Basil the Great: The rule of moderation

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Basil the Great: The rule of moderation

“We should endeavor to follow the rule of moderation, avoiding the excesses of both luxury and physical abuse, so our bodies are not ruined by either obesity or starvation in following the commandments. For both extremes can do equal harm, and so we must avoid letting our body get out of control by a life of ease, and abusing it so that it is made weak and unresponsive. For in both these states the soul is deprived of the time to look with freedom upon high things.”

Basil the Great (c. 329-379), bishop of Caesarea and one of the Doctors of the Church, as recounted in The Quotable Saint ed. by R. E. Guiley (New York, 2002) 178.

What a gift to rest and enjoy moderation with regard to work! I pray you too are having a refreshing weekend.

I also pray that the moderation or “simplicity” of Jesus, the first disciples, and saints like Basil inspires each of us to find our groove with regard to moderation, so that we are not so captivated with the things of earth that we miss the things of God.

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Tim Keller: Remember the Gospel and live generously

“In Acts 20, Paul stops in Ephesus to speak to some dear friends whom he helped lead to Christ and disciple. He is on his way to Rome where he believes he may even be going off to his death and will never see them again. In verses 32-34 he shares with them the main thing that he wants them to remember for the rest of their lives.

Remember the gospel (you are sinners saved by grace) and live generously.

He adds that he showed them a life poured out in deeds of mercy to those in need and quotes the Lord Himself who said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

When we share our last words to those we love, we want to say the things that are most important, Paul left his good friends with believe the gospel and live radically generous lives.

Paul clearly sees these two things as absolutely inseparable. If we are a people who understand we are sinners truly saved by grace, then it is natural to live lives of radical generosity. Radical generosity looks differently for each of us as we surrender the time, talents, and treasures the Lord has entrusted to us for His kingdom wherever He leads.”

Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, as recounted on receipt stuffer from my friends at Westminster Christian School, Elgin, IL.

Amen and Amen! The gospel of Jesus Christ and the radically generous life are inseparable!

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J.D. Greear: God doesn’t need us!

“God is not now, nor has He ever looked, for “helpers” to assist Him in saving the world. That doesn’t mean He isn’t calling us to give ourselves generously to that mission or be sacrificially generous with our neighbors; it’s just that He’s not looking for people to supply His needs. He’s not short on money, talent, or time. He has never commanded us to go save the world for Him; He calls us to follow Him as He saves the world through us.”

J.D. Greear in “The Key to Radical Generosity: God Doesn’t Need You!” on October 8, 2014.

Today, I’d appreciate your prayers as I meet with leaders of Westminster Christian School in Elgin, IL. My prayer is to help them grasp truths such as this so that their students and the families they serve follow Christ accordingly and so their lives bring Him glory.

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Charles R. Swindoll: Paying the pastor

“Most average people don’t quite get what paying the pastor has to do with the Spirit-filled life. Paul addresses this topic head on. Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches. Galatians 6:6

[Here] he reminds his readers of their responsibility to support those tho teach them the Word…To neglect this would be to squeeze off the gospel at its source…Studying and teaching the Word of God takes time and discipline. Staff pastors, whether they preach each Sunday or lead a ministry or serve in an administrative role, shouldn’t have to work two jobs in order to make ends meet…

Part of a believer’s spiritual responsibility is to share his or her abundance with those who work hard in the church. As the pastor shares spiritual wealth with his flock, the flock should share material goods…In the grace-oriented, Spirit-filled church, pastor and congregation are to look out for one another, bearing each other’s burdens.”

Charles R. Swindoll in Insights on Galatians, Ephesians (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012) excerpt from notes on Galatians 6:6.

Many people today don’t give to their local church because they don’t like what they see their local church spending money on. Common complaints include: “They are spending too much on buildings!” or “The church is inward-focused on programs for members and not outward-focused on reaching a lost world.” or “They don’t care about the poor!”

Sound familiar? If so, I urge you to find a local church where God’s resources are spent on paying a pastor(s), making Christ known, and caring for the poor and needy. Let’s attend such churches and not “muzzle the ox” (1 Timothy 5:18) but rather support our spiritual leaders so that they can focus on equipping the saints for works of service.

