Remember this – a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each make up your own mind as to how much you should give. Don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves the person who give cheerfully. And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. As the scriptures say,

“Godly people give generously to the poor. Their deeds will not be forgotten.”

For God is the one who gives seed to the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will give you many opportunities to do good, and he will produce a great harvest of generosity in you.

2 Corinthians 9:6-10

Then you will have everything you will need and plenty left over to share with others. God blesses us, and we need not feel ashamed at that. Some would have us all feel miserable because we don’t all have the same income, the same opportunities, the same aspirations. But God has not promised that sort of “fairness”. He has promised to give us abundant lives – lives that overflow with goodness and satisfaction. He has designed a body that can share in each others daily needs, with open hearts and open hands.

God’s provision is a great thing. But it was never intended to enrich ourselves, to make us “comfortable”. It is certainly meant to meet our needs, but it is also meant to be shared. In other words, God gives us more than we need! But that doesn’t mean everything he gives is for our own pleasure and enjoyment. Once again, God gives with an eye to community and relationships.

It really does come down to recognizing the source of all we have. If we think of our pay as something that is our due because of the years of school, the hours spent each day, the skills we have developed…we begin to think that we are the source. This can be incredibly securing, if we are doing well. But it also will cause us to judge others incorrectly. We begin to assume that someone who has less than us is less skilled, less intelligent, less worthy. This train of thought only furthers the idea that, “my stuff is my stuff”. It breeds a feeling that we deserve what we have, and if others don’t have, they don’t deserve; or worse, would probably misuse or squander if they did have.

The idea that we are the sole source of our needs is an affront to the God who is our real provider. I love where Paul writes, For God is the one who gives seed to the farmer and then bread to eat. In that one sentence Paul conveys that the whole breadth of our need and livelihood is caught up in God’s provision. The farmer certainly worked hard. He toiled and sweated, worked long hours and put his whole being into the work. But it is God who provides the input to all our labors – the seed that will become produce in the end. And then that produce eventually becomes the provision for our physical needs. We cannot claim “sole provider” on any of it.

God wants us to seek our security in him, not in our skills and strength. Not that our skills and strength aren’t useful tools – but they will fail us where God will not. They certainly cannot be our security, as limited as they are in the grand scheme of things. I wonder if we would be inclined to trust our own strength and ability if we really saw the outcome as “not our own”? It seems appropriate to consider the fruit of our labors as rightfully ours if we are the only one who will reap the benefits. But God sees the fruit of our labor as a fluid, shared commodity. For this to work out, it cannot be by our strength alone!

As so often is the case as we consider following Christ, God’s provision calls us to think outside our own interests and needs. God’s provision doesn’t just meet a physical need, it calls us to grow in love, grace and kindness. It compels us on to experience Jesus in his fullness.

prayer

Jesus, I thank you for all that you have blessed us with. Help our words and actions to be fruitful. Help us to share the life changing gospel with power and effectiveness. Help us to offer hope to those who can’t find it. Help us to respond to our neighbors’ needs out of love.

Lord, let your spirit be at work in us, growing a healthy and strong body. Help us all to live by the Spirit, and not our own strength.

In all these things we thank you for your presence – what you have done to redeem us and what you continue to do to make us a holy people that brings you glory. Amen.

]]> http://devotionals.themountchurch.com/2009/06/18/plenty-left-over/feed/ 0 http://devotionals.themountchurch.com/2009/06/17/in-our-hearts-forever/ http://devotionals.themountchurch.com/2009/06/17/in-our-hearts-forever/#comments Wed, 17 Jun 2009 05:00:53 +0000 George http://devotionals.themountchurch.com/?p=619 If we are going to be a body that reaches into the community, into the world, we will have to constantly remember that life is more than just personal ethics, having the right “code”, performing the right behavior. And following Christ is not something we do alone. We need the encouragement that the body provides. We need the support and direction. I wonder if it is pride that makes us think that we can please God in our own effort, apart from our part in the body? Or is it just an inability to grasp God’s vision for the Church?

Oh, dear Corinthian friends! We have spoken honestly with you. Our hearts are open to you. If there is a problem between us, it is not because of a lack of love on our part, but because you have withheld your love from us. I am talking now as I would to my own children. Open your hearts to us!

