Jonathan Edwards: A Thousand Turns

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21

“It is easy with God to make up to men what they give in charity. Many but little consider how their prosperity or ill success in their outward affairs depends upon Providence. There are a thousand turns of Providence, to which their affairs are liable, whereby God may either add to their outward substance, or diminish from it, a great deal more than they are ordinarily called to give to their neighbors. How easy is it with God to diminish what they possess by sickness in their families, by drought, or frost, or mildew, or vermin; by unfortunate accidents, by entanglements in their affairs, or disappointments in their business! And how easy is it with God to increase their substance, by suitable seasons, or by health and strength; by giving them fair opportunities for promoting their interest in their dealings with men; by conducting them in his providence, so that they attain their designs; and by innumerable other ways which might be mentioned! How often is it, that only one act of providence in a man’s affairs either adds to his estate, or diminishes from it, more than he would need to give to the poor in a whole year.”

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) in Christian Charity or The Duty of Charity to the Poor, Explained and Enforced (1732) section III.V.

Jenni and I have chosen to rest this weekend at her parent’s place. We put some of those frequent flyer miles to work.

That’s the purpose of the resources we steward. To use them for enjoyment or sharing. Imagine how silly it would be to die with frequent flyer miles. Can’t take those to heaven.

But think about it. Most people live like they can control the host of factors surrounding their stewardship. This post reflects how little control we have.

The “thousand turns” of Providence can remove or replenish a steward’s resources in a heartbeat. Our role is to use them rightly the moment we possess them.

Some who read this have amassed wealth on earth. They say they need it to live the next 30 years. But, as my friend Michael Blue says, what about the next 30 million years?

Use what you have for giving, living, serving, and loving. God will, in one turn or a thousand, refill your cup and coffer. That’s what I am asking Him to do to mine right now.

He will. He is faithful. He can do it.

But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.” Luke 14:13-15

“Men, when they have laid up their money in their chests, do not suppose that they have thrown it away. But, on the contrary, that it is laid up safe. Much less is treasure thrown away, when it is laid up in heaven. What is laid up there is much safer than what is laid up in chests or cabinets. You cannot lay up treasure on earth, but that it is liable to be stolen, or otherwise to fail. But there no thief approaches nor moth corrupts. It is committed to God’s care, and he will keep it safely for you. And when you die, you shall receive it with infinite increase. Instead of a part of your earthly substance thus bestowed, you shall receive heavenly riches, on which you may live in the greatest fullness, honor, and happiness, to all eternity; and shall never be in want of anything. After feeding with some of your bread those who cannot recompense you, you shall be rewarded at the resurrection, and eat bread in the kingdom of God.

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) in Christian Charity or The Duty of Charity to the Poor, Explained and Enforced (1732) section III.V.

Jenni and I flew to California for the weekend to spend time with her parents.

Surely, we will eat bread and more with John and Wilma Pickrell, who have spent their lives as followers of Jesus and active in their local church. They’ve made it to point to make space at their table for people.

Do we? Do we make space at our tables for those society labels as outcasts?

I had another friend call me recently. He’s had hard times and was not looking forward to the upcoming holiday season. Why? He will likely spend it alone.

Immediately I made plans to be with him on his birthday. It falls between American Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Do you know anyone who may be lonely that you could invite to your table? Can you include more charities in your giving this year rather than increasing your spending at year end?

Do this and find blessing this season and consider the reward in heaven as an added bonus.

Send out your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will get it back. Divide your means seven ways, or even eight, for you do not know what disaster may happen on earth. Ecclesiastes 11:1-2

“Many persons are ready to look upon what is bestowed for charitable uses as lost. But we ought not to look upon it as lost, because it benefits those whom we ought to love as ourselves. And not only so, but it is not lost to us, if we give any credit to the Scriptures.

See the advice that Solomon gives in Ecclesiastes 11:1…By casting our bread upon the waters, Solomon means giving it to the poor, as appears by the next words, “Give a portion to seven, and also to eight.” Waters are sometimes put for people and multitudes.

What strange advice would this seem to many, to cast their bread upon the waters, which would seem to them like throwing it away! What more direct method to lose our bread, than to go and throw it into the sea? But the wise man tells us, No, it is not lost; you shall find it again after many days. It is not sunk, but you commit it to Providence.

You commit it to the winds and waves. However it will come about to you, and you shall find it again after many days. Though it should be many days first, yet you shall find it at last, at a time when you most need it. He that giveth to the poor lendeth to the Lord. And God is not one of those who will not pay again what is lent to him…God will not only pay you again, but he will pay you with great increase.”

