Common Grace is a theological term referring to grace that is bestowed to all mankind by God.
It is 'common' because it is given to all humanity, irrespective of
whether they are believers or not. It is 'grace' because it is a gift of
God that is undeserved by us, and can't be earned by merit. Examples of
common grace include basic things like the phenomena in creation that gives
us life (rain, sunshine), civil authorities and civilisation, etc. This is, of course, different from special grace, which is the gift of adoption into God's kingdom, given only to believers.
When I first learnt about the doctrine of common grace, I must admit I was a bit unimpressed. After all, what sort of 'grace' is rain? What sort of 'grace' is speeding cameras and parking regulations? Besides, we need more than just rain and oxygen for an abundant, fulfilling life. I recall feeling that common grace was really pretty useless.
Common grace began in Genesis 2:17, when God told Adam that if he eats from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, he will "surely die". So when Adam and Eve ate from the tree, we expect to find them perhaps instantaneously put to death. In fact, when I first read those words as a child, I thought perhaps the fruit would contain some sort of explosive that detonates upon eating. I was surprised to find that Adam and Eve were not struck by lightning, nor did they spectacularly perish the moment the fruit enters their mouths. In fact, Adam did not die until he was 930 years old. I wonder how Adam must have felt about common grace, waking each morning to sunshine and the knowledge that the Lord Almighty had tolerated (or perhaps even delighted in) his existence for another day. I wonder what he thought of common grace as he worked the soil and the rain nourished his crops. Adam knew the heights from which he fell, Adam knew what he really deserved, and the significance of the rain was not diminished in his eyes.
After Adam, generation after generation fell to the same darkness... from Cain to Lamech to the days of Noah. No one deserved this common grace, yet all benefited from it. Although it is given to everybody, it is anything but 'common'. Each person uniquely exemplifies the gracious and loving kindness of God. Each person, believer and unbeliever, is given it as a special gift, a miracle that defies our nature.
Common grace is given to each of us. What are you doing with yours?
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
To Agree with One Another
"I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, that you may be perfectly united in mind and in thought." 1 Corinthians 1:10 (NIV)
The New International Version of the bible uses the word "appeal"; the King James Version uses the word "beseech". In the Greek, the word is "parakaleo", meaning an urgent and heart-felt exhortation. Paul used the most urgent terms to encourage unity in the early church in Corinth. The word "plead" is used elsewhere. (See Philippians 4:2).
The issue of unity among believers is something that weighed heavily in the minds of Jesus and the early church. The longest prayer spoken by Jesus, recorded in the gospel of John, was a prayer for unity among the believers of the world. The themes of unity and division can be seen in the writing of Paul, Peter, James, and Luke. So why is there so much division within the local church? And why is the body of believers, the Church in general, so divided? Paul practically pleads with the local church for the members to agree with one another (elsewhere, in Philippians, he does plea.) How do we minimise divisions within the church?
This is, of course, a huge topic, and I am by no means a biblical scholar. The dogmatic differences between denominations of Christianity is not my forte. However, I do believe that large gaps in unity all started from differences between people and they way they rub shoulders with one another; as such, below are merely some of my reflections on rubbing shoulders and fitting into a church family.
1. We are one, but we are many
In Romans 14, Paul addresses the issue of diversity in opinion among the early church. Some held on to their perhaps pre-Christian beliefs (either from Judaism or from paganism) that some foods are unclean, or that some days are more sacred than another. How to resolve these differences? Consider these verses: "Accept those whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does." (Ro 14:1-3) "Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification" (Ro 14:19) And let us not ignore: "So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God." (Ro 14:22) Finally: "Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God." (Ro 15:7)
In other words, the Romans had great disputes over matters which to them at the time must have seemed of astronomical importance. It's interesting in a way: those early Christians would have experienced oppression and persecution and the threat of being thrown by lions every day - and yet some Christians still thought the important issue of the day was whether it is ok to eat meat. Paul tells us that whatever our personal views are on these matters, to accept and not judge one another, and to be accountable to God.
Aside from diversity in opinion, and a whole host of other problems, the early church in Corinth also had issues with diversity in gifts. 1 Corinthians 12 addresses the issue of differences in spiritual gifts, and the necessity of these gifts to work together as members of the one body.
Of course, some differences in doctrine can not be accepted - these concern the doctrines central to our faith as Christians. But these central doctrines are few (concerning God, the Trinity, Christ, human sin, and our need for salvation). Most of the dogmas that divide Christians are not these fundamental theological doctrines, but the "side" issues - like food, holy days, and whether we can baptise babies. Jesus never said anything about whether we can baptise babies, neither did any of the biblical writers. Perhaps there is a reason for that. At the risk of sounding flippant - perhaps it doesn't matter as much to the Saviour as it does to the generations of scholars debating the topic. And yet, many great schisms arose from issues such as these.
On a more practical note, perhaps we should all stop trying to change each other, thinking we know best. (Yes, I know this isn't in the bible, but I needed to say it.) I have been married for 3 months, and the first lesson I learnt about marriage was to give up the temptation try to change my husband. (I love him, but I see his imperfections better than anyone. Ladies, you know what I'm talking about, right?) I figured that changing him would kill the diversity and spontaneity in our relationship, and I'll probably die from exhaustion and peptic ulcer before he budges an inch.
2. Focus on the common ground
Joel A'bell, a pastor at Hillsong Church, once said: "If you want to increase in love for another - focus on what you have in common. Don't spend all day thinking about how different you are to this person - instead focus on the common things - and you will find that there are many." I personally would extend this "common ground" to the general human condition: that everyone you talk to, no matter how different you are, is still a child of God, but is never the less a sinner, and has been sinned against. That is pretty much the basic description of human: God-like, sinner, sinned against. There is something glorious and yet weather-beaten in everyone. Last week the baby of one of the pastors at my church died, and I seen and heard of many more such tragedies occurring in the lives of even the most pious Christians... each time to my great sadness and distress. No one is immune from the toils of life, and when we realise that the chasm between us is not so great, love becomes easier.
3. Love is indispensable
1 Corinthians 13 has got to be one of the most quoted passages of the bible, written beautifully and often quoted at weddings (not ours, I had to be non-conformist). What is often forgotten, though, is that it is immediately after chapter 12, which talks about diversity and unity, about all members working together as one body. After he talks about the different gifts working together, in case the reader is left wondering how, he states: "And now I will show you the most excellent way", and goes on to talk about love. In other words, love is the answer to working together with diversity, love supersedes all your gifts and knowledge and even your good deeds. I need not quote all the scriptures that exhort us to love one another.
What perhaps does need to be mentioned, though, is where this love comes from. Jesus tells us to love our enemies, but generally when we look at those who hurt us, "love" is not the four-letter word that comes to mind. We sometimes not generous and charitable enough to love even the annoyingly slow waiter or check-out girl, let alone our enemy.
The word for "love" in 1 Corinthians 13 is the Greek word "agape". If you are a lover of C S Lewis, or if you know something of Greek, or if you are just generally nerdy (and I am all of the above), you will know that in the New Testament there are various words which are all translated to English as "love", but mean different things (like brotherly love, sexual love, etc). Agape refers to the love that Christ showed for us - it is a God-love. 1 John 4:19 says: "We love, because God first loved us". In other words, it is so hard for us to love others if we hadn't first received God's love. By continually receiving God, we can continually love others.
4. Humility
Paul, in Philippians 2:2-3 again talks about unity among the believers, and this time he points to humility as a vessel to help us be like-minded. "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interest but each of you to the interests of others".
You can't get along with others, accept differences, and be like-minded, if you consider yourself better than others. Even IF you are RIGHT, are you are indeed smarter, better educated, or can remember more bible verses.
The bible tells us: be quick to listen, slow to speak. (James 1:19). Joyce Meyer once said: "I know that I can learn something from every person I meet. So when I am speaking to someone, I ask myself - what am I learning? What is God trying to teach me from this interaction?" I am of the personal opinion that if everybody spoke less and listened more carefully, many people would find that they are not as smart as they thought they were.
When I was talking about this with my husband last night, he observed: "Humility is not something you can preach at someone about, because it's not something you do, it is a state of mind. If you preach at someone to be humble, they will just go about acting humble, and then feel very proud of how humble they are. For someone to have an attitude of humility, they need to be taught by God - they need to take a fall, crash to the ground, and realise they are not as smart or wise as they thought they were. Then, they will see God and other fallen humans the humble way."
He is right, of course. Nothing teaches humility like the University of Hard Knocks. But sometimes I wish there was an easier way, other than be knocked about and off your feet.
5. Submission is not a dirty word
Yes, you heard right, all you Generation Ys. Submission. It is not a dirty word, and if you don't know what it means, look it up in the dictionary.
Hebrews 13:17: "Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you."
Ephesians 4:11-13: So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
The verses are so clear, there's almost no argument. Your leaders are Christ-appointed. Trust them, submit to them. Simple. Don't like it? Too bad: they were anointed for this work, you were not. Deal with it. Submission is not a cop-out ("I submit, therefore I don't have to do or say anything). Submission is not switching your brain off, nor is it being lazy. Submission is humbly having respect and trust for those whom God has placed in authority. Submission is allowing those in authority to help equip you to serve God the best way you can, in the best way they can. Submission is allowing yourself to be corrected, to be rebuked, and to learn. This is a hard teaching, especially to today's stiff-necked, tech-savvy, post-modern and somewhat rebellious generation. Can you accept it?
