George Barna: What standard for generosity are you setting for the people who are watching you?

“People learn best by watching what others do. Children watch their parents. Adults watch their neighbors and work associates. Nonbelievers watch Christians to see what difference Christianity makes in their lives. One way we can positively influence the world is by giving generously, sacrificially, and without fanfare: allowing the world to see that we understand where our wealth comes from and how to use it in a godly manner. We are not to take our giving cues from the world; instead, the Bible calls us to set the standard of generosity in giving.” [cf. Acts 4:36-5:10; 2 Cor 9:13]

George Barna in How to Increase Giving in Your Church (Ventura: Regal, 1997) 83.

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“God’s will for our lives is that we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. The most important decision we face is the daily decision to live for Christ and die to self. If we do these two things, then we are free to choose between jobs and schools and locations. God wants us to stop obsessing about the future and trust that He hold the future.”

Kevin DeYoung, Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God’s Will (Chicago: Moody, 2009) 63.

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“The Christian life must be lived out among the regenerate in every area of activity until even the unregenerate are moved by Christian standards, acknowledging their force…To the extent that any society is leavened with Christian conviction, it becomes a more hospitable environment for Christian expansion…for it is the redemptive element that distinguishes Christianity, and it is the redemptive element that the jaded world culture so sorely needs.”

Carl F. H. Henry (1913-2003) the first editor-in-chief of Christianity Today in The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1947) 71-73.

Today’s meditation recounts a leading voice in earlier history of the Evangelical Free Church of America who proclaimed Christian social engagement well before its time. I read Carl Henry this morning as I am at an EFCA conference in New Orleans and my prayer is for this movement (and all Christ-followers) is to find inspiration from leaders like Carl Henry to generously live out the gospel in every area of activity, because it is what our lost world so desperately needs.

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“I believe that God created me along with all creatures. God gave to me: body and soul, eyes, ears, and all the other parts of my body, my mind and all my senses and preserves them as well. God gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and land, spouse and children, fields, animals, and all I own. Every day God abundantly provides everything I need to nourish this body and life. God protects me against all danger, shields and defends me from all evil. God does all this because of pure, fatherly, and divine goodness and mercy, not because I’ve earned it or deserved it. For all of this, I must thank, praise, serve, and obey God.”

Martin Luther (1483-1546) in The Small Catechism, Article One, updated in modern language in Creed: A Seven-Week Reflection Guide on the Apostles’ Creed by J.D. Walt (Wilmore: Seedbed, 2012), 25.

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“I am afraid we are getting too much publicity.—A few things I heard this evening made me feel cold with fear. God preserve us. Please pray for me—that I be nothing to the world and let the world be nothing to me.”

[Mother Teresa] was aware that it was “God’s work”; she was but an instrument in bringing “souls to God—and God to souls.” for such a mission, prayer and sacrifice were essential: united to Jesus’ redemptive suffering.” [Galatians 2:20]

Mother Teresa in her letters to Archbishop Périer on June 5, 1947 and April 17, 1953 as collected in Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light edited with commentary by Brian Kolodiejchuck (New York: Doubleday, 2007) 152-153.

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“Of this faith three things are specially to be noted. First, that this faith doth not lie dead in the heart, but it is lively and fruitful in bringing forth good works. Second, that without it can no good works be done, that shall be acceptable and pleasant to God. Third, what manner of good works can they be that this faith doth bring forth…Thy deeds and works must be an open testimonial of thy faith…

Be sure of your faith, try it by your living, look upon the fruits that cometh of it, mark the increase of love and charity by it towards God and your neighbor, and so shall you perceive it to be a true and lively faith. If you feel and perceive such a faith in you, rejoice in it, and be diligent to maintain it, and keep it still in you; let it be daily increasing, and more and more be well working, and so shall you be sure that you shall please God by this faith.”

Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556) excerpts from his homily, The True and Lively Faith.

I chose today’s homily in honor of an Anglican brother, Chris Cairns, whom I had the privilege of teaching this week! He’s taught me to appreciate the writings of Thomas Cranmer. Rich treasures are the Thirty-Nine Articles and homilies like this one!

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“The Bible is full of caution lights warning us when we are about to head off course and into spiritual trouble. John issues one of those warnings to us, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15).

…I have identified four flashing “caution lights” that should warn us that we might indeed have gotten into an illicit love affair with the world and the things of this world.

Caution Light #1
We are falling in love with the world…when we are never quite satisfied with what we have. (Ecclesiastes 5:10; 6:7)

Caution Light #2
We are falling in love with the world…when the things we own end up owning us. (Matthew 6:24; 2 Timothy 4:10; Luke 12:15)

Caution Light #3
We are falling in love with the world…when worry about losing our things is disrupting our inner peace. (Philippians 4:11-12; Hebrews 13:5)

Caution Light #4
We are falling in love with the world…when our longing to be there is diminished by our affection for what we have here. (2 Corinthians 5:8; Matthew 13:22)

…As we continue to live in this materialistic culture of ours, may we all keep our eyes carefully peeled for these four caution lights so we might not unintentionally end up becoming an illicit lover of the world and the things of the world.”

Jay Link in “Do You Love the World?” blog post on August 5, 2010.

I chose this meditation with four points because, by God’s grace, today marks the fourth anniversary of daily Meditations from the Generosity Monk. After four years, my focus remains the same:

The purpose of these daily meditations from this contemplative consultant is to challenge the steward of Jesus Christ to think about biblical stewardship principles and their application to everyday life.

After four years of daily reading, not a morning goes by that I am not inspired by quotes of saints through the centuries (as well as modern voices) linked to Christian generosity. I pray they inspire you as well.

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“Financial stewardship is such a fundamental part of our spiritual relationship with Christ that authentic discipleship does not exist without it…Each of us makes one of two choices in life. We either become emotionally attached to our money or we become emotionally attached to God. Although we often hope to do both, in our hearts we know that cannot happen.”

Herb Miller in The Parish Paper: Ideas and Insights for Active Congregations, June 2011.

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“Charity, as it is written, is not self-seeking (1 Cor 13:5) meaning that it places the common good before its own, not its own before the common good. So whenever you show greater concern for the common good than for your own, you may know that you are growing in charity.”

Augustine of Hippo (354-430), Written about the year 400, The Rule of St. Augustine, divided into eight chapters, is one of the earliest guides for religious life. This excerpt from chapter V.

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“Therefore, when anyone receives the name of abbot, he ought to govern his disciples with a twofold teaching.

That is to say, [1] he should show them all that is good and holy by his deeds even more than by his words, expounding the Lord’s commandments in words to the intelligent among his disciples, but demonstrating the divine precepts by his actions to those of harder hearts and ruder minds.

And [2] whatever he has taught his disciples to be contrary to God’s law, let him indicate by example that it is not to be done, lest, while preaching to others, he himself be found reprobate, and lest God one day say to him in his sin, “Why do you declare my statutes and profess my covenant with your lips, whereas you hate discipline and have cast my words behind you?” [Psalm 50:16-17] And again, “You were looking at the speck in your brother’s eye and you did not see the beam in your own. [Luke 6:41-42]”

Benedict of Nursia (c. 480-543), Rule of St. Benedict 2.

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