Jay Link: Do you love the world?

“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.

“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.

“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.

“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.

“There is a story about a vacationer to Mexico who chided a local about what the tourist perceived as laziness. The local was sitting under a tree on a hot summer day drinking an iced tea.

“Why aren’t you working and earning money?” the tourist asked. He went on: “Take me as an example. At your age, I worked two jobs. I saved money and invested it. By now, I have accumulated enough to come here to Mexico to take my vacation.”

“And how are you going to spend your day here?” asked the local.

“Why, I’m going to sit under that tree there and drink iced tea,” said the tourist.

“I rest my case,” said the local.

The old adage deserves consideration: you can’t take it with you. Use money to become a more generous individual.”

Gary Lauenstein in The Redemptorists of the Denver Province email on 21 June 2013.

“Generosity…is humble, quiet, and persevering. It is patient and unobtrusive…it bears with everything gladly and without complaint because it no longer stops to reflect that there is anything to bear.”

Thomas Merton (1915-1968) Monastic Observances (Collegeville: Liturgical, 2010) 90.

“In our century, we think God is making us rich as a testimony to the world of how great God is blessing us. In reality, God blesses us so we will grow as givers, and be generous. We should be the most caring, sensitive, giving, most sacrificial and abundantly willing to respond to needy people in the world. We are to lovingly transfer the title of all we have back to God, the rightful Owner, and say to Him, “Lord, the more you bless me, the more I want to be generous and give to your kingdom.”

John S. Barnett in Discipline Yourself for Godliness (Tulsa: Müllerhaus Publishing, 2007) 143.

“There will be works of God exhibited through us, people will get blessed, and one or two will show gratitude while the rest will show total ingratitude, but nothing must divert us…”

Oswald Chambers (1874-1917) in My Utmost for His Highest (Grand Rapids: Discovery House, 2008) reading for September 23.

Three things drew me to read from my Scottish roots in my daily office this morning. Incidentally, Oswald Chambers was a Scottish evangelist and the lines of both my parents trace our ancestry to Scotland.

First, I arrived safely home from the UK at about 1:30am this morning. To welcome me home Jenni had put up many balloons, one really made me smile. It reads: “There is a Doctor in the house!”

Second, I got a thoughtful email from my brother, David, which brought me to tears. His words recollected specific sacrifices our parents made for our Christian education. Nothing diverted them. His note dripped with gratitude.

Third, many are asking: What next? In reply, please know that I have no agenda. The PhD was not a stepping stone to something else. I remain committed to encouraging Christian generosity. Just like I had no idea where the research journey would take me, I have no idea what’s next. I leave that to God to sort.

What I do know is that now the real work begins.

My task is to continue to apply what I learned in my own life and simply share it with the world. That in and of itself may consume the remaining days God grants me. May nothing divert me, for my work does not end until the Lord Jesus says: “Well done!”

And may neither fame nor difficulty, triumph or trial, divert you as well!

“We are sent to war. We are not sent to minister to a congregation and be content if we keep things going. We are sent to make war…and to stop short of nothing but the subjugation of the world to the sway of the Lord Jesus.”

William Booth, 1829-1912 (founder of the Salvation Army in the slums of London, England), quote from 1878 as recounted by Trevor Yaxley in William & Catherine: The Legacy of the Booths (Bethany House Publishers, 2003).

Bilbo Baggins: Good morning!

Gandalf: What do you mean? Do you wish me a good morning or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it to be or not or that you feel good this morning or that it is a morning to be good on?

Bilbo Baggins: All of them at once.

This whimsical scene that opens, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, provides the context for today’s meditation for all four reasons mentioned above:

I wish you all a good morning! Thanks for reading the daily mediations that I share from my study.

It is a good morning whether I want it to be or not. Why? Because God is so good. He is good beyond our wildest dreams.

I feel incredibly good this morning. I PASSED my final PhD viva with the best anticipated outcome! I need to fix some typos this afternoon and resubmit it electronically and then send it on to the university for printing. Furthermore, the examiners urged me to have it published and to “aim high” because in the words of one of my advisors, “it has the potential to shape how all people read 1 Timothy today and in the future.” For this very favorable outcome, I give all the thanks and praise to God and the list of people I could thank from my advisors to my family and friends are too numerous to list. I must thank you for your prayers, as I felt God’s peace all throughout the rigorous and extensive examination.

It is a morning to be good on. The whole purpose of doing a PhD on riches in 1 Timothy was to understand what generosity in God’s economy is all about as a basis for training the leaders of God’s church and His people. It was quite the unexpected journey. While I don’t have all knowledge as a result, the process has changed me. I have learned a lot that will take me a lifetime to apply and share. So my exhortation to you today comes from this last quip of Gandalf: It is a morning to be good on. Each time you get the gift of another day to live, live it to the fullest! Enjoy and share God’s blessings with all you touch for His glory!

The other reason I chose this quote for today’s meditation is this (and like yesterday, I actually did not think of this until walking to my room just now):

When I crossed the pond, I watched the movie: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. As I have the soundtrack on my iPhone, upon arrival at the college, I played it continuously in my room the last three days.

The movie soundtrack by Howard Shore contains a wide variety of the most peaceful and powerful tunes. It filled my room with a sense of anticipation and adventure that depicted these last seven years. Enjoy.

So with that, Good morning from the UK! Although it’s already a good afternoon here. Cheers!