It gets a little less clear-cut than that, if you disagree with your leaders, or if you frankly just don't like them and the way they do things. It happens - after all, we are all human. You may have a dogmatic disagreement with the teaching of your pastor (see point no. 1), or you might not have much in common (see point no. 2), or, in the worst case, they have done or said something to upset or hurt you. All these are possible, because they are human, and because you are human. Of course, I can't give a clear-cut solution for all of these problems that may arise (as some of them are far too complex to be solved by a simple cliche answer), except to say that love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control are virtues all exhorted in the bible, against these there is no law. (Galatians 5:22)
Conclusion: why is unity important?
If you are an obedient Christian, then just the fact that Jesus preached for and prayed for unity should be enough for you to strive for it. Is there any doubt that we better fulfil the Great Commission (see Matthew 28:19) when we are unified in a group? Is there any doubt that we better influence our surroundings, feed more orphans and widows, build more hospitals and such, when we are "of one heart and mind"? A look at church history shows us what disunity does to us. We have one God, one Saviour, one Holy Spirit. And yet we have enough denominations than most people can count, a joke that is thousands of years old. In the local level, unity in the church is important so that we can better learn from each other and so that we can better serve our surrounds. On the world-wide scale, we're all meeting up in heaven anyway, so we might as well get on with each other now.
The New International Version of the bible uses the word "appeal"; the King James Version uses the word "beseech". In the Greek, the word is "parakaleo", meaning an urgent and heart-felt exhortation. Paul used the most urgent terms to encourage unity in the early church in Corinth. The word "plead" is used elsewhere. (See Philippians 4:2).
The issue of unity among believers is something that weighed heavily in the minds of Jesus and the early church. The longest prayer spoken by Jesus, recorded in the gospel of John, was a prayer for unity among the believers of the world. The themes of unity and division can be seen in the writing of Paul, Peter, James, and Luke. So why is there so much division within the local church? And why is the body of believers, the Church in general, so divided? Paul practically pleads with the local church for the members to agree with one another (elsewhere, in Philippians, he does plea.) How do we minimise divisions within the church?
This is, of course, a huge topic, and I am by no means a biblical scholar. The dogmatic differences between denominations of Christianity is not my forte. However, I do believe that large gaps in unity all started from differences between people and they way they rub shoulders with one another; as such, below are merely some of my reflections on rubbing shoulders and fitting into a church family.
1. We are one, but we are many
In Romans 14, Paul addresses the issue of diversity in opinion among the early church. Some held on to their perhaps pre-Christian beliefs (either from Judaism or from paganism) that some foods are unclean, or that some days are more sacred than another. How to resolve these differences? Consider these verses: "Accept those whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does." (Ro 14:1-3) "Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification" (Ro 14:19) And let us not ignore: "So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God." (Ro 14:22) Finally: "Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God." (Ro 15:7)
In other words, the Romans had great disputes over matters which to them at the time must have seemed of astronomical importance. It's interesting in a way: those early Christians would have experienced oppression and persecution and the threat of being thrown by lions every day - and yet some Christians still thought the important issue of the day was whether it is ok to eat meat. Paul tells us that whatever our personal views are on these matters, to accept and not judge one another, and to be accountable to God.
Aside from diversity in opinion, and a whole host of other problems, the early church in Corinth also had issues with diversity in gifts. 1 Corinthians 12 addresses the issue of differences in spiritual gifts, and the necessity of these gifts to work together as members of the one body.
Of course, some differences in doctrine can not be accepted - these concern the doctrines central to our faith as Christians. But these central doctrines are few (concerning God, the Trinity, Christ, human sin, and our need for salvation). Most of the dogmas that divide Christians are not these fundamental theological doctrines, but the "side" issues - like food, holy days, and whether we can baptise babies. Jesus never said anything about whether we can baptise babies, neither did any of the biblical writers. Perhaps there is a reason for that. At the risk of sounding flippant - perhaps it doesn't matter as much to the Saviour as it does to the generations of scholars debating the topic. And yet, many great schisms arose from issues such as these.
On a more practical note, perhaps we should all stop trying to change each other, thinking we know best. (Yes, I know this isn't in the bible, but I needed to say it.) I have been married for 3 months, and the first lesson I learnt about marriage was to give up the temptation try to change my husband. (I love him, but I see his imperfections better than anyone. Ladies, you know what I'm talking about, right?) I figured that changing him would kill the diversity and spontaneity in our relationship, and I'll probably die from exhaustion and peptic ulcer before he budges an inch.
2. Focus on the common ground
Joel A'bell, a pastor at Hillsong Church, once said: "If you want to increase in love for another - focus on what you have in common. Don't spend all day thinking about how different you are to this person - instead focus on the common things - and you will find that there are many." I personally would extend this "common ground" to the general human condition: that everyone you talk to, no matter how different you are, is still a child of God, but is never the less a sinner, and has been sinned against. That is pretty much the basic description of human: God-like, sinner, sinned against. There is something glorious and yet weather-beaten in everyone. Last week the baby of one of the pastors at my church died, and I seen and heard of many more such tragedies occurring in the lives of even the most pious Christians... each time to my great sadness and distress. No one is immune from the toils of life, and when we realise that the chasm between us is not so great, love becomes easier.
3. Love is indispensable
1 Corinthians 13 has got to be one of the most quoted passages of the bible, written beautifully and often quoted at weddings (not ours, I had to be non-conformist). What is often forgotten, though, is that it is immediately after chapter 12, which talks about diversity and unity, about all members working together as one body. After he talks about the different gifts working together, in case the reader is left wondering how, he states: "And now I will show you the most excellent way", and goes on to talk about love. In other words, love is the answer to working together with diversity, love supersedes all your gifts and knowledge and even your good deeds. I need not quote all the scriptures that exhort us to love one another.
What perhaps does need to be mentioned, though, is where this love comes from. Jesus tells us to love our enemies, but generally when we look at those who hurt us, "love" is not the four-letter word that comes to mind. We sometimes not generous and charitable enough to love even the annoyingly slow waiter or check-out girl, let alone our enemy.
The word for "love" in 1 Corinthians 13 is the Greek word "agape". If you are a lover of C S Lewis, or if you know something of Greek, or if you are just generally nerdy (and I am all of the above), you will know that in the New Testament there are various words which are all translated to English as "love", but mean different things (like brotherly love, sexual love, etc). Agape refers to the love that Christ showed for us - it is a God-love. 1 John 4:19 says: "We love, because God first loved us". In other words, it is so hard for us to love others if we hadn't first received God's love. By continually receiving God, we can continually love others.
4. Humility
Paul, in Philippians 2:2-3 again talks about unity among the believers, and this time he points to humility as a vessel to help us be like-minded. "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interest but each of you to the interests of others".
You can't get along with others, accept differences, and be like-minded, if you consider yourself better than others. Even IF you are RIGHT, are you are indeed smarter, better educated, or can remember more bible verses.
The bible tells us: be quick to listen, slow to speak. (James 1:19). Joyce Meyer once said: "I know that I can learn something from every person I meet. So when I am speaking to someone, I ask myself - what am I learning? What is God trying to teach me from this interaction?" I am of the personal opinion that if everybody spoke less and listened more carefully, many people would find that they are not as smart as they thought they were.
When I was talking about this with my husband last night, he observed: "Humility is not something you can preach at someone about, because it's not something you do, it is a state of mind. If you preach at someone to be humble, they will just go about acting humble, and then feel very proud of how humble they are. For someone to have an attitude of humility, they need to be taught by God - they need to take a fall, crash to the ground, and realise they are not as smart or wise as they thought they were. Then, they will see God and other fallen humans the humble way."
He is right, of course. Nothing teaches humility like the University of Hard Knocks. But sometimes I wish there was an easier way, other than be knocked about and off your feet.
5. Submission is not a dirty word
Yes, you heard right, all you Generation Ys. Submission. It is not a dirty word, and if you don't know what it means, look it up in the dictionary.
Hebrews 13:17: "Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you."
Ephesians 4:11-13: So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
The verses are so clear, there's almost no argument. Your leaders are Christ-appointed. Trust them, submit to them. Simple. Don't like it? Too bad: they were anointed for this work, you were not. Deal with it. Submission is not a cop-out ("I submit, therefore I don't have to do or say anything). Submission is not switching your brain off, nor is it being lazy. Submission is humbly having respect and trust for those whom God has placed in authority. Submission is allowing those in authority to help equip you to serve God the best way you can, in the best way they can. Submission is allowing yourself to be corrected, to be rebuked, and to learn. This is a hard teaching, especially to today's stiff-necked, tech-savvy, post-modern and somewhat rebellious generation. Can you accept it?
It gets a little less clear-cut than that, if you disagree with your leaders, or if you frankly just don't like them and the way they do things. It happens - after all, we are all human. You may have a dogmatic disagreement with the teaching of your pastor (see point no. 1), or you might not have much in common (see point no. 2), or, in the worst case, they have done or said something to upset or hurt you. All these are possible, because they are human, and because you are human. Of course, I can't give a clear-cut solution for all of these problems that may arise (as some of them are far too complex to be solved by a simple cliche answer), except to say that love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control are virtues all exhorted in the bible, against these there is no law. (Galatians 5:22)
Conclusion: why is unity important?
