Giving Wisely

I just finished reading the best book I ever read concerning Biblical principles on giving wisely. The author is Jonathan Martin and the title of his book is Giving Wisely? You can find and purchase it from www.amazon.com.

Meditation
2 Corinthians 8:14,15—at the present time your surplus is [available] for their need, so that their abundance may also become [available] for your need, that there may be equality. As it has been written: The person who gathered much did not have too much, and the person who gathered little did not have too little.

During this time of economic uncertainty, many Christians struggle with how to handle their money. I wrestle with how to best invest the resources God gives me towards His Kingdom. There are more needs than I can help and I receive requests for financial assistance virtually every week. On top of those requests are my own financial challenges. So what does God want me to do?

Jonathan shares five principles in the acronym RAISE that form a great guide in helping us give locally or internationally in a God pleasing manner.
R = Relationship. Jonathan notes, “The healthiest giving is best done at a relational level, not merely the emotional level.” Too often we give out of a guilt complex that we have more than someone else, or because we feel manipulated emotionally by the appeal. It takes more work to form a relationship with someone but the end result is almost always better than resorting to a handout.
A = Accountability. Jonathan’s church, Good Shepherd Community Church, does not support nationals directly. They give through organizations. This creates answerability and protects against fraud, misunderstanding and abuse. Is it wise to give a person money for food who has cable television, indulges bad habits and runs up credit card debt?.
I S = Indigenous Sustainability. Sometimes our giving directly sabotages the motivation of a local ministry to meet its needs. Our giving should not create dependency or stifle the creativity and responsibility of another body to fix its problems and grow local solutions.
E = Equity. Our giving should not inappropriately raise another above the local standard of living. As we see in the passage above, balance in the body is a good thing!

This morning I was impressed with Jacob’s example in Genesis 43. His family was in the midst of a severe famine and they badly needed food. Despite the harsh and bizarre manner his sons were treated by Joseph (whom they did not recognize), Jacob sent them back to Egypt with the finest products of their land and twice as much money as was needed. He chose to be a blessing in the face of suffering. As Christians, we can always give something! Too often, we let our circumstances determine our action or inaction instead of trusting God. Give because God gave you His best, Jesus. Help others so as to bless them and you receive blessing. Just don’t forget to share wisely! God does not just expect us to be generous, He expects us to use discernment with the resources He owns!

Inspiration
Harambee is the East African custom of joining efforts to raise resources for a good cause.—Glenn Schwartz in When Charity Destroys Dignity

Holiness II

I apologize in advance for this illustration but I am not trying to be crude in making a crucial point. Each night I walk our two dogs, Hero the Labrador retriever and Saber the Sheltie. When the three of us walk, Saber has a habit that is extremely annoying. If he comes across what I suspect is dung from another animal (I’m guessing raccoon), before I can stop him, he literally does an in-the-air rollover dive into the mess and slides his chest and back all over it! Now I’m mad because I have to clean him (a difficult task with his thick and long hair) and he stinks. Furthermore, can you imagine what people would think of me as an owner if they came upon Saber in such a disgusting condition?

Meditation
Ezekiel 36:23-28—I will honor the holiness of My great name, which has been profaned among the nations—the name you have profaned among them. The nations will know that I am Yahweh"—the declaration of the Lord GOD —"when I demonstrate My holiness through you in their sight. "For I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries, and will bring you into your own land I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will place My Spirit within you and cause you to follow My statutes and carefully observe My ordinances. Then you will live in the land that I gave your fathers; you will be My people, and I will be your God.