Today I am in meetings in Chicago with EFCA pastors and TIU/TEDS leaders in Chicago. Thankfully the occasion is to discuss the opportunity for pastors to receive generous foundation grants to help those they serve grow in the integration of faith, work, and economics. Gotta take care of our pastors!

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Scot McKnight: What does it mean to have a “good” or “bad” eye?

Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is! Matthew 6:19-23

“What does it mean to have a “good” or a “bad” eye [in Matthew 6:22-23]? Again, the answer is that it refers to generosity or stinginess. Here is a reference: Prov 22:9 (‘the good-eyed man’ is kind to the poor). And Jesus drives the point home: if a person is full of darkness, how deep is that darkness! Unpacked, Jesus is here talking about the necessity of a heart being transformed by God’s grace, or at least a heart being good for if the heart is not good, nothing can be good. And the direction of this transformation, in these verses, is all about generosity.”

Scot McKnight in “The Eye of Generosity” blog post on January 18, 2006.

I am at Sioux Falls Seminary today teaching and spending time with my good friend, Greg Henson. Greg’s a fan of Scot McKnight, so I was read bits of Scot’s blog this morning and appreciated how he connected Jesus’ statement in Matthew 6:22-23 with Proverbs 22:9. Lives transformed by grace exhibit generosity.

Whether or not our eyes are good is revealed by our actions. Are we generous or stingy? Good-eyed people are kind to the poor and store up treasures in heaven through their giving, while bad-eyed people store them up for themselves, exhibiting stinginess.

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N. T. Wright: Everything is a gift

“Everything is a gift of God’s sheer grace and generosity.”

N.T. Wright in After You Believe: Why Christian Character Matters (New York: HarperCollins, 2010) 2.

Everything is a gift of God’s grace (that means “we get what we do not deserve”) and generosity (that means “what we get reflects the lavish love of God”). I believe this realization is intended to inspire us to extend grace and generosity to everyone, everywhere, each and every day. Let’s do it, starting today.

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Martin Luther: What to do with things

“I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God’s hands, that I still possess.”

Martin Luther (1483-1546) as recounted in Luther Gold: Pure. Refined. comp. by R. Comfort, ed. by M. R. Murray (Alachua, FL: Bridge-logos, 2009) 50.

I can’t find record that I have ever shared this famous quote attributed to Luther as a meditation, so here it is!

I am also thankful that my mom, Patsy Hoag, shared it with me this week and has modeled such generosity for me all my life. Thanks mom!

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John Chrysostom: When the poor are helped

“When the poor are helped there ought to be these two conditions: generosity and joy.”

John Chrysostom (347-407) in his commentary On the Letter to the Romans as recounted in The Quotable Saint ed. by R. E. Guiley (New York, 2002) 207.

Join me and my family in practicing generosity to the poor children of the garbage dump of Guatemala City today. Potter’s House has mobilized many volunteers and is acquiring the supplies to host VBS for 2,000 precious Treasures in November 2014. A gift of $20 covers the cost for one Treasure to attend Vacation Bible School.

Watch the video about VBS and learn about the curriculum my wife helped develop from Psalm 139 to help the children learn that they have been created with a purpose, and that they are known, loved, forgiven, and guided by God. Our generosity is resulting in great joy. Click here to give according to your ability.

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Columban: Be gentle in generosity

“Be submissive to good, unbending to evil, gentle in generosity, untiring in love, just in all things.”

Columban (543-615) in a letter dated to the year 610 as recounted in The Quotable Saint ed. by R. E. Guiley (New York, 2002) 152.

Are you so quick to run to the aid people that sometimes you run over them? That’s one of my many vices. God help us be gentle in generosity today and everyday.

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F. F. Bruce: God’s generosity is inexhaustible

“Because God Himself is infinite and eternal, His glory is inexhaustible, and provides the measure of His generosity when He bestows His gifts. Because His resources are inexhaustible, He cannot be impoverished by sharing them with His children.”

F. F. Bruce (1910-1990) in The Epistles to the Colossians, to Philemon, and to the Ephesians (NICNT; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1984) 326.

Today’s meditation (and my prayer today for myself, my family, and all my friends who read these meditations) comes from F. F. Bruce’s comments on this sentence from the first chapter of Ephesians.

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. Ephesians 1:18-19a

Thank you Lord that your generosity toward us is inexhaustible!

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