2 Corinthians 6:11-13

Please open your hearts to us. We have not done wrong to anyone. We have not led anyone astray. We have not taken advantage of anyone. I’m not saying this to condemn you, for I said before that you are in our hearts forever. We live or die together with you. I have the highest confidence in you, and my pride in you is great. You have greatly encouraged me; you have made me happy despite all our troubles.

2 Corinthians 7:2-4

I hope as you read these two short passages that you hear Paul’s heart; he is crying for the Corinthians to realize that they are bound to him in love. Who they are is tied up in who Paul is. Who Paul is is tied up in who they are. Alone, both suffer a great loss. They are part of the same body, part of a community.

Receiving love is not any easier than giving it it seems. Giving love makes us vulnerable. Will our love be valued? Or will it be taken advantage of? Will it grow? But receiving love is also likely to make us vulnerable. Receiving love requires that we recognize our dependence on each other. And this isn’t just that we meet each others’ needs – like loaning money, trading childcare, borrowing vehicles, helping each other move. All that is involved in what it means to be a Christian community, but much more.

We live or die together with you. That’s an important relationship. One that should not be taken for granted. Who we are is tied up in the relationships we make. Though we often claim to value independence, it is often only a cover to protect ourselves from the truth – our relationships have a huge impact on who we are. We are not as independent as we tell ourselves.

Jesus certainly didn’t think of himself as independent. He was part of something, and needed – even asked – for the support of those closest to him. He always first took the time to grow closer to God. But he did not stop there. He “got dirty” in people’s lives, allowing them to be a part of God’s call in his life. People were not a burden, one more thing on the “savior” checklist. People were his mission; Jesus came so he might identify with us. We don’t have a cold and detached savior – we have a compassionate friend who has experienced life and relationship.

We rub off on each other. A single word can send us to the heights of joy or the depths of a bad mood. Without other Christians to encourage and challenge us – to grow along with us – we will never fully experience things like love, joy peace, kindness… These all involve connections, community, personal involvement in each others’ lives. And without our particular manner and weaknesses, someone is not going to develop the forgiving and praying spirit God desires in them. Becoming more like Christ is something we can’t do alone!

God expects us to be shaped by those around us; he wants us to choose our companions wisely for this very reason. First, we realize that who we are is bound up in what we have received from God. Second, we begin to grasp that who we are is bound up in what we receive from those God has placed in our lives. We may never fully grasp the significance of each soul surrounding us. But that doesn’t stop the whole body from being enriched by God’s wonderful plan.

So being faced with trouble is itself not proof of anything. It doesn’t tell us that we are in God’s favor, nor under his judgment. Our response, however, says volumes. Recognizing that our circumstances are used by God to shape us and help us to live out God’s will in our lives, we can respond with joy and satisfaction:

We try to live in such a way that no one will be hindered from finding the Lord by the way we act, and no one can find fault with our ministry. In everything we do we try to show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. We have been beaten, been put in jail, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. We have proved ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, our sincere love, and the power of the Holy Spirit.

2 Corinthians 6:3-6, NLT

Paul could have wallowed in self pity, considering all the obstacles as a sign he was outside of God’s will. Rather, he recognized that he was dependent on God, and that God was not unseated from his throne by the world’s ill will. It became an opportunity to patiently endure, becoming more like Christ, and propelling the gospel forward.

Our entire being is dependent on God. Our circumstances are part of God’s work in our lives. Our genes and our upbringing come together, beyond our control, but not beyond God’s. He has uniquely designed us to bring himself pleasure and to fulfill is purpose. God can and does work in the details of our life, with the Spirit guiding us and making us aware of his will. We are dependent on the work of the Spirit so that we can respond!

How do you respond to trouble? When the crisis comes – sickness, death, pain – it can seem overwhelming. But God is ready to respond with his presence if we will patiently endure and allow him to work. We can’t escape from our dependence on him. We can hide, we can shout at the heavens, but we don’t stop God from being God in our lives.

And to be honest, this fact is not always comforting. When we are hurting, God can seem distant and uncaring. He can seem unresponsive  – silent. This is the way our nature, broken and misshapen by sin, sees God’s action sometimes. But God still intends us to find comfort in our dependence on him. It is in our dependence that we prove ourselves – by our purity, our patience, our kindness, our love and his Spirit at work in our lives.

So we have stopped evaluating others by what the world thinks about them. Once I mistakenly thought of Christ that way, as if he were merely a human being. How different I think about him now! What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!