You remember the story! God led the Israelites to Canaan, the land He promised to Abraham and his descendants. He expected them to live righteously in contrast to the heathen nations that occupied that territory. Instead, they jumped and rolled in the sin of the residents they failed to remove and brought such a stench upon themselves that God in disgust, forcibly removed and scattered them through the armies of Assyria and later Babylon. I think we tend to be hard on the Jews and to judge them for turning their backs on God and walking in wicked behavior. But I wonder, are we so different? How many people do you know who claim to be Christians yet live identical to their Christ-disdaining neighbors? How many Jesus followers wear the odor of the world because the aroma is powerfully attractive? If you and I do not carefully watch ourselves, we can easily find ourselves guilty of doing and being the very things God forbids.

Here’s the good news. God is a forgiving, loving Father. Rather than abandon His people and start over with a “new breed,” He promised to bring them back to their own land, clean them up, place His Spirit within them and cause them to obey His laws and to be His children. God demonstrates His holiness through people. He honors His holy great name by helping us be holy. May God be forever praised for His faithful commitment to our well-being! We don’t deserve it. So, the next time you see a fellow believer engage in sinful behavior, remind him or her whose Name they represent. And before you are tempted to do evil, think of the consequences of your action. Remember that God wants to work His holiness through us so that every nation can see what clean and pure looks like to His glory!

Dear Lord, I am so sorry for thoughts or action that caused You to hold Your nose and look away. Thank You for loving me enough to cleanse me. May I walk in holiness each day to the betterment of our relationship and so those around me see Your holiness at work!

Inspiration
The demonstration of holiness has always been at the heart of God’s strategy of world evangelization.—Robert E. Coleman in The Master Plan of Discipleship

Outsiders

Have you ever wanted to be part of a group but found yourself excluded? Whether it be a school, church, club, team, a political party or affiliation most of us recognize the existence within any organization of an inner ring. Many people spend their whole lives seeking acceptance and entrance into these cliques or groups. No one wants to be left out.

Meditation

Galatians 2:11-13—But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because he stood condemned. For he used to eat with the Gentiles before certain men came from James. However, when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, because he feared those from the circumcision party. Then the rest of the Jews joined his hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy.

Let’s look deeper into what caused Peter and Barnabas to act in a manner they knew was wrong. Jews, affiliated with Jesus’ brother James, came to Antioch from Jerusalem. When these men came from Jerusalem they probably voiced concerns to Peter that by eating with Gentiles, he was setting up the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem and elsewhere, for persecution from the circumcision party—a nationalistic group deeply committed to Jewish laws. Peter was afraid enough of this group to stop eating with the Gentiles. His Jewish team joined in his hypocrisy.

Peter wanted approval from James and the men who came from Jerusalem. Whether he desired to be part of their team, we don’t know. What we do understand is that he hurt the Gentile believers by pulling away from them. Peter forgot that when he accepted Jesus as his Lord he became part of the only team that would ever matter—the Outsiders.

Would you agree the need for acceptance courses through our veins? We want to be part of a group or at least gain their approval for a number of reasons: power, status, security, safety, recognition, belonging, and/or privilege. The need to join an inner ring can be so compelling that a person will violate his or her own conscience and do the wrong thing. Consider what a person will do or not do to join a sorority. Can you think of a time in your life when peer pressure or the dictates of a club led you to engage in behavior you knew was wrong? It is often teens desperately seeking acceptance ignored by the popular kids at school, who join gangs of misfits to engage in immoral behavior. The need to be included is more powerful than the ability to stand alone and risk rejection.

Outsiders are no longer of this world. Outsiders never put an organization or group above loyalty to Jesus Christ because they know that people will surely let them down. Outsiders do not need or look for membership in an inner ring to bolster their self-esteem. They are already family with the Inner Ring that truly matters—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit! Outsiders gain their confidence from being IN Christ. Outsiders build their faith and function confidently because they know God loves them unconditionally and secured for them an eternal place in His presence.

If you are one of those influenced by the pack, or who feels the constant need to be a member of the “in crowd,” ask yourself, “Who am I truly serving?” Better to be an outsider obedient and centered on God than an insider pursuing what cannot last and ultimately will not matter. I am not saying teams are unimportant, but rather that we must beware of seeking approval and inclusion that is not God honoring.