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) in Christian Charity or The Duty of Charity to the Poor, Explained and Enforced (1732) section III.V.

When I was in the Philippines, I visited a home which had a large fountain with fish in the pond. When I walked near, the fish surfaced seeking food.

I thought, “They are waiting for me to cast my bread upon the water.” They wanted me to feed them. Notice the parallel here.

When we cast what we have on those in need, plenty will return to us. It requires faith. And those who commit what they have to Providence find gain.

They discover that through the many they have served God supplies more than what they need, when they need it. What better plan for our resources.

Cast your bread upon those who surface before you, like the fish I was looking at. See what happens. Give it time. And report back.

And remember GTP in your giving. God’s opened remarkably doors to serve persecuted and underserved Christians worldwide.

In response, we launched the 100 Countries Campaign. We pray God raises up country coordinators for 100 countries. We have 35 so far.

And we are asking God for financial support from 100 countries. Last year we had gifts come from 53 countries.

To respond to demand we pray everyone steps up and entrusts what they have to Providence, casting their bread on those in need.

One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. Proverbs 11:24-25

“Consider what abundant encouragement the Word of God gives, that you shall be no losers by your charity and bounty to them who are in want. As there is scarce any duty prescribed in the Word of God, which is so much insisted on as this; so there is scarce any to which there are so many promises of reward made. This virtue especially hath the promises of this life and that which is to come. If we believe the Scriptures, when a man charitably gives to his neighbor in want, the giver has the greatest advantage by it, even greater than the receiver.”

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) in Christian Charity or The Duty of Charity to the Poor, Explained and Enforced (1732) section III.V.

Scripture speaks clearly about the paradox of generosity. And we only figure it out as we it out. We don’t become losers by our charity but winners. We don’t end up empty, but rather enriched.

Edwards emphasizes here an important nuance of this point. God’s Word gives us “abundant encouragement” to live this way. He adds that there is “scarce any duty” as insisted as giving.

Why? It’s for our good and God’s glory. It offers promises in this life and the life to come. And it reaps more benefits to the giver than the receiver.

Regardless of where you find yourself today, as you approach this calendar year end, stretch your giving to a level of sacrifice and report back to me what happens.

I predict that the only losers will be those who fail to try.

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Matthew 16:24

“Consider that there is an absolute necessity of our complying with the difficult duties of religion. To give to the poor in the manner and measure that the gospel prescribes is a difficult duty, i.e. it is very contrary to corrupt nature, to that covetousness and selfishness of which there is so much in the wicked heart of man. Man is naturally governed only by a principle of self-love. And it is a difficult thing to corrupt nature, for men to deny themselves of their present interest, trusting in God to make it up to them hereafter.

But how often hath Christ told us the necessity of doing difficult duties of religion, if we will be his disciples; that we must sell all, take up our cross daily, deny ourselves, renounce our worldly profits and interests, etc. And if this duty seem hard and difficult to you, let not that be an objection with you against doing it. For you have taken up quite a wrong notion of things if you expect to go to heaven without performing difficult duties; if you expect any other than to find the way to life a narrow way.”

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) in Christian Charity or The Duty of Charity to the Poor, Explained and Enforced (1732) section III.3.

The biggest thing I have learned about the difficult duties of the Christian life, is that they aim not to take away from us but release us from what seems like good things so we can grasp better things.

But we don’t figure it out until we live it out.

Edwards nails it when he states that our nature leans toward covetousness, selfishness, and wickedness. It does. This leads us to trust ourselves and focus on worldly interests.

So, what’s the lesson today for those who want to grow in generosity?

If there is a difficult duty in the Christian life or a step God is calling you to take to trust Him, then ask God to help you in your unbelief. Then take the step relying on Him and see what happens.

Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered. Proverbs 21:13

“God tells us, that he shall look upon what is done in charity to our neighbors in want, as done unto Him; and what is denied unto them, as denied unto Him. Pro. 19:17, “He that hath pity on the poor lendeth to the Lord.” God hath been pleased to make our needy neighbors his receivers. He in His infinite mercy hath so interested himself in their case, that he looks upon what is given in charity to them, as given to Himself. And when we deny them what their circumstances require of us, he looks upon it that we therein rob Him of His right.

Christ teaches us, that we are to look upon our fellow Christians in this case as Himself, and that our giving or withholding from them, shall be taken, as if we so behaved ourselves towards Him; see Mat. 25:40. There Christ says to the righteous on his right hand, who had supplied the wants of the needy, “In that ye have done it to one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” In like manner He says to the wicked who had not shown mercy to the poor, verse 45, “Inasmuch as ye did it not unto one of the least of these, ye did it not to Me.” — Now what stronger enforcement of this duty can be conceived, or is possible, than this, that Jesus Christ looks upon our kind and bountiful, or unkind and uncharitable, treatment of our needy neighbors, as such a treatment of Himself?”

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) in Christian Charity or The Duty of Charity to the Poor, Explained and Enforced (1732) section III.

These thoughts on Christian charity move me. We don’t hear such strong language often, though all he does is recite what the Word teaches us.

Consider the implications of our treatment of the poor. Proverbs notes plainly that if we ignore their cries for help, our cries will be ignored. That’s significant.

Moreover, Jesus looks on our treatment of those in need as if we do it to Him. Sit with the Lord. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in your treatment of those in need as if you serve Christ himself.

Jesus told His disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’ Luke 16:1-2

“Your money and your goods are not your own. They are only committed to you as stewards, to be used for him who committed them to you. 1 Pet. 4:9, 10, “Use hospitality one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” A steward has no business with his master’s goods, to use them any otherwise than for the benefit of his master and his family, or according to his master’s direction. He hath no business to use them, as if he were the proprietor of them. He hath nothing to do with them, only as he is to use them for his master. He is to give everyone of his master’s family their portion of meat in due season.

But if instead of that, he hoards up his master’s goods for himself, and withholds them from those of the household, so that some of the family are pinched for want of food and clothing. He is therein guilty of robbing his master and embezzling his substance. And would any householder endure such a steward? If he discovered him in such a practice, would he not take his goods out of his hands, and commit them to the care of some other steward, who should give everyone of his family his portion of meat in due season? Remember that all of us must give account of our stewardship, and how we have disposed of those goods which our Master has put into our hands. And if when our Master comes to reckon with us, it be found that we have denied some of his family their proper provision, while we have hoarded up for ourselves, as if we had been the proprietors of our Master’s goods, what account shall we give of this?”

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) in Christian Charity or The Duty of Charity to the Poor, Explained and Enforced (1732) section III.

A dear friend passed away whilst I was in the Philippines, Hugh Fowler. I knew him as the patriarch of our Tuesday morning Bible study. Others knew him as father, grandfather, great grandfather, or senator.

He loved Jesus deeply and was a faithful and generous manager of God’s resources. When I read this post with its deep and pressing words, it moved me to think of Hugh, who has just given account for his stewardship.

I am confident he heard the words, “Well done!” but the question is, will you?

The other place my mind went this morning was the manna story of the Old Testament. God provided enough for each person. Those who tried to hoard for future days had it all turn to maggots.

The word for today’s post is account. Whatever path we choose with the master resources, we will have to give an account for our stewardship. For years I rationalized my disobedience as good stewardship.

Don’t let it happen to you. Put them in play. Map a plan to give generously this year end.

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

“We are professors of Christianity, we pretend to be the followers of Jesus, and to make the gospel our rule. We have the Bible in our houses. Let us not behave ourselves in this particular, as if we had never see the Bible, as if we were ignorant of Christianity, and knew not what kind of religion it is. What will it signify to pretend to be Christians, and at the same time to live in the neglect of those rules of Christianity which are mainly insisted on in it? But there are several things which I would here propose to your consideration.

Consider that what you have is not your own; i.e. you have only a subordinate right. Your goods are only lent to you of God, to be improved by you in such ways as he directs. You yourselves are not your own. And if you yourselves are not your own, so then neither are your possessions your own. Many of you have by covenant given up yourselves and all you have to God. You have disowned and renounced any right in yourselves or in anything that you have, and have given to God all the absolute right. And if you be true Christians, you have done it from the heart.”

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) in Christian Charity or The Duty of Charity to the Poor, Explained and Enforced (1732) section III.

Edwards calls out the professors of Christianity whose lives don’t match the teachings as pretending. Are you pretending to be a Christian? Do you neglect the commands of Christ?

I did for years. Guilty as charged. It was actually 2006-2008 when I was working on the study notes for the Stewardship Study Bible when I felt convicted. I was a pretending professor.

I stored up treasures on earth just like the pagans and rationalized my disobedience as good stewardship. It was only when we put to work what God supplied when we took hold of life.

Sometimes we use God’s resources to do productive work and other times for giving, but we don’t hold on to them, lest they get a hold on us. Anyone who does is a pretending professor, just like I was.

If you feel convicted, hear this. Neither are you your own, nor are the possessions you have yours. Everything belongs to God. If you call yourself a Christian, have your actions match Christ’s teachings.

He’s not trying to rob you, but help you take hold of life. And if you want to support the work of helping people grasp this truth in the hardest places, give to GTP.

But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Luke 6:35

“From this account the doctrine is obvious, that it is the absolute and indispensable duty of the people of God, to give bountifully and willingly for supplying the wants of the needy. — But more particularly,

I. It is the duty of the people of God to give bountifully for the aforesaid purpose. It is commanded once and again in the text, “Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy poor brother.” Merely to give something is not sufficient. It answers not the rule, nor comes up to the holy command of God. But we must open our hand wide. What we give, considering our neighbor’s wants, and our ability, should be such as may be called a liberal gift. What is meant in the text by opening the hand wide, with respect to those that are able, is explained in Deu. 15:8, “Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his want, in that which he needeth.” By lending here, as is evident by the two following verses, and as we have just now shown, is not only meant lending to receive again; [for] the word lend in Scripture is sometimes used for giving; as in Luke 6:35, “Do good and lend, hoping for nothing again.”

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) in Christian Charity or The Duty of Charity to the Poor, Explained and Enforced (1732).

In the summary section of this treatise, we discover special emphasis on opening wide. God knows our proclivity to open in a manner that may be less than wide.

Interestingly, every day when I walk the dog I think of the open space with the trail between the homes and give thanks for how wide they made it. So thankful for the generosity of the architect. Open wide.

For your children or children’s children, the church you attend, the ministries you support, and the needy in your path, open wide. For the opportunities to give that God puts in your path, open wide.

Do this because God in Christ Jesus open his hands wide and allowed them to be nailed to the cross to pay a debt you could never repay. Open wide.

And when you do, you won’t end up empty, but enriched. God will refill your hands with more seed to sow and more resources to share. Open wide.

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

“Men are exceedingly apt to make objections against such duties, which God speaks of here as a manifestation of the wickedness of their hearts: “Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart,” etc. The warning is very strict. God doth not only say, Beware that thou do not actually refuse to give him, but, Beware that thou have not one objecting thought against it, arising from a backwardness to liberality. God warns against the beginnings of uncharitableness in the heart, and against whatever tends to a forbearance to give. “And thou give him nought, and he cry unto the Lord against thee, and it be sin unto thee.” God warns them, from the guilt which they would be liable to bring upon themselves hereby.

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) in Christian Charity or The Duty of Charity to the Poor, Explained and Enforced (1732).

We don’t often think of the lack of sharing as sin.

We know God loves a cheerful giver. But what does he think of the person who fails to share from a grateful heart. He gives us the answer in His Word. The opposite of righteous in the biblical narrative is wicked.

And, biblically speaking, the person that fails to share is both wicked and a thief.

When we think of wicked in modern times, our mind goes to the green lady with the broomstick and the pointy hat. Few of us think of ourselves as wicked, when often that’s what we are.

When we fail to follow God’s righteous design and desire for living, we take a wicked path instead.

And considering that God owns everything and has given us commands for its use, failure to follow those commands in the example of sharing appears instead as stealing.

So, what’s this mean for us today in modern times?

Watch out for the beginnings of uncharitableness in the heart. It takes shape as thinking we own that which we have worked to earn. From there we keep rather than share material and spiritual blessings received by grace.

Don’t bring guilt on yourself. Don’t choose a path of backwardness to liberality.

I am not trying to rob you. I am trying to help you remove any cultural or spiritual restraints to giving. Generosity flows from the condition of our hearts.

On another note, praise God. Made it home safely from travel, 10 countries in 10 weeks: Costa Rica, Colombia, Austria, Czechia, Slovakia, Poland, Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Turkey, and Philippines.

God activated peer accountability groups (like ECFA in USA) in three countries: Costa Rica, Colombia, and Jamaica. In other places the work was preparatory. Eastern Europe, Bolivia, Brazil, and Cayman Islands are set to launch in 2024.

The World Evangelical Alliance meetings in early October in Turkey and other networking has set up work in 11 new countries in 2024: Albania, Armenia, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Ireland, Malaysia, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, and Qatar.

And, the recent meetings in the Philippines brought our team together and positioned to divide this work efficiently and effectively.  Why perform this service?

When we form stewards who help ministries follow standards it causes gospel reach and impact to grow exponentially. Thanks for your charitableness toward this work.