If you are an obedient Christian, then just the fact that Jesus preached for and prayed for unity should be enough for you to strive for it. Is there any doubt that we better fulfil the Great Commission (see Matthew 28:19) when we are unified in a group? Is there any doubt that we better influence our surroundings, feed more orphans and widows, build more hospitals and such, when we are "of one heart and mind"? A look at church history shows us what disunity does to us. We have one God, one Saviour, one Holy Spirit. And yet we have enough denominations than most people can count, a joke that is thousands of years old. In the local level, unity in the church is important so that we can better learn from each other and so that we can better serve our surrounds. On the world-wide scale, we're all meeting up in heaven anyway, so we might as well get on with each other now.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Top 5 Things Professing Christians Do To Wimp Out On the Pursuit Of God
Why would a professing Christian wimp out a committed, consistent pursuit of God? There are many reasons, I suppose... Unlike other pursuits, which requires action in order to reach your goal... the pursuit of God requires us to be still, to wait, and to be in humble submission. On those occasions when we do catch a glimpse of God... a mere passing glance at His perfection shows our own imperfections. There is to be no delusions of grandiosity, in our pursuit of the truly Grand.
And yet, we know we ought to be pursuing righteousness. It's imprinted in us. But the pursuit of God is hard, we feel we are in inaction, and God is not always easily within our reach. So, we professing Christians find ourselves some pretty good substitutes.
This is by no means in any particular order. Like all of my rants, it is completely random. Additionally, none of these things are inherently bad on their own. My point is none of these should stand in the way of the pursuit of the real God.
1. Christians like to pursue rules instead of God
We chase after rules, make up rules, and then try to obey them, because we think that they make us more righteous and Godly... and because they make us feel better, as if we are doing the right things and ticking the right boxes. And so, we use our energy following rules other people make for us. (Example: no wearing jeans to church. The worship team must wear the same colour. You must show up 1 hr early... and so on). When that is not enough, we might even make up rules for ourselves. (I must get up early to pray. I must spend 30 minutes on bible reading per day. I must keep a journal every day. I must reach out to someone. I must help out at church... etc).
We focus so much on these rules, that we miss God in the process. If you don't mind what you read or what you learn in your reading, as long as you are reading 30 minutes of bible per day, you are missing the point. If you don't mind what you are singing or playing in the worship team, as long as you don't forget the lyrics, don't play the wrong note, and wear the right shirt... you are missing the point, and you are not pursuing God.
2. Christians like to pursue ministry instead of God
Don't get me wrong. Christians should serve, we are called to wash each other's feet. And sometimes, as individuals, we feel a distinct call towards a certain ministry. Some feel called to preach, some feel called to minister in music, some feel called to minister to children. (Do you have a 'pet' ministry? I know I do.) It is so easy to focus on service or on our calling... after all, our ministry is tangible, it is superficially satisfying because we feel like we are doing something for God... and best of all, our ministry is within our control, whereas God is not. And so, we spend our energy, and our time, on making things run, and making sure we produce the best results for Him. This is not a bad thing by itself... but are you spending more time and energy fulfilling your call, or are you pursuing the One who called out to you?
3. Christians like to pursue causes instead of God
It is so 'in fashion' right now to have a cause, we are a generation that like to have a cause to fight for, something to 'stand up' for. The choices are many - human rights, environment, humanitarian services, starving children... If you are a spouse or a parent, your 'cause' may even be to bring up your children well or have a loving family. Important, yes... but none of these should take precedence or predominance over a pursuit of God.
4. Christians like to pursue fellowship instead of God
This is you, if your idea of the pursuit of God is wholly via cell groups, prayer meetings, and bible studies. I know Christians who attend every single cell group meeting and bible study, and yet spend very little time in personal prayer and personal study of the bible. Fellowship is important, don't get me wrong, and we often experience God's compassion and grace in the form of our loving brothers and sisters. And yet, we can not develop an intimate, one-on-one relationship with God if we only ever meet Him in a group.
5. Christians like to pursue lists instead of God
This is perhaps the one that gets to the most of us committed (and perhaps over-committed) Christians. We have lists to do, lists to get us through the day, lists of things to think about, lists of things to pray for, and even lists to summarise what lists we have. Although God is ever on our hearts and minds, and always on our lips, He is but one point of the list. We can not quieten our hearts, we can not settle ourselves at His feet, and we can not leave the list behind. What will we do? Will we bring our list to Him?
These are the five things I have most often observed in myself and others. Can you think of other important ones? Please add to comments.
And yet, we know we ought to be pursuing righteousness. It's imprinted in us. But the pursuit of God is hard, we feel we are in inaction, and God is not always easily within our reach. So, we professing Christians find ourselves some pretty good substitutes.
This is by no means in any particular order. Like all of my rants, it is completely random. Additionally, none of these things are inherently bad on their own. My point is none of these should stand in the way of the pursuit of the real God.
1. Christians like to pursue rules instead of God
We chase after rules, make up rules, and then try to obey them, because we think that they make us more righteous and Godly... and because they make us feel better, as if we are doing the right things and ticking the right boxes. And so, we use our energy following rules other people make for us. (Example: no wearing jeans to church. The worship team must wear the same colour. You must show up 1 hr early... and so on). When that is not enough, we might even make up rules for ourselves. (I must get up early to pray. I must spend 30 minutes on bible reading per day. I must keep a journal every day. I must reach out to someone. I must help out at church... etc).
We focus so much on these rules, that we miss God in the process. If you don't mind what you read or what you learn in your reading, as long as you are reading 30 minutes of bible per day, you are missing the point. If you don't mind what you are singing or playing in the worship team, as long as you don't forget the lyrics, don't play the wrong note, and wear the right shirt... you are missing the point, and you are not pursuing God.
2. Christians like to pursue ministry instead of God
Don't get me wrong. Christians should serve, we are called to wash each other's feet. And sometimes, as individuals, we feel a distinct call towards a certain ministry. Some feel called to preach, some feel called to minister in music, some feel called to minister to children. (Do you have a 'pet' ministry? I know I do.) It is so easy to focus on service or on our calling... after all, our ministry is tangible, it is superficially satisfying because we feel like we are doing something for God... and best of all, our ministry is within our control, whereas God is not. And so, we spend our energy, and our time, on making things run, and making sure we produce the best results for Him. This is not a bad thing by itself... but are you spending more time and energy fulfilling your call, or are you pursuing the One who called out to you?
3. Christians like to pursue causes instead of God
It is so 'in fashion' right now to have a cause, we are a generation that like to have a cause to fight for, something to 'stand up' for. The choices are many - human rights, environment, humanitarian services, starving children... If you are a spouse or a parent, your 'cause' may even be to bring up your children well or have a loving family. Important, yes... but none of these should take precedence or predominance over a pursuit of God.
4. Christians like to pursue fellowship instead of God
This is you, if your idea of the pursuit of God is wholly via cell groups, prayer meetings, and bible studies. I know Christians who attend every single cell group meeting and bible study, and yet spend very little time in personal prayer and personal study of the bible. Fellowship is important, don't get me wrong, and we often experience God's compassion and grace in the form of our loving brothers and sisters. And yet, we can not develop an intimate, one-on-one relationship with God if we only ever meet Him in a group.
5. Christians like to pursue lists instead of God
This is perhaps the one that gets to the most of us committed (and perhaps over-committed) Christians. We have lists to do, lists to get us through the day, lists of things to think about, lists of things to pray for, and even lists to summarise what lists we have. Although God is ever on our hearts and minds, and always on our lips, He is but one point of the list. We can not quieten our hearts, we can not settle ourselves at His feet, and we can not leave the list behind. What will we do? Will we bring our list to Him?
These are the five things I have most often observed in myself and others. Can you think of other important ones? Please add to comments.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Fishbowls and flints
My mother once had a great love of goldfish, we had a tank that was two metres long. There was an entire ecosystem in there - water snails, water grass, shells, pebbles, numerous goldfish, and even tadpoles and guppies my brother caught in the nearby pond. It was huge, it was teeming with life... but it was a fish bowl all the same.
What is fish bowl mentality?
Fish bowl mentality is when we lose sight of the big picture, and we confine our lives, and our field-of-vision, to the fishbowl. The fishbowl becomes our world... and because it is a small world, we become enormous and important in comparison. We abutt against the same fish everyday, we swim in circles... and we believe that the fate of our world hinges on whether a particular shell is sitting a particular way, or whether a particular fish is swimming clockwise or anticlockwise. We do see the outside world, but only a distorted, blurred view of it... and, in the end, it doesn't matter much to us anyway.
Have we lost sight, or worse, forsaken what God has done for us? Have we forgotten how we were redeemed, how we were picked up out of the mud and the grave, and it took the sacrifice of Heaven's Son for us to be saved? Have we forgotten exactly what we were commissioned to do, have we lost sight of exactly what matters to God? Do we still remember the nature of the battle we are fighting... who we are fighting against, who we are fighting for, and on whose commission and command?
If Jesus were alive today, would he fit into our fishbowl? (Would we allow Him to try?) And if He didn't, would we have crucified Him for it?
The old hymn says: "Turn your eyes upon Jesus". If you find yourself increasingly agitated and frustrated at other people's fishbowl mentality, chances are you are living in the fishbowl yourself, and you also have the fishbowl mentality. To look upon your situation with such intense frustration, to let it rob you of your joy in Christ, means that you already have taken your eyes off Jesus... and fixed it on the fishbowl. (And... are you being judgemental of the very people you are accusing of judgementalism?) Regardless of the mentality of the people around you, yours must be one that is fixed on Him.
Isaiah 50:7 says: "Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame". Luke 9 describes Jesus setting his face like flint towards Jerusalem. Paul talks about being determined to finish his "race". Set your eyes on your Jerusalem, on your Goal, and set your face like flint towards it. Let your resolve not be swayed; let your joy not be robbed. Jesus paid too high a price for you not to fix your eyes and your life on Him entirely.
What is fish bowl mentality?
Fish bowl mentality is when we lose sight of the big picture, and we confine our lives, and our field-of-vision, to the fishbowl. The fishbowl becomes our world... and because it is a small world, we become enormous and important in comparison. We abutt against the same fish everyday, we swim in circles... and we believe that the fate of our world hinges on whether a particular shell is sitting a particular way, or whether a particular fish is swimming clockwise or anticlockwise. We do see the outside world, but only a distorted, blurred view of it... and, in the end, it doesn't matter much to us anyway.
Have we lost sight, or worse, forsaken what God has done for us? Have we forgotten how we were redeemed, how we were picked up out of the mud and the grave, and it took the sacrifice of Heaven's Son for us to be saved? Have we forgotten exactly what we were commissioned to do, have we lost sight of exactly what matters to God? Do we still remember the nature of the battle we are fighting... who we are fighting against, who we are fighting for, and on whose commission and command?
If Jesus were alive today, would he fit into our fishbowl? (Would we allow Him to try?) And if He didn't, would we have crucified Him for it?
The old hymn says: "Turn your eyes upon Jesus". If you find yourself increasingly agitated and frustrated at other people's fishbowl mentality, chances are you are living in the fishbowl yourself, and you also have the fishbowl mentality. To look upon your situation with such intense frustration, to let it rob you of your joy in Christ, means that you already have taken your eyes off Jesus... and fixed it on the fishbowl. (And... are you being judgemental of the very people you are accusing of judgementalism?) Regardless of the mentality of the people around you, yours must be one that is fixed on Him.
Isaiah 50:7 says: "Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame". Luke 9 describes Jesus setting his face like flint towards Jerusalem. Paul talks about being determined to finish his "race". Set your eyes on your Jerusalem, on your Goal, and set your face like flint towards it. Let your resolve not be swayed; let your joy not be robbed. Jesus paid too high a price for you not to fix your eyes and your life on Him entirely.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Top 5 reasons why atheists should read the Bible
We all know why Christians should read the bible. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Christians believe that God created the Heavens and the Earth, God is the beginning and the end, and it makes sense to read what He has to say. That's all very well for the committed Christian, but what about agnostics and atheists? The short answer to this question, of course, is that agnostics and atheists should read the bible so that they would then become committed Christians. Which, to me, sounds like a very good reason... but one that is unlikely to be accepted by agnostics and atheists. I've listed some other reasons which, hopefully, sound a little more compelling.
1. The bible is influential.
In the 2001 Australian Bureau of Statistics census, 69% of Australians identified as Christians. 75% of Americans identified themselves as Christians. Christianity is growing rapidly in the Asia, with the largest church in the world located in South Korea. 83 million copies of the bible are distributed each year, it remains the biggest-selling book of all time. There is a very good chance that you will rub shoulders with Christians in your life. There is a high chance that your future boss, or your neighbour, or that cute girl from school/work are Bible-reading Christians.
Additionally, if you live in a Western society, no matter how secular your society is now, the country would have been founded on Christian beliefs. The pioneers were Christian. The founding fathers were Christian. The constitution was written by Christians, those initial creeds and laws based on the creeds and laws of the Bible. Like it or not, no matter who you are, where you are, your life and surrounds has been affected, in some way, by this book.
2. The bible is a literary must-read.
Book shops love to circulate the "must-read" lists... the BBC published a list of 100 must-read books in their list The Big Read. I've even seen a book titled "1001 Books To Read Before You Die". (Obviously written by someone who loves lists, and nerdier than even I). It is not surprising to find that many of the authors on these lists (such as Shakespeare, Tolkien, Lewis, Dickens, Dostoevsky, to name just a few) wrote with either subtle references to the bible or with biblical themes. Being such a timeless classic book, the bible has shaped both English literature as well as the English language. This is a book that should feature at the top of every "must-read" list. (Except for the BBC's Big Read list, which contains fictions only...)
3. Go Straight to the Source.
Once I was telling an agnostic friend of mine about my faith, and tried my best to answer some of his questions. After the discussion, he told me about the last Christian who had tried to answer his questions. Apparently, his friend faltered and couldn't find answers to most of his questions... and the only answer he could come up with was to sigh and say: "Sharing the gospel is so hard."
Unfortunately, sharing their beliefs is a daunting and difficult experience for most Christians... because most Christians believe it is a matter of life and death, and so he or she wants to do it to well, but at the same time expose as little of him or herself to ridicule as possible. Additionally, the Christian is not someone to whom God has given the answer to all your questions and doubts. Your Christian friend is merely someone who has satisfied all of their own personal questions and doubts, by the grace of God. Pay attention to your friend's testimony - this is a unique, powerful story of redemption and victory. But if you still have questions that your friends can't answer, you need to go to the Source. You may not find the answer to your all questions, but you may find answers that make your questions seem dim in comparison.
A word of advice, though, about going to the Source. You need to approach God (and God's word) with an open, quiet and inquisitive heart, if you want to reap maximal utility from your reading. Be willing to find God, and have the courage to accept Him if you do. If you approach the Bible simply looking for "loopholes" or something to add to the ammunition in your argument against your Christian friend, you may or may not succeed, but I would suggest you're wasting your time.
4. The Bible is timeless and relevant.
Many religious texts, including some Christian books, describe people and events that are mystical and unworldly... or simply displaced from reality. But simply flip through the even first book of Genesis - you will find that God does not leave out any ugly details. He is relentlessly blunt, and makes no apologies for the worldly human-ness of His characters. Genesis tells of theft, murder, incest, rape, war, famine, slavery... these are not dressed-up, idealised characters... these were real people, who accepted or rejected God's offer of salvation or redemption.
The book is painfully raw, its protagonists experiencing and expressing the full range of human experience... from the exuberant psalms of David, to the lamentations of Jeremiah, you will find words and stories relevant to who you are and where you are today... and you will find how God dealt with people who felt the way you do.
5. The Bible transforms lives.
Nearly six years ago, an atheist who couldn't bear to hear her friends talk about God, picked up a bible and read it from cover to cover, for some of the reasons listed above. The transformation didn't happen over night, and God is still working on me (thankfully) now... but somewhere between Genesis and Revelation, my life was changed for ever. The scriptures are God-breathed, it was written for your benefit... to teach, guide, and to issue you a challenge to follow Him. You can not miss this. I imagine you may not feel ready for your life to be transformed yet... that's fair enough, I wasn't ready either; no one ever is. But the fact is that God is relentlessly, unbendingly existant, and expectant, whether you feel ready or not. Your indecision or lack of 'readiness' does not change the fact that God IS.
I guess my point is, that if you want to make an "informed" decision about God and His role in your life, you can not do so without seeing what He has to say, without reading His story from creation to fall to redemption.
Where to start:
I started from Genesis and read all the way to Revelation - and I still hold the belief that everyone should read the full story of God at least once in their lives... although of course, I must admit, in my first reading I skipped through parts of Numbers, Deuteronomy and Leviticus... and of course, I realise that the Bible is a big book and many people have not read anything longer than the feature article in a newspaper.
If you are one of those people, I would suggest starting with the Gospel of Luke. Unique among the other writers, Luke was a gentile (non-Jewish) physician, and the book was written for gentiles like you and me. You may want to go to the Gospel of John for a more 'spiritual' presentation of the same story, and of course Genesis to see how it all began.
If you don't have a copy of the bible, many churches will either lend or give copies away. Bibles are quite cheap from Christian book stores. Online bible can be found on http://www.biblegateway.com/
Ok, now go!
1. The bible is influential.
In the 2001 Australian Bureau of Statistics census, 69% of Australians identified as Christians. 75% of Americans identified themselves as Christians. Christianity is growing rapidly in the Asia, with the largest church in the world located in South Korea. 83 million copies of the bible are distributed each year, it remains the biggest-selling book of all time. There is a very good chance that you will rub shoulders with Christians in your life. There is a high chance that your future boss, or your neighbour, or that cute girl from school/work are Bible-reading Christians.
Additionally, if you live in a Western society, no matter how secular your society is now, the country would have been founded on Christian beliefs. The pioneers were Christian. The founding fathers were Christian. The constitution was written by Christians, those initial creeds and laws based on the creeds and laws of the Bible. Like it or not, no matter who you are, where you are, your life and surrounds has been affected, in some way, by this book.