Inspiration

I believe that in all men’s lives at certain periods, and in many men’s lives at all periods between infancy and extreme old age, one of the most dominant elements is the desire to be inside the local Ring and the terror of being left outside.—C.S. Lewis in The Weight of Glory

More Truth

In reading through the Bible in 2009, my selected theme was truth. Earlier this week, Chris primed our pumps asking us what truth is. I am going to finish off the year sharing what I learned from this vital Biblical topic hoping that it encourages and challenges you as much as it did me.

Meditation

Psalm 85:11—Truth will spring up from the earth, and righteousness will look down from heaven.

There are seven themes regarding truth. The first and most common theme deals with the veracity of our words. Approximately, 115 times in 40 books the Bible illustrates importance in the accuracy of what we speak from our mouths.

The second major theme ties truth directly to God as an attribute and expression of His words and nature. In Exodus 34:6 we read, “Then the LORD passed in front of him [Moses] and proclaimed: Yahweh—Yahweh is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in faithful love and truth.” At least 78 times in 21 books of the Bible truth describes God, and His Word. Jesus and the Holy Spirit are also equated with truth.

The third major truth theme has to do with integrity and pertains to the character and actions of people. This is illustrated aptly by the description Jesus gives Nathaniel in John 1:47—“Here is a true Israelite; no deceit is in him.” Fifty-nine times in sixteen books truth is illustrated primarily as an issue of integrity.

The fourth major truth theme is particularly relevant to us because it describes the benefits of living truthfully. Because this list is so encouraging I am going to share at least 25 benefits we gain from truth:

1. God’s truth guides us in how we should live and what we should do.

2. God’s truth guards us and He becomes our shield.

3. We are sanctified by truth.

4. God does not withhold good from those who live with integrity.

5. People of integrity will remain in the land and dwell on the heights

6. Job notes how painful honest words can be. Truth forces us to examine issues we might rather avoid or set aside.

7. God does not reject a person of integrity.

8. Living honestly allows us to dwell in God’s presence

9. The LORD is near to those who call on Him with integrity.

10. The one who follows the way of integrity can serve God.

11. Integrity helps us wait on God whereas living in the flesh pulls us away.

12. Because of our integrity, God supports us.

13. Truth endures forever!

14. An honest witness does not deceive others.

15. A truthful witness rescues lives.

16. The king loves one who speaks honestly.

17. The children of a parent with integrity will be happy

18. An honest answer refreshes people.

19. The one who lives with integrity will be helped.

20. The nations will be blessed by the one who speaks God’s truth

21. The one who lives by truth, comes to the light.

22. The truth will set us free.

23. People of the truth listen to the words of Jesus.

24. Truth leads to godliness and makes us pure in God’s sight

25. Whoever lives with integrity fears the Lord.

The fifth theme reveals truth corrupted or attacked and the consequences that come from not walking in the truth. In sixteen books, 31 times we see truth undermined.

The sixth theme clearly reveals that God expects us to live and speak truthfully. The Old Testament prophets often reminded the people that they were only to speak God’s words. The Apostle Paul reminded the Ephesian church, “Since you put away lying, Speak the truth, each one to his neighbor, because we are members of one another” (Ephesians 4:25). At least 16 books illustrate 27 times that truth is expected.

The least mentioned theme shows how truth is applied to material objects (honest scales, true tabernacle, the book of truth, etc.).

As we enter the year 2010, let us resolve to walk in truth for the glory of the Father of Truth. Our hope in reaching people with the gospel is to walk with integrity thereby gaining God’s favor and help.

Inspiration

I have long sought the Truth, but without finding it. I have travelled far and near, but have never searched it out. In Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, I have found no rest. But I do find rest in what we have heard tonight. Henceforth, I am a believer in Jesus.—Dr. and Mrs. Howard Taylor in Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret