Generous…

Generous…

Give generously and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this, the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore, I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land. (Deuteronomy 15:10-11)

I have to be honest…. I did not realize to be generous is commanded; yet, here we find direct instruction to be compassionate upon the poor among us. Notice that we are to give generously and to do so without a grudging heart. It reminds me of how Paul instructs and encourages believers to be generous:

2 Corinthians 9:6-11 (NIV)

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.” (Citing Psalm 112:9) Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

Generosity is inherent to the nature and character of God – whose image we bear. It should be innate to those who believe. Who has been more generous than God? “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:16-17)

So, let us be generous people! Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, who conduct their affairs with justice. (Psalm 112:5) A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. (Proverbs 11:25) The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor. (Proverbs 22:9)

Have a Blessed Day!

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. ~ 1 Timothy 6:17-19

Wealth…

Wealth…

You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms His covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today. (Deuteronomy 8:17-18)

Wealth can be deceitful because too often we tend to forget who gives us the ability to produce wealth. King Solomon observed, “Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless. As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owners except to feast their eyes on them? (Ecclesiastes 5:10-11) So, I think we should look at wealth from a biblical perspective….

Matthew 19:21-23 (NIV)

Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I tell you; it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Luke 16:10-13 (NIV)

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So, if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own? No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

1 Timothy 6:6-10 (NIV)

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Hebrews 13:5 (NIV)

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Citing Deuteronomy 31:8)

Have a Blessed Day!

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

Ah, Sovereign Lord…

Jeremiah 32:17 (NIV)

Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.

Our Verse of the Day affirms God as the creator of everything and sovereign over all His works. But if we look at the surrounding context, we will see that Jeremiah prayed this prayer in the midst of an impending national crisis. The remnant people of Israel were being invaded and taken over by the Babylonian Empire because of their unfaithfulness to God; and yet, he is buying land (while in prison) as a display of his trust in the ultimate mercy and goodness and faithfulness of God to redeem and restore His people:

Jeremiah 32:8-23 (NIV)

I knew that this was the word of the Lord; so I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel and weighed out for him seventeen shekels of silver. I signed and sealed the deed, had it witnessed, and weighed out the silver on the scales. I took the deed of purchase—the sealed copy containing the terms and conditions, as well as the unsealed copy— and I gave this deed to Baruch son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel and of the witnesses who had signed the deed and of all the Jews sitting in the courtyard of the guard. In their presence I gave Baruch these instructions: ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Take these documents, both the sealed and unsealed copies of the deed of purchase, and put them in a clay jar so they will last a long time. For this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.’ After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord:

Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. You show love to thousands but bring the punishment for the parents’ sins into the laps of their children after them. Great and mighty God, whose name is the Lord Almighty, great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds. Your eyes are open to the ways of all mankind; you reward each person according to their conduct and as their deeds deserve. You performed signs and wonders in Egypt and have continued them to this day, in Israel and among all mankind, and have gained the renown that is still yours. You brought your people Israel out of Egypt with signs and wonders, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with great terror. You gave them this land that you had sworn to give their ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey. They came in and took possession of it, but they did not obey you or follow your law; they did not do what you commanded them to do. So, you brought all this disaster on them.

The disaster that Jeremiah speaks of is the Babylonian invasion of Jerusalem and the land of Judah. Indeed, God brought judgment upon His people for their disobedience to His covenant; but there is still hope for a future. If you go back to the famous passage (most of us can quote it) from Chapter 29, we can see the confidence Jeremiah had in the promises of God to restore His people once again.

Jeremiah 29:10-14 (NIV)

This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

We are not told, but perhaps the cousin was selling his land to Jeremiah out of fear; or maybe, just survival. I would think there was all kinds of distress at the time because of King Nebuchadnezzar and his ensuing armies. But I believe Jeremiah saw the situation as an opportunity to demonstrate his confidence in the prophetic words of God to restore a remnant of believers after His justice has been meted out. Buying the land with the intent to possess it after the exile offered hope and encouragement to those around him; and perhaps, to those who otherwise distrusted Jeremiah’s prophecies and the instructions from God concerning the exile.