2. The bible is a literary must-read.
Book shops love to circulate the "must-read" lists... the BBC published a list of 100 must-read books in their list The Big Read. I've even seen a book titled "1001 Books To Read Before You Die". (Obviously written by someone who loves lists, and nerdier than even I). It is not surprising to find that many of the authors on these lists (such as Shakespeare, Tolkien, Lewis, Dickens, Dostoevsky, to name just a few) wrote with either subtle references to the bible or with biblical themes. Being such a timeless classic book, the bible has shaped both English literature as well as the English language. This is a book that should feature at the top of every "must-read" list. (Except for the BBC's Big Read list, which contains fictions only...)
3. Go Straight to the Source.
Once I was telling an agnostic friend of mine about my faith, and tried my best to answer some of his questions. After the discussion, he told me about the last Christian who had tried to answer his questions. Apparently, his friend faltered and couldn't find answers to most of his questions... and the only answer he could come up with was to sigh and say: "Sharing the gospel is so hard."
Unfortunately, sharing their beliefs is a daunting and difficult experience for most Christians... because most Christians believe it is a matter of life and death, and so he or she wants to do it to well, but at the same time expose as little of him or herself to ridicule as possible. Additionally, the Christian is not someone to whom God has given the answer to all your questions and doubts. Your Christian friend is merely someone who has satisfied all of their own personal questions and doubts, by the grace of God. Pay attention to your friend's testimony - this is a unique, powerful story of redemption and victory. But if you still have questions that your friends can't answer, you need to go to the Source. You may not find the answer to your all questions, but you may find answers that make your questions seem dim in comparison.
A word of advice, though, about going to the Source. You need to approach God (and God's word) with an open, quiet and inquisitive heart, if you want to reap maximal utility from your reading. Be willing to find God, and have the courage to accept Him if you do. If you approach the Bible simply looking for "loopholes" or something to add to the ammunition in your argument against your Christian friend, you may or may not succeed, but I would suggest you're wasting your time.
4. The Bible is timeless and relevant.
Many religious texts, including some Christian books, describe people and events that are mystical and unworldly... or simply displaced from reality. But simply flip through the even first book of Genesis - you will find that God does not leave out any ugly details. He is relentlessly blunt, and makes no apologies for the worldly human-ness of His characters. Genesis tells of theft, murder, incest, rape, war, famine, slavery... these are not dressed-up, idealised characters... these were real people, who accepted or rejected God's offer of salvation or redemption.
The book is painfully raw, its protagonists experiencing and expressing the full range of human experience... from the exuberant psalms of David, to the lamentations of Jeremiah, you will find words and stories relevant to who you are and where you are today... and you will find how God dealt with people who felt the way you do.
5. The Bible transforms lives.
Nearly six years ago, an atheist who couldn't bear to hear her friends talk about God, picked up a bible and read it from cover to cover, for some of the reasons listed above. The transformation didn't happen over night, and God is still working on me (thankfully) now... but somewhere between Genesis and Revelation, my life was changed for ever. The scriptures are God-breathed, it was written for your benefit... to teach, guide, and to issue you a challenge to follow Him. You can not miss this. I imagine you may not feel ready for your life to be transformed yet... that's fair enough, I wasn't ready either; no one ever is. But the fact is that God is relentlessly, unbendingly existant, and expectant, whether you feel ready or not. Your indecision or lack of 'readiness' does not change the fact that God IS.
I guess my point is, that if you want to make an "informed" decision about God and His role in your life, you can not do so without seeing what He has to say, without reading His story from creation to fall to redemption.
Where to start:
I started from Genesis and read all the way to Revelation - and I still hold the belief that everyone should read the full story of God at least once in their lives... although of course, I must admit, in my first reading I skipped through parts of Numbers, Deuteronomy and Leviticus... and of course, I realise that the Bible is a big book and many people have not read anything longer than the feature article in a newspaper.
If you are one of those people, I would suggest starting with the Gospel of Luke. Unique among the other writers, Luke was a gentile (non-Jewish) physician, and the book was written for gentiles like you and me. You may want to go to the Gospel of John for a more 'spiritual' presentation of the same story, and of course Genesis to see how it all began.
If you don't have a copy of the bible, many churches will either lend or give copies away. Bibles are quite cheap from Christian book stores. Online bible can be found on http://www.biblegateway.com/
Ok, now go!
Thursday, November 25, 2010
He won't grow tired or weary
Isaiah 40:27-31
Why do you complain, Jacob?
Why do you say, Israel,
“My way is hidden from the LORD;
my cause is disregarded by my God”?
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The scriptures tell us to "call upon the Name of the Lord" (Joel 2:32). Words made famous by Hillsong.
Have you ever called upon His name, asked to be lifted out of the miry clay, pleaded to soar above the storm, (yes, Hillsong has a lot to answer for) but after you say "amen" and open your eyes, you are still in the clay, the storm still rages... have you ever been there? Have you ever called out to the Lord, for even basic things that a loving father would provide... like provision, shelter, safety, peace... and then, wonder where all those prayers went?
There are things which I have been praying for since the day I became a Christian, things very close to my heart, things which keep me awake at night and make me the nervy person that I am. Things that are not outrageous nor selfish, things that I suppose many people even take for granted. I am still waiting for those prayers to be answered. (I still don't feel comfortable talking about it publicly, but those who know me well, would know what I am talking about.) Each time I allow myself to have a little hope, something happens that makes me wonder if my prayers ever reached higher than the ceiling. As I type this, my family is in disarray again, my mother is in pieces mentally and physically, and I'm finding it impossible to prepare for the final exam of my degree, in just a few days time.
My scripture readings this week lead me to the book of Acts. And I was struck by one thing - the perpetual motion of the Holy Spirit. Whether the disciples are preaching, or praying, or locked up in a prison cell... or simply walking along a road... the Holy Spirit is always moving... the disciples were merely floating buoys, caught up by the wave of the Holy Spirit. They didn't always realise it at the time, but the Holy Spirit was always moving, always in motion, always working. Paul worked hard, but the Spirit worked harder. As Isaiah 40:28 tells us: [The LORD] does not grow tired or weary. And though it seems like Paul is the main character of the book of Acts, the main stakeholder is the Spirit.
And yet, Paul suffered.
He received the Jewish punishment of 39 lashes, five times (195 lashes in total). Beaten with rods 3 times, stoned once, shipwrecked 3 times, spent one night and one day on the open sea, constantly on the move, often gone without food or drink... and, let us not forget, he started out his days as a Christian in total blindness. (See Acts 9; 2 Corinthians 11:24-29) Throughout his ministry, he spent nearly 6 years of it in prison in total. Did he not call upon the Name of the Lord? I have a suspicion that among the long list of things Paul would have prayed about, safety and peace would have been on the list. He was willing to suffer for the gospel, but surely he would said to the Lord: "Lord, let them not riot today." Though he was willing to suffer, I suspect that, like us, being human, he would have prayed that the day go smoothly without anyone getting slandered or beaten or imprisoned. Those were not improper things to ask for - surely they were things a good father, who likes to give good gifts, will grant his child. I wonder if he felt as frustrated, broken, and defeated as I feel.
And yet, in the midst of all these sufferings, he wrote the following words: "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed... Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Corinthians 4)
"Therefore we do not lose heart." Those words can't have come easily to Paul, just like this blog article is not easy for me to write. Those words were not idle words... because a few chapters later he starts listing out his sufferings.
That is the challenge issued to us today. God promises that He is in perpetual motion, that He is working for our good, and He does not grow faint or weary. The promise is unchanging. The promise is uncompromised, no matter how compromised the circumstances may be. He invites us to trust Him. He invites us to have faith. He challenges us to not lose heart, no matter how many prayers have been unanswered, no matter how frustrated we feel, no matter how much we don't understand His ways. He challenges us to cling on to Him alone.
He does not grow tired or weary. Will you?
Why do you complain, Jacob?
Why do you say, Israel,
“My way is hidden from the LORD;
my cause is disregarded by my God”?
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The scriptures tell us to "call upon the Name of the Lord" (Joel 2:32). Words made famous by Hillsong.
Have you ever called upon His name, asked to be lifted out of the miry clay, pleaded to soar above the storm, (yes, Hillsong has a lot to answer for) but after you say "amen" and open your eyes, you are still in the clay, the storm still rages... have you ever been there? Have you ever called out to the Lord, for even basic things that a loving father would provide... like provision, shelter, safety, peace... and then, wonder where all those prayers went?
There are things which I have been praying for since the day I became a Christian, things very close to my heart, things which keep me awake at night and make me the nervy person that I am. Things that are not outrageous nor selfish, things that I suppose many people even take for granted. I am still waiting for those prayers to be answered. (I still don't feel comfortable talking about it publicly, but those who know me well, would know what I am talking about.) Each time I allow myself to have a little hope, something happens that makes me wonder if my prayers ever reached higher than the ceiling. As I type this, my family is in disarray again, my mother is in pieces mentally and physically, and I'm finding it impossible to prepare for the final exam of my degree, in just a few days time.
My scripture readings this week lead me to the book of Acts. And I was struck by one thing - the perpetual motion of the Holy Spirit. Whether the disciples are preaching, or praying, or locked up in a prison cell... or simply walking along a road... the Holy Spirit is always moving... the disciples were merely floating buoys, caught up by the wave of the Holy Spirit. They didn't always realise it at the time, but the Holy Spirit was always moving, always in motion, always working. Paul worked hard, but the Spirit worked harder. As Isaiah 40:28 tells us: [The LORD] does not grow tired or weary. And though it seems like Paul is the main character of the book of Acts, the main stakeholder is the Spirit.
And yet, Paul suffered.
He received the Jewish punishment of 39 lashes, five times (195 lashes in total). Beaten with rods 3 times, stoned once, shipwrecked 3 times, spent one night and one day on the open sea, constantly on the move, often gone without food or drink... and, let us not forget, he started out his days as a Christian in total blindness. (See Acts 9; 2 Corinthians 11:24-29) Throughout his ministry, he spent nearly 6 years of it in prison in total. Did he not call upon the Name of the Lord? I have a suspicion that among the long list of things Paul would have prayed about, safety and peace would have been on the list. He was willing to suffer for the gospel, but surely he would said to the Lord: "Lord, let them not riot today." Though he was willing to suffer, I suspect that, like us, being human, he would have prayed that the day go smoothly without anyone getting slandered or beaten or imprisoned. Those were not improper things to ask for - surely they were things a good father, who likes to give good gifts, will grant his child. I wonder if he felt as frustrated, broken, and defeated as I feel.
And yet, in the midst of all these sufferings, he wrote the following words: "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed... Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Corinthians 4)
"Therefore we do not lose heart." Those words can't have come easily to Paul, just like this blog article is not easy for me to write. Those words were not idle words... because a few chapters later he starts listing out his sufferings.
That is the challenge issued to us today. God promises that He is in perpetual motion, that He is working for our good, and He does not grow faint or weary. The promise is unchanging. The promise is uncompromised, no matter how compromised the circumstances may be. He invites us to trust Him. He invites us to have faith. He challenges us to not lose heart, no matter how many prayers have been unanswered, no matter how frustrated we feel, no matter how much we don't understand His ways. He challenges us to cling on to Him alone.
He does not grow tired or weary. Will you?
Friday, November 12, 2010
Biblical stewardship
Stewardship is the concept in Christianity that nothing on in the world really belongs to us, it belongs to God, and we are the 'stewards', or managers. Therefore, biblical stewardship refers to how we, as individuals, as a society, and as a race, manage the resources that God has entrusted under our care.
I have been thinking about this topic a lot lately, I think partly because I am about to complete my degree and will be starting work next year. I have not held a full-time job for the duration of my degree, and I've almost forgotten what the taste of getting a pay-statement feels like. As I day dreamed about the things I want to do with the money, and as I sat down to plan a rough budget for next year... I wondered what exactly the bible says about money... how to earn it, retain it, and spend it. The bible says that the love of money is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10), and that blessed are the poor (Matthew 5:3)... does that mean we should all strive to be poor? The following exposition is a compilation of what I have come across in recent weeks of reading various sermon notes, commentaries, and of course, the Book itself. There was plenty to read, and plenty to ruminate over... a significant portion of the bible is dedicated to instructions on how to spend material wealth. A disclaimer: very very little of this is original...
The Poor
In a recent sermon, Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church defined four categories of people: the Foolish Poor, the Foolish Rich, the Righteous Poor, the Righteous rich. His main point was that the important thing is not whether you are rich or poor, but whether you are righteous or un-righteous. If you are unrighteous (and foolish), then obtaining wealth is pointless, because you have not the wisdom to steward it right.
The best descriptor for the "foolish poor" could be found in the book of Proverbs. If you are foolish and poor, it could be because you are lazy (like the sluggard described in Proverbs 20:4), or too much into 'get-rich-quick' schemes (Prov 21:5), or use excuses to avoid work (Prov 22:13). Bottom line: get off your bum and do something, there is no easy way.
The "righteous poor", according to Mark Driscoll, are those who are generous and faithful even in their poverty. Being ever the obsessive-compulsive, I had to find a few biblical references that describe the "righteous poor"... and I found it in Mark 12:41-44, a widow who was doubtless impoverished but was still generous with what she had. Perhaps also interesting is the description of a righteous yet poor widow in 1 Timothy 5:9... Paul describes a widow who is doubtlessly poor... yet blessed others in non-material ways, like bringing up children, helping others in need, providing hospitality. If you find such a widow, Paul instructs Timothy, put her on the list of people to be provided financial support from the Church. This shows that you don't have to have money to be a real blessing to those around you.
The "righteous" and "foolish" rich, I think, probably require little definition. The "righteous rich" is doubtless someone who obtained their wealth through diligence and wisdom rather than corruption, and who is generous with their wealth. Jesus had much to say about the "foolish rich"... so much so that the Rich probably deserve their own paragraph... which I will write, shortly. But first:
What the Bible says to poor people
Interestingly, I have, to date, never met someone who admits to being rich... and I've met some pretty rich people. When complimented on their wealth, most of them think about it, and say, "well, I'm not THAT rich..." and then proceed to give an example of a friend or colleague who makes much more. And since no one admits to being rich, everyone likes to blame everything on the rich people.
Before we all go admonishing the rich people, we should probably take a moment to consider: just who ARE the rich? I find it interesting that the bible defines only the rich and the poor... there is no biblical "middle class". If you are not sure where your next meal will come from, you are poor. If you only have one cloak and if it is taken from you then you will have to endure the cold of the night, then you are poor. If you are blind, deaf, lame, a widow with no means of support, then you are poor. On the other hand, if you are certain of your next meal, if you have enough to be able to lend a little to another person, if your list of possessions could be sold for any significant amount of money... then you are rich. There is no middle class.
Applying this biblical standard to our modern-day lives... I would say this: if you have ever opened a fridge full of food, and yet still feel like there is nothing you want to eat... if you have ever opened your closet and could choose from a number of shirts and jackets to wear... if you have a roof over your head... and you are reasonably sure that next month, your fridge will still be stocked up (although hopefully with different food), you will still have a closet full of clothes, and the roof will still be there... then you are biblically rich. (In fact, if you are reading this, you then you have a standard of living higher than any of the rich people of biblical times.)
Which, really, is fair enough. Those of us living in the Western societies comprise the top 10% wealthiest people in the world... the rest of the some 90% of the world's population live in abject poverty. No matter how you stack up against your friends or colleagues, you are still in the top 10% of wealthiest people. Are you feeling convicted yet? I know I am.
What the Bible says to rich people (ie - to you and me)
1. Nothing belongs to you, you're just looking after it for a short time
"The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it" - Psalm 24:1. Look around you, everything in your room, your house (as well as your neighbours' houses)... everything belongs to Him.
The concept of stewardship stems from Genesis 2:15 - "The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it." In other words, there was no transfer of ownership... the Garden belonged to God, Adam was the care taker. Nothing has changed - the earth and everything in it still belong to God, and we are the care takers. (Without going into the climate change debate... even looking at the poverty around us... I would venture to suggest that we have not managed these resources very well.)
2. Don't get comfortable, this is not your home.
You are in the world, be you don't belong here, your citizenship is elsewhere... and we are just waiting for a time when we can go Home... so don't get too attached to your belongings here. Colossians 3:1-3 tells us to "fix our eyes on things above, not earthly things"... mostly because nothing here is going to last very long.
The book of Revelations tell us that shortly everything will be destroyed... everything that once belonged to you will be burnt to dust. I recall reading the account of someone who, in his youth, discovered he was becoming too attached to his worldly possessions, so much so that he needed to refocus his life. So he wrote the words "TO BE BURNT" on all his most prized possessions. I wouldn't suggest vandalising your car with large block letters like that... but it is a worthy sentiment. The thought of those words stamped on my lovely grand piano makes my heart pang..
3. Don't hoard. It's pointless.
There are a number of reasons people hoard... so we can feel rich, so we can eventually buy extravagant things we otherwise couldn't afford, or just so we can feel secure in the knowledge that we have enough for tomorrow.
I could think of a few examples of biblical characters who hoarded wealth. The classic example, of course, is the man described in Luke 12, who built more and more and more barns to store his grain. When he died, he could take nothing away with him. Thinking through the bible, there are quite a few others who likewise enjoyed riches and yet came to realise how fragile it all is. King Solomon built palaces and harems and streets of gold, but in Ecclesiastes pronounced it all "meaningless". Job enjoyed vast wealth, so much so that his kids could just take turns partying at each others' houses... and Job learned just fragile it all was.
4. Be wise with your possessions.
Matthew 25:14-30 is a story that describes the different ways that people steward what they have. One works hard to make his use of what he has been given; another buries it such that it is neither used, nor seen. I'm not going to repeat the story here - this blog post is going to be way too long already. However, inherent in the meaning of the story is that there is an expectation that if we have been given something to steward (whether it is material wealth, physical abilities, or 'talents'), then we must steward it well, and with wisdom.
Make no mistake, though - this story does not mean that we must all go and become financial brokers and make our money double. This story does tell us that we need to make use of what we have. The question is - how?
5. Use your possessions. Be generous. Be extravagant.
The bible calls for generous giving, there is little doubt about that. The Old Testament is wrought with laws with regards to giving to God and giving to the poor... from offerings to the temple, to the tithe, to offerings for the poor and the widowed. The book of Proverbs is filled with verses like "a generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed" (Prov 11:25). The New Testament reinforces this - Jesus repeatedly challenges those around him to sell all their possessions. 2 Corinthians 8-9 tell us how St Paul felt about giving - and that God loves a cheerful giver. Yes, unsurprisingly, the bible calls for us to give. Not only that, give with humility, quietly, instead of shouting about it for all the world to see.