All this newness of life is from God, who brought us back to himself through what Christ did. And God has given use the task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sin against them. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others. We are Christ’s ambassadors, and God is using us to speak to you. We urge you, as though Christ himself were here pleading with you. “Be reconciled to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:16-21

One of the most clear ways we are dependent on God is for our standing before him. God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. As followers of Jesus, we are aware of our own inability to measure up. We fail to love God, and we fail to love people. There is nothing we can boast in when it comes to our ability to come to God’s throne asking for his help. God sent Jesus. It was he, not us, who bridged the gap between us.

As far as “receiving” goes, this should be a no-brainer. We must either receive God’s act of reconciliation, or we won’t have it. There is no way we can get reconciliation with God on our own. This new life that God gives is not something that we produce on our own. It isn’t based on special knowledge or the right friends or upbringing. It is based on God’s compassion.

Two responses seem to come to mind: thanks and obedience. When we receive with the right spirit, these responses (we might use slightly different wording) are natural consequences. First, we give thanks. We tell God that we recognize what he has done, the value of the gift. We tell him that we grasp what it cost – though we may not fully understand it. Second, we obey.

When we receive a gift, “obey” may not be the word that comes to mind. But if we receive a gift, don’t we usually show the gift some level of care and concern? We show by our treatment that the gift is valuable to us. In relation to God’s gift, the result is that we obey him. And what would it mean to obey? We love him, in a way that continually deepens over time. We love others,  learning how to forgive and how to show compassion and mercy. We follow his lead, growing more like Him in every way.

If you have been reconciled with God, thank him today. And then obey him, looking for every opportunity to demonstrate the change he has made in you. If that is not a reality in your life yet, then we offer the same plea as Paul, “Be reconciled to God!” Let him show you how life was intended to be! Let him create new life. You will never be the same.

]]> http://devotionals.themountchurch.com/2009/06/15/standing/feed/ 0 http://devotionals.themountchurch.com/2009/06/14/receiving/ http://devotionals.themountchurch.com/2009/06/14/receiving/#comments Mon, 15 Jun 2009 02:00:41 +0000 George http://devotionals.themountchurch.com/?p=610 This week, keep tuned as we look at receiving, concluding our series on giving. By “receiving”, we mean our dependence on both God and the body. God has designed us to be social beings, interacting and being part of each other. And this is all rooted in our dependence on God himself! A great book that illustrates this is 2 Corinthians. We will look at chapters 5-9 over the next couple days.

The book of Proverbs!

It’s a unique book. Condensed in a short work is quotation after quotation that implores us to live a life focused on God, with proper respect for how he has built us to relate to one another. Many people think of it as outdated – simple instructions for a simpler time. But the book is rich with instruction and correction if we will listen, and not arrogantly think we have come so far. Let’s look at some examples:

Keep away from angry, short-tempered people, or you will learn to be like them and endanger your soul. Proverbs 22:24-25 Proverbs instructs us about who we should hang out with, who we should associate with. It is quite practical. Here in this verse, we learn that surrounding ourselves with angry people will result in “leeching”. We will become angry and short-tempered, too. Logical conclusion? Avoid these people. Or at least recognize who they are so that you can minimize their influence! No “political correctness”. No false modesty, and a complete willingness to, “call it like you see it.”

An empty stable stays clean, but no income comes from and empty stable. Proverbs 14:4 Well, obviously! Of course, the obvious is usually not so obvious. And we tend to complicate things. We avoid responsibility, we sit and sulk about how hard life is, and wonder why things don’t work out better. We wonder why we have no money, why it is a struggle to live within our means. Proverbs is direct. Laziness and irresponsibility result in want. Hard work and faithful labor result in advancement and reputation. Sometimes it is stark and even exaggerated to make a point. But it always points out an underlying truth that we can apply.

Don’t say, “I will get even for this wrong.” Wait for the Lord to handle the matter. Proverbs 20:22 Proverbs is rich with application, but it is not just functional. It is not just telling us to do whatever works, as if just because it gets the job done it is ok. Proverbs can point out that people often succeed by lying and theft, but it also points out that God cares and is watching. This foul behavior does not go unnoticed. God is the source of wisdom in Proverbs. He is not just an onlooker, not just wishfully hoping we will take him up on the offer to receive understanding. God want us to receive all that he has to offer – a life full of his presence and will.

So take a look at proverbs. Dwell on it for a while and see what it has to say to you. How would life look if we followed its teaching? How would our culture and economy be different if we acted as it shows us to? It always provides for some interesting thoughts. And even though it seems simple, often, it requires a little bit of wisdom to really understand. Because life is messy and Proverbs knows it.

]]> http://devotionals.themountchurch.com/2009/06/10/money-friends-work-health/feed/ 0 http://devotionals.themountchurch.com/2009/06/09/the-wrong-move/ http://devotionals.themountchurch.com/2009/06/09/the-wrong-move/#comments Tue, 09 Jun 2009 05:00:00 +0000 George http://devotionals.themountchurch.com/?p=606 Today’s reading is an extended passage from the book of 1 Kings. As you read, consider whose wisdom you seek and whose advice you act on. What is your confidence in certain advisers based on? What makes you question someone’s advice and counsel?

Rehoboam went to Shechem, where all Israel had gathered to make him king. When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard of Solomon’s death, he returned from Egypt, [fn] for he had fled to Egypt to escape from King Solomon. The leaders of Israel sent for Jeroboam, and the whole assembly of Israel went to speak with Rehoboam. “Your father was a hard master,” they said. “Lighten the harsh labor demands and heavy taxes that your father imposed on us. Then we will be your loyal subjects.”

Rehoboam replied, “Give me three days to think this over. Then come back for my answer.” So the people went away.

Then King Rehoboam went to discuss the matter with the older men who had counseled his father, Solomon. “What is your advice?” he asked. “How should I answer these people?”

The older counselors replied, “If you are willing to serve the people today and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your loyal subjects.”

But Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders and instead asked the opinion of the young men who had grown up with him and who were now his advisers. “What is your advice?” he asked them. “How should I answer these people who want me to lighten the burdens imposed by my father?”

The young men replied, “This is what you should tell those complainers: `My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist–if you think he was hard on you, just wait and see what I’ll be like! Yes, my father was harsh on you, but I’ll be even harsher! My father used whips on you, but I’ll use scorpions!’ “

Three days later, Jeroboam and all the people returned to hear Rehoboam’s decision, just as the king had requested. But Rehoboam spoke harshly to them, for he rejected the advice of the older counselors and followed the counsel of his younger advisers. He told the people, “My father was harsh on you, but I’ll be even harsher! My father used whips on you, but I’ll use scorpions!” So the king paid no attention to the people’s demands. This turn of events was the will of the LORD, for it fulfilled the LORD’s message to Jeroboam son of Nebat through the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh.

When all Israel realized that the king had rejected their request, they shouted, “Down with David and his dynasty! We have no share in Jesse’s son! Let’s go home, Israel! Look out for your own house, O David!” So the people of Israel returned home. But Rehoboam continued to rule over the Israelites who lived in the towns of Judah.

King Rehoboam sent Adoniram, who was in charge of the labor force, to restore order, but all Israel stoned him to death. When this news reached King Rehoboam, he quickly jumped into his chariot and fled to Jerusalem. The northern tribes of Israel have refused to be ruled by a descendant of David to this day.

When the people of Israel learned of Jeroboam’s return from Egypt, they called an assembly and made him king over all Israel. So only the tribe of Judah remained loyal to the family of David.

1 Kings 12:1-20, NLT

Who we choose to get advice from is an important consideration. Age does not imply correctness, and this is certainly not the point of the passage. In this case, we must recognize that some choices we make will change life – not only for us, but for those around us. Rehoboam’s choices destroyed the unified kingdom. How would the world, and specifically God’s chosen people, look today if Rehoboam had acted on sound advice? We may never know.

Once again, the point is not to sulk over what might have been, but to realize that we need to seek advice wisely today.

Stop judging others and you will not be judged. For others will treat you as you treat them. Whatever measure you use in judging others, it will be used to measure how you are judged. And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying, “Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,” when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log from your own eye; then perhaps you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.

Don’t give what is holy to unholy people. Don’t give pearls to swine! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you!

Matthew 7:1-6

Unfortunately, people often use this passage to justify their behavior, or at least, prove to themselves that no one has the right to tell them they are wrong. But they misunderstand Jesus to mean that his followers should be “non-judgemental”: stick to their own problems and not intrude on what others believe is right. This is not what Jesus is getting at. Rather, Jesus says that condemning someone when we ourselves have similarly unresolved issues is foolish, if not even despicable. We are told in numerous places that we should be wise, discerning, judge fruit, etc. But that is not the same as puffing ourselves up as wise or knowledgeable – or even “spiritual” – when we, too, struggle with sin.

This doesn’t mean that we have no right or place offering help or counsel when we have dealt or are dealing with an issue. Sometimes an alcoholic needs someone who has struggled with and addiction to alcohol to speak words of wisdom into their life, words of encouragement and hope and challenge. But condemning someone for their behavior without rightly assessing our own is just what Jesus said – hypocritical. We should see in this appellation the idea of something false, acted, not true to nature. In other words, someone who condemns without looking at their own person first is not living in reality.

It really does not matter whether the advice or counsel is “true”. In this case, Jesus does not mean to contradict that the friend has some speck in his eye. The point is not that the judgment is false – but that it is contrary to sound judgment. Before we act on an impulse to share criticism we need to seriously consider what the result would be if the same accusation came flying back at us.

Verse 6 does provide an interesting footnote. When we are hungry to dole out “wisdom”, we must consider the audience. It is pointless to throw our “valuables” to the dogs. If we consider our advice as something of value, then we see that Jesus is trying to make people realize that sharing “counsel” does not automatically make people think you are wise and knowledgeable. In fact, many times, offering advice to those who are unwilling to hear it only hurts relationships, lessening our influence. So even wisdom that is not “hypocritical” should be handled with care. The truth is not a license for speech!

Jesus’ point in sharing all of this is to help us understand that we should not use advice and counsel, criticism and judgment, as tools to make ourselves look good. Trying to make ourselves feel better by pointing out others’ weaknesses is not the Spirit’s way.

reflection

1. Have you ever given advice that you really should have applied in your own life first?
2. How would you react if a friend pointed out a character flaw or sin you were struggling with? How have your reacted in the past?

The church is a unique creation. Where God once directly provided for his people in an amazing, even miraculous way, he has now prepared us to be his provision. It is something no less amazing, no less miraculous:

I suggest you finish what you started a year ago, for you were the first to propose the idea, and you were the first to begin doing something about it. Now you should carry this project through to completion just as enthusiastically as you began it. Give whatever you can according to what you have. If you are really eager to give, it isn’t important how much you are able to give. God wants you to give what you have, not what you don’t have. Of course, I don’t mean you should give so much that you suffer from having too little. I only mean that there should be some equality. Right now you have plenty and can help them. Then at some other time they can share with you when you need it. In this way everyone’s needs will be met. Do you remember what the Scriptures say about this? “Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered only a little had enough.”

2 Corinthians 8:10-15

Give whatever you can according to what you have. This was not an appeal to fund a missionary venture. It wasn’t a call to build a new and bigger building. It was about meeting the needs of the body, offering love and respect to a part of the body that was in desperate need. We sometimes have a very odd view of giving. We struggle to convince people to support our cause, to fund necessary and important work. But Paul didn’t have to resort to guilt. He just reminded them of the loving concern they had already shown.

These believers recognized that they were a community, all part of one another. Generous giving is not about the rules, about desiring to receive a blessing from God, or even meeting a goal. Paul doesn’t even here call them to “sacrifice”!  He calls them to simply share. It is about loving people so much that we hold our money and possessions loosely. People are more important!

Do you see yourself as part of something bigger than yourself, even the local body of believers? I’m not talking about denominations or anything of that sort! Do you feel a bond with believers in the next city, the next county, the next state? Is that bond a wishful or prayerful thought, or is it something that results in action? Paul spoke of equality among the body because those who had “stuff” shared with those who did not. We live in a world of clear inequality, even among those within the body of Christ. Many in the church around the world could not hope to have the means we possess. These people are not trying to build huge amphitheaters or fund private jets. They are trying to feed their families and sustain meager housing. Many Christians in our local communities struggle with the same needs – water, food, shelter and health. Are we moved to action, or do we respond by holding tightly to what we have, afraid to lose it?

You have what you have so that you might meet the body’s need. Short and sweet. No one is asking you to live on the street. No one is asking you to be a “martyr”. But God asks you to love the body like he loves the body, generously. He asks for follow through – not just well-meant wishes, but action rooted in love.

]]> http://devotionals.themountchurch.com/2009/06/04/generosity-101/feed/ 1 http://devotionals.themountchurch.com/2009/06/03/farce/ http://devotionals.themountchurch.com/2009/06/03/farce/#comments Wed, 03 Jun 2009 05:00:19 +0000 George http://devotionals.themountchurch.com/?p=591

Jesus replied, “You hypocrites! Isaiah was prophesying about you when he said,

‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away. Their worship is a farce, for they replace God’s commands with their own man-made teachings.’

For you ignore God’s specific laws and substitute your own traditions.”

Then he said, “You reject God’s laws in order to hold on to your own tradition. For instance, Moses gave you this law from God: ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and ‘Anyone who speaks evil of father or mother must be put to death.’

But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, “Sorry, I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I could have given to you.’ You let them disregard their needy parents. As such, you break the law of God in order to protect your own tradition. And this is only one example. there are many, many others.”

Mark 7:6-13

Giving is an act of worship. It is a statement of loyalty and trust, and even thanks. But it should not be surprising that we, paramount sinners, can turn what should be good into something that is only a dim reflection of God’s intentions.

In this passage Jesus condemns the hardness of heart in the spiritual leaders from Jerusalem. They are blind – unable to tell the difference between pure and impure, despite their thoughts to the contrary. And they provoke God to reject the people from the promised land by their rejection of God’s law in favor of their own tradition, so out of touch with God’s heart.

The  command to honor parents was of great importance. It was first among the commands in the Decalogue relating to treatment of others, following those commands that taught how to approach a holy God. Honoring parents was more than just obeying them, and was not just meant to be learned by children. Honoring parents meant taking care of them as they aged, putting their needs ahead of one’s own. It was to be honor given to parents as honor owed to God. Honoring parents came with a promise of life. Consequently, failure to live up to the covenant in this regard was seen as the cause by which the people would be rejected from the land. ¹

In one sense, the religious leaders saw themselves as “giving” to God. They had vowed to give, and this gave them a means for avoiding their obligation to their parents (so far as their traditions were concerned). Rightly, Jesus recongizes this as a violation of God’s intentions, and a sign of a hardened heart. It was a reversal of God’s order for things.

We must be careful ourselves, and test our thoughts about giving. Is our tradition out of touch with God’s heart? Do we avoid personal responsibility to God and others in the way we give? God wants our worship to be real – not just a pretty picture, a vain display for men. He desires intimacy, not just lip-service.

This will likely step on toes, but many in the church today think that if they “gave at church”, they have done their part. Or as the adage goes, “I gave at the office…”. Even tithing can be used to give oneself a false sense of being “spiritual”. This is not the way God views it. Everything we have is God’s, offered to us to be used as he would if he were physically here with us. He demands all. Now, that doesn’t mean we should all live penniless and on the street. But it does mean that we need to view giving as more than offering the “remainder” or a duty to be performed.

If we want to give the way Jesus would, we need to ask ourselves, what is important to God? Is evangelism important? Sure, and most believers would heartily agree – though many fewer give to support mission efforts. Is local discipleship important? Indeed. But are we using what we give wisely, or perpetuating an infrastructure or system that has lost connection with its reason for being? What about orphans and the homeless? The sick, depressed and the aging? Yes.

Here is where it gets odd. I have actually heard professed Christians say that caring for these people is not part of the gospel! When faced with opportunities to meet a physical need, every imaginable excuse streams out. I know that I have failed in this regard, using worldly wisdom to justify an attitude of indifference and judgment. It can make one wonder if we have been in touch with Jesus recently! Our tradition has taught us to give towards evangelizing these individuals, but we can get by feeling little responsibility or desire to meet their basic needs – the very thing that would open a door to share who Jesus is and what he has done. Beyond that, this sort of giving to evangelism dehumanizes the lost, making them nothing more than another “thing” to be recovered, not persons with real needs and real hurts. It seems that our traditions aren’t always in touch with God’s heart.

God doesn’t want us to give out of pride or show. He desires our giving to flow out of our thankfulness and trust. He doesn’t want us to blindly follow the socially acceptable “pattern” for giving. Rather, giving is something that asks for consistent and dynamic sacrifice -  personal involvement in the lives of those who are in need. What could that look like in your life?

Notes

1. Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament, G. K. Beale and D. A. Carson, Baker Academic 2007