My friends, I believe there is an application for us in this generation as we see and experience economic distress and the travails of upheaval coming upon our land … even the world. Could the unrest and tribulation be judgment for the unbelief, rebellion, and hostility toward God in our culture? Perhaps. God has been more than patient with the sin and unrighteousness of this nation! He has not treated us as our iniquities deserve. (Cf. Psalm 103) Yes, there will be a day of wrath … a day of judgment. And so, we are admonished to persevere so that when we have done the will of God, we will receive what He has promised. For, “In just a little while, He who is coming will come and will not delay.” (Cf. Hebrews 10:36-37) As Peter advised: The Lord is patient and not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (Cf. 2 Peter 3:9)

For me, Jeremiah has presented a prophetic metaphor that speaks to our faith in the power and promises of God for those who love Him. Indeed, we should be investing in the Kingdom of God “now” to be received in the Kingdom of God “not yet”. Our devotion and service to God now … as we engage with a rebellious culture … serves to demonstrate our faith in God’s word and His promise of redemption and resurrection! In other words, we should not be fearful or distressed by what we can already see is coming upon this nation (and the world) in these latter days; rather, we should be prepared and at work for the harvest … being confident in the gracious love of God for those who have placed their faith in Jesus.

1 Corinthians 2:9-10

However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” (Citing Isaiah 64:4) – the things God has prepared for those who love Him— these are the things God has revealed to us by His Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.

I am hopeful the application is discernable to us. In the midst of tribulation, we need to stay positive and active – confident in the future God has planned for us. “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” (Cf. 2 Timothy 1:7) Yes, I think we need to respond to our current circumstances like Jeremiah did in his generation … forward-looking and trusting in the Almighty God who is for us and not against us … believing in the loving, compassionate Father who has planned an inconceivable future for us!

So Now You Know…

Have a Blessed Day!

Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going. ~ John 14:1-4

Where Is Your Heart?

Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV)

“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.

As I thought about our Verse of the Day, and its challenge for us to have a more eternal perspective on life, I think the wisdom and application we might gain from Jesus can be summed up in a word: TRUST. Jesus wants our faith in Him to be genuine … to be honest and sincere. Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. (Cf. Hebrews 11:1) Therefore, when we are confident in His provision of all that we need to sustain us, this mindset expresses our trust in Him and not in ourselves or our abilities. Let’s look at the passage in the broader context of His “Sermon on the Mount”:

Matthew 6:19-34 (NIV) – (See also Luke 12:22-34)

¹⁹“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ²²“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your (spiritual) eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. ²³But if your (spiritual) eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness (spiritual blindness), how great is that darkness! ²⁴“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. ²⁵“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life (or a single cubit to your height)? ²⁸“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³²For unbelievers run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

The inspired writer of the Book of Hebrews encourages us as well to remember these promises of God to His people:

Hebrews 13:5-8 (NIV)

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Citing Deuteronomy 31:6) So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” (Citing Psalm 118:7) Remember your leaders, who spoke the Word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

When we worry or fret about things beyond our control … when we look at our temporal circumstances more than we look to our eternal Savior, it reflects something about the depth of our faith. I believe Jesus is teaching us that we need to hold onto Him more than we hold onto our abilities. We need to trust Him above all else, and our trust can be seen in where we place our attention. Sometimes our attitudes toward money can undermine our faith. Paul observed this issue of the human heart and wrote: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (Cf. 1 Timothy 6:10)

John understood the lessons that Jesus taught, and he likewise admonished us to place our complete trust in the One who created: “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. (Cf. 1 John 2:15-17) And James shared these sharp words with us: “You unfaithful people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” (Cf. James 4:4)

My friends, as we walk forward in faith in 2023, I encourage all of us to do a heart check with regard to our attitudes about money. Jesus said, “Where your treasure IS, there your heart will be also.” And He illustrated His point using parables like: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!” (Cf. Matthew 13:44-46) What an awesome word pictures for us to consider! Paul encouraged Timothy to address this issue when he wrote: “Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life. (Cf. 1 Timothy 6:17-19)

Lord Jesus, I pray that you would give each of us wisdom and perspective on what to value most in our lives. Open our spiritual eyes to see that our attitudes about money truly reflect on our faith in you, and therefore, our love for you! Help us to understand that you are to be treasured above all else … that our lives are to serve you with ALL that you have given us. Remind us as you did our ancestors, to realize that it is You who gives us the ability to produce wealth … the power to be successful. (Cf. Deuteronomy 8:18) Yes, we are to be faithful with what you have entrusted to us. And I pray that we would honor you and trust you … and be faithful to you as you have been faithful to us. In your Glorious Name I pray! Amen.

So Now You Know…

Have a Blessed Day!

“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own? “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.” ~ Luke 16:10-13