To those of us who are budgeting and managing our finances, just how much does the bible call for us to give?
How much is enough (I'm going to have a lot of fun writing about this one...)
"I do not believe we can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare." - C. S. Lewis (By the way... I LOVE C. S. Lewis! He makes me laugh and cry at the same time...)
Like Lewis so succinctly puts it, there is no way to put a definite amount on how much we ought to give. The only 'definite' amount is the tithe - the bible calls for 10% of our gross income to be given to the church. But we know also that the 10% is merely a minimum... there are also other offerings to be made, as well as offerings to the underprivileged. These other offerings are just as important as the tithe. (Matthew 23:23-24).
Mark Driscoll estimates that everything put together, the Old Testament calls for 25% of your income to be given away. 10% for the tithe, 10% for other offerings and festivals, and 5% for the poor. I would say that if you are calculating your offerings so strictly, perhaps you already have the wrong idea. The point is not how much should we give away... instead, if we regard everything as belonging to God, then the question is how much should we keep. The bible calls for us to trust God for our daily bread, so obviously we keep enough for our daily needs. What would you do with the rest of it? God was extravagant in giving up even Himself for our sake... and it is important to remember that we give to His kingdom and to those around us not because we are forced to but because we have tasted the richness that comes from His salvation. (2 Corinthians 8:9) But the practical question of 'how much'... is a question for you to ask God about, and to put into contemplation.
The famous evangelist John Wesley, who lived in the 18th Century, lived a life that offers food for thought. He made the decision to give as much away as possible... the first year, he made 30 pounds, and he discovered that his living expenses came to 28 pounds, so he gave 2 pounds away. The following year, he made 60 pounds, but he held his living expenses steady... so he was able to give away 32 pounds (a whole year's income). The year after that, his pay increased to 90 pounds... but his living expenses had not changed, and he gave the rest away. Toward the end of his career, he made 1400 pounds a year, but his yearly expenses rarely rose above 30 pounds. He kept no more than 100 pounds on him at any one time, the rest he gave away. When he died, he had nothing to bequest than the few coins in his pocket and in his dresser. Unlike the rich fool of the gospels who had amassed wealth yet could take nothing away... John Wesley died with no worldly possessions worth taking away.
Of course, our economy is somewhat different now - my income is unlikely to ever double in only one year. And yet, what touches me most about this story is that he managed to hold his expenditures steady in the face of all his income. This is sort of like an old, retired doctor (who should otherwise be rich), who still lives the frugal life of a medical student! How great the discipline!
I think, in our modern lives, our 'needs' often grow as fast as our income, if not more... such that by the time we make more money, we also have more needs. As I write this, I am wearing a pair of earrings with little purple cubes on them, that change to blue if you look at it from a different angle. I had my ears pierced last year, on a whim... and though I had no interest in earrings beforehand, I now find that I'm attracted to anything shiny, small, dangly, loopy, or hoopy. None of my earrings cost more than about $5 each... so you could say it is a "small" luxury that I enjoy. Recently, I've suffered some losses... my gold hoop earrings broke, then my pearl hoop earrings, then my pearl dangly earrings broke. My heart aches to think of the poor little pearls in my hand, detached from each other. I found myself thinking... "bugger, I don't have any hoop earrings anymore. I seriously need to find some time to buy some. I NEED some hoops!"
Do you see what I'm getting at? Last year, I wouldn't want a pair of earrings if it were given to me for free. Since I got my ears pierced, I have enough earrings to wear a different pair each day for a fortnight, and I still feel the need to go and buy more. As our wealth grows, so do our 'needs'... we feel like we need a better phone, a faster computer, a nicer car, a bigger house. Or a pair of shiny hoopy earrings. No wonder we can never spare any to give away to those who don't even know what clean water looks like.
Imprinted deeply in my memory is a scene from the film Schindler's List. It is the end of the WWII, and Schindler, a German entrepreneur, has just paid bribes to free over a thousand Jews... leaving him penniless, with nothing but a trunk of clothes and a car. The Jews gather together, a large crowd, in gratitude for what he has done for them. He looks around him... and instead of joy, and instead of feeling very proud of what he has done, he collapses to the ground and burst into tears. "I could have saved more," he cried through his tears. "Why did I keep this car? I could have saved 10 more [Jews] if I sold it. Why did I not sell this pin? It's gold! I could have saved 2 more. I could have saved more. I could have saved more. I could have saved more." No amount of comforting words from the Jews or from his wife could console from his immovable grief and guilt.
Proverbs tell us that in the day of wrath, your wealth is worthless. (Prov 11:4) Will we look back at the things we clung on to, and instead of seeing our prized possessions, will we see a lost opportunity to bless someone? Schindler sold all he had, but at the end, he still felt he could have done more. What are we clinging on to, that we ought to let go of?
Conclusion
Ok, I have covered WAY too many topics here to be able to give a nice, succinct summary of everything... from poverty to riches to stewardship to generosity to discipline.
The best summary, I think, still comes from scriptures. Matthew 6:33 - "Seek first His kingdom and righteousness, and all these will be given to you as well." Everything else... is meaningless.
I have been thinking about this topic a lot lately, I think partly because I am about to complete my degree and will be starting work next year. I have not held a full-time job for the duration of my degree, and I've almost forgotten what the taste of getting a pay-statement feels like. As I day dreamed about the things I want to do with the money, and as I sat down to plan a rough budget for next year... I wondered what exactly the bible says about money... how to earn it, retain it, and spend it. The bible says that the love of money is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10), and that blessed are the poor (Matthew 5:3)... does that mean we should all strive to be poor? The following exposition is a compilation of what I have come across in recent weeks of reading various sermon notes, commentaries, and of course, the Book itself. There was plenty to read, and plenty to ruminate over... a significant portion of the bible is dedicated to instructions on how to spend material wealth. A disclaimer: very very little of this is original...
The Poor
In a recent sermon, Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church defined four categories of people: the Foolish Poor, the Foolish Rich, the Righteous Poor, the Righteous rich. His main point was that the important thing is not whether you are rich or poor, but whether you are righteous or un-righteous. If you are unrighteous (and foolish), then obtaining wealth is pointless, because you have not the wisdom to steward it right.
The best descriptor for the "foolish poor" could be found in the book of Proverbs. If you are foolish and poor, it could be because you are lazy (like the sluggard described in Proverbs 20:4), or too much into 'get-rich-quick' schemes (Prov 21:5), or use excuses to avoid work (Prov 22:13). Bottom line: get off your bum and do something, there is no easy way.
The "righteous poor", according to Mark Driscoll, are those who are generous and faithful even in their poverty. Being ever the obsessive-compulsive, I had to find a few biblical references that describe the "righteous poor"... and I found it in Mark 12:41-44, a widow who was doubtless impoverished but was still generous with what she had. Perhaps also interesting is the description of a righteous yet poor widow in 1 Timothy 5:9... Paul describes a widow who is doubtlessly poor... yet blessed others in non-material ways, like bringing up children, helping others in need, providing hospitality. If you find such a widow, Paul instructs Timothy, put her on the list of people to be provided financial support from the Church. This shows that you don't have to have money to be a real blessing to those around you.
The "righteous" and "foolish" rich, I think, probably require little definition. The "righteous rich" is doubtless someone who obtained their wealth through diligence and wisdom rather than corruption, and who is generous with their wealth. Jesus had much to say about the "foolish rich"... so much so that the Rich probably deserve their own paragraph... which I will write, shortly. But first:
What the Bible says to poor people
- Don't be a Foolish Poor. Work hard, don't make excuses, don't be hasty. (Yes, that one is pretty clear...)
- Do not worry about your poverty, God knows your needs. Instead, seek God, seek His kingdom and righteousness, and the other stuff will come. Trust in His provision. (Matthew 6:25-34)
- Live one day at a time, ask daily to receive your daily needs, and don't worry about the next day. (Matthew 6:11, 34; Lamentations 3:22-24.)
- Don't wear yourself out to get rich. Proverbs 23:4 (Speaking as a medical professional, I'd agree... not worth it.)
- It is better to be a Righteous Poor than a Foolish Rich... so focus on being right with God instead. (Proverbs 28:6)
- Don't be dismayed if you are hard working, generous, and seek after God's ways, and yet you are still struggling. Foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the Son of Man didn't have a place to sleep... (Matthew 8:20)... and you, dear friend, are the follower of a homeless man. Riches in heaven are promised to you, but no one ever promised that you will be rich on earth. (Yeah, sorry. Go back to point number 1 and keep going...)
Interestingly, I have, to date, never met someone who admits to being rich... and I've met some pretty rich people. When complimented on their wealth, most of them think about it, and say, "well, I'm not THAT rich..." and then proceed to give an example of a friend or colleague who makes much more. And since no one admits to being rich, everyone likes to blame everything on the rich people.
Before we all go admonishing the rich people, we should probably take a moment to consider: just who ARE the rich? I find it interesting that the bible defines only the rich and the poor... there is no biblical "middle class". If you are not sure where your next meal will come from, you are poor. If you only have one cloak and if it is taken from you then you will have to endure the cold of the night, then you are poor. If you are blind, deaf, lame, a widow with no means of support, then you are poor. On the other hand, if you are certain of your next meal, if you have enough to be able to lend a little to another person, if your list of possessions could be sold for any significant amount of money... then you are rich. There is no middle class.
