind. The function of the Greek language is important for reading and interpretation. Hang with me. I’ll make this a quick Greek lesson.

The Apostle Paul wants all believers scattered across the ancient Mediterranean world, the vast majority of whom would have been “working class poor,” that is, the penes, to participate in the collection for the “working class poor” Christians in Jerusalem who are starving. He spends two chapters teaching them about Christian sharing (cf. 2 Corinthians 8-9).

In the context of the Gentile world, such behavior would have been countercultural. The cultural response to neighbors who were suffering from famine would have been to take advantage of them. For example, if famine came and your crops were wiped out and mine were fruitful, in return for taking over your land, I would give you a portion of my harvest. You survived, but essentially “lost everything” because your land was now mine. Though Jews were not supposed to take advantage of one another, the practice of taking over family lands also occurred among God’s people, which is why the “jubilee,” prescribed in the OT law, required the people to return land to families so that people were not subject to one another for generations (cf. Leviticus 25:10).

Also in Jewish tradition, it was commonly thought that the rich were the ones expected to give generously and the recipients of their alms were the destitute poor, that is, the ptoichoi, so Paul is really shaking things up to call the penes to share with each other. Christian sharing is not about the rich fulfilling their obligation outlined in the OT law to help the poor. In times of crisis, even if other workers take advantage of fellow workers, working class followers of Christ live differently! They willingly and cheerfully live simply and share richly with each other!

In modern terms, Paul is saying something like this: “As working class followers of Christ who live paycheck to paycheck, when you hear of someone who is suffering, help them out. Do this by living simply and sharing whatever surplus you have that is more than you need to live on so that your fellow workers who have fallen on hard times have sufficient resources to live. Most importantly, when you abandon the world’s thinking regarding money and serve as cheerful givers, God is absolutely tickled because people see His love through you and give thanks to Him for your obedience.”

Father in heaven, show me a fellow worker who is going through hard times with whom I might share richly today.

Speaking of sharing, I have learned much about it from my Korean brothers and sisters. They don’t just think about the needs of others, Korean churches desire to lead the world in sacrificing so that others may see God’s love through them. Today, I am flying to Washington DC to worship at one of the largest Korean churches in America tomorrow and then to facilitate meetings for ECFA with Korean-American leaders on Monday. Pray with me for a fruitful trip. Thank you.