Applying this biblical standard to our modern-day lives... I would say this: if you have ever opened a fridge full of food, and yet still feel like there is nothing you want to eat... if you have ever opened your closet and could choose from a number of shirts and jackets to wear... if you have a roof over your head... and you are reasonably sure that next month, your fridge will still be stocked up (although hopefully with different food), you will still have a closet full of clothes, and the roof will still be there... then you are biblically rich. (In fact, if you are reading this, you then you have a standard of living higher than any of the rich people of biblical times.)
Which, really, is fair enough. Those of us living in the Western societies comprise the top 10% wealthiest people in the world... the rest of the some 90% of the world's population live in abject poverty. No matter how you stack up against your friends or colleagues, you are still in the top 10% of wealthiest people. Are you feeling convicted yet? I know I am.
What the Bible says to rich people (ie - to you and me)
1. Nothing belongs to you, you're just looking after it for a short time
"The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it" - Psalm 24:1. Look around you, everything in your room, your house (as well as your neighbours' houses)... everything belongs to Him.
The concept of stewardship stems from Genesis 2:15 - "The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it." In other words, there was no transfer of ownership... the Garden belonged to God, Adam was the care taker. Nothing has changed - the earth and everything in it still belong to God, and we are the care takers. (Without going into the climate change debate... even looking at the poverty around us... I would venture to suggest that we have not managed these resources very well.)
2. Don't get comfortable, this is not your home.
You are in the world, be you don't belong here, your citizenship is elsewhere... and we are just waiting for a time when we can go Home... so don't get too attached to your belongings here. Colossians 3:1-3 tells us to "fix our eyes on things above, not earthly things"... mostly because nothing here is going to last very long.
The book of Revelations tell us that shortly everything will be destroyed... everything that once belonged to you will be burnt to dust. I recall reading the account of someone who, in his youth, discovered he was becoming too attached to his worldly possessions, so much so that he needed to refocus his life. So he wrote the words "TO BE BURNT" on all his most prized possessions. I wouldn't suggest vandalising your car with large block letters like that... but it is a worthy sentiment. The thought of those words stamped on my lovely grand piano makes my heart pang..
3. Don't hoard. It's pointless.
There are a number of reasons people hoard... so we can feel rich, so we can eventually buy extravagant things we otherwise couldn't afford, or just so we can feel secure in the knowledge that we have enough for tomorrow.
I could think of a few examples of biblical characters who hoarded wealth. The classic example, of course, is the man described in Luke 12, who built more and more and more barns to store his grain. When he died, he could take nothing away with him. Thinking through the bible, there are quite a few others who likewise enjoyed riches and yet came to realise how fragile it all is. King Solomon built palaces and harems and streets of gold, but in Ecclesiastes pronounced it all "meaningless". Job enjoyed vast wealth, so much so that his kids could just take turns partying at each others' houses... and Job learned just fragile it all was.
4. Be wise with your possessions.
Matthew 25:14-30 is a story that describes the different ways that people steward what they have. One works hard to make his use of what he has been given; another buries it such that it is neither used, nor seen. I'm not going to repeat the story here - this blog post is going to be way too long already. However, inherent in the meaning of the story is that there is an expectation that if we have been given something to steward (whether it is material wealth, physical abilities, or 'talents'), then we must steward it well, and with wisdom.
Make no mistake, though - this story does not mean that we must all go and become financial brokers and make our money double. This story does tell us that we need to make use of what we have. The question is - how?
5. Use your possessions. Be generous. Be extravagant.
The bible calls for generous giving, there is little doubt about that. The Old Testament is wrought with laws with regards to giving to God and giving to the poor... from offerings to the temple, to the tithe, to offerings for the poor and the widowed. The book of Proverbs is filled with verses like "a generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed" (Prov 11:25). The New Testament reinforces this - Jesus repeatedly challenges those around him to sell all their possessions. 2 Corinthians 8-9 tell us how St Paul felt about giving - and that God loves a cheerful giver. Yes, unsurprisingly, the bible calls for us to give. Not only that, give with humility, quietly, instead of shouting about it for all the world to see.
To those of us who are budgeting and managing our finances, just how much does the bible call for us to give?
How much is enough (I'm going to have a lot of fun writing about this one...)
"I do not believe we can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare." - C. S. Lewis (By the way... I LOVE C. S. Lewis! He makes me laugh and cry at the same time...)
Like Lewis so succinctly puts it, there is no way to put a definite amount on how much we ought to give. The only 'definite' amount is the tithe - the bible calls for 10% of our gross income to be given to the church. But we know also that the 10% is merely a minimum... there are also other offerings to be made, as well as offerings to the underprivileged. These other offerings are just as important as the tithe. (Matthew 23:23-24).
Mark Driscoll estimates that everything put together, the Old Testament calls for 25% of your income to be given away. 10% for the tithe, 10% for other offerings and festivals, and 5% for the poor. I would say that if you are calculating your offerings so strictly, perhaps you already have the wrong idea. The point is not how much should we give away... instead, if we regard everything as belonging to God, then the question is how much should we keep. The bible calls for us to trust God for our daily bread, so obviously we keep enough for our daily needs. What would you do with the rest of it? God was extravagant in giving up even Himself for our sake... and it is important to remember that we give to His kingdom and to those around us not because we are forced to but because we have tasted the richness that comes from His salvation. (2 Corinthians 8:9) But the practical question of 'how much'... is a question for you to ask God about, and to put into contemplation.
The famous evangelist John Wesley, who lived in the 18th Century, lived a life that offers food for thought. He made the decision to give as much away as possible... the first year, he made 30 pounds, and he discovered that his living expenses came to 28 pounds, so he gave 2 pounds away. The following year, he made 60 pounds, but he held his living expenses steady... so he was able to give away 32 pounds (a whole year's income). The year after that, his pay increased to 90 pounds... but his living expenses had not changed, and he gave the rest away. Toward the end of his career, he made 1400 pounds a year, but his yearly expenses rarely rose above 30 pounds. He kept no more than 100 pounds on him at any one time, the rest he gave away. When he died, he had nothing to bequest than the few coins in his pocket and in his dresser. Unlike the rich fool of the gospels who had amassed wealth yet could take nothing away... John Wesley died with no worldly possessions worth taking away.
Of course, our economy is somewhat different now - my income is unlikely to ever double in only one year. And yet, what touches me most about this story is that he managed to hold his expenditures steady in the face of all his income. This is sort of like an old, retired doctor (who should otherwise be rich), who still lives the frugal life of a medical student! How great the discipline!
I think, in our modern lives, our 'needs' often grow as fast as our income, if not more... such that by the time we make more money, we also have more needs. As I write this, I am wearing a pair of earrings with little purple cubes on them, that change to blue if you look at it from a different angle. I had my ears pierced last year, on a whim... and though I had no interest in earrings beforehand, I now find that I'm attracted to anything shiny, small, dangly, loopy, or hoopy. None of my earrings cost more than about $5 each... so you could say it is a "small" luxury that I enjoy. Recently, I've suffered some losses... my gold hoop earrings broke, then my pearl hoop earrings, then my pearl dangly earrings broke. My heart aches to think of the poor little pearls in my hand, detached from each other. I found myself thinking... "bugger, I don't have any hoop earrings anymore. I seriously need to find some time to buy some. I NEED some hoops!"
Do you see what I'm getting at? Last year, I wouldn't want a pair of earrings if it were given to me for free. Since I got my ears pierced, I have enough earrings to wear a different pair each day for a fortnight, and I still feel the need to go and buy more. As our wealth grows, so do our 'needs'... we feel like we need a better phone, a faster computer, a nicer car, a bigger house. Or a pair of shiny hoopy earrings. No wonder we can never spare any to give away to those who don't even know what clean water looks like.
Imprinted deeply in my memory is a scene from the film Schindler's List. It is the end of the WWII, and Schindler, a German entrepreneur, has just paid bribes to free over a thousand Jews... leaving him penniless, with nothing but a trunk of clothes and a car. The Jews gather together, a large crowd, in gratitude for what he has done for them. He looks around him... and instead of joy, and instead of feeling very proud of what he has done, he collapses to the ground and burst into tears. "I could have saved more," he cried through his tears. "Why did I keep this car? I could have saved 10 more [Jews] if I sold it. Why did I not sell this pin? It's gold! I could have saved 2 more. I could have saved more. I could have saved more. I could have saved more." No amount of comforting words from the Jews or from his wife could console from his immovable grief and guilt.
Proverbs tell us that in the day of wrath, your wealth is worthless. (Prov 11:4) Will we look back at the things we clung on to, and instead of seeing our prized possessions, will we see a lost opportunity to bless someone? Schindler sold all he had, but at the end, he still felt he could have done more. What are we clinging on to, that we ought to let go of?
Conclusion
Ok, I have covered WAY too many topics here to be able to give a nice, succinct summary of everything... from poverty to riches to stewardship to generosity to discipline.
The best summary, I think, still comes from scriptures. Matthew 6:33 - "Seek first His kingdom and righteousness, and all these will be given to you as well." Everything else... is meaningless.
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