In pre-blog days, I wrote a brief devotional for my family entitled “The many faces of giving”. The focus of the article was to explore creative ways to have a generous spirit and outlook on life. I believe that the true heart of the Christ life is found in giving and forgiving. (Matthew 6:38) We are recipients of God’s goodness and salvation because God is a giver (John 3:16) and we are to follow His lead.
Like all great subjects, giving is one that we must continually explore in order to just begin to fathom its meaning. A few days ago I was writing for one of the ministries that I occasionally do work for and I came across some interesting insights on the story in Acts 3 of Peter and John on their way to the temple for prayer when they were accosted by a beggar
.
There are several things that caught my attention about this story. Peter and John had seen this man many times before so why should today be different? The beggar was at this same gate everyday but what was different about today? Peter looked at the man and said, “I don’t have any money”. I’m going to take a little liberty with this story and suggest that on other days they did have money and previously had given to the crippled beggar. Today was different because their pockets were empty, so the response was, “I don’t have any but what I have I give you.” And by faith, Peter helped the cripple stand up and the miracle was on.
In Mark 6:30-44 the story of the feeding of the five thousand is told. At the end of a long day the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Its late, we need to send this crowd away so that they can go and get something to eat.” Jesus responded, “You give them something to eat” (v37) and the disciples went into a panic trying to figure out the cost of feeding this many people. The disciples response was purely natural and human “Jesus wants us to feed them. How are we going to accomplish that? How much money do we have among us? Do we have enough to buy enough food?” Jesus stopped the disciples and said to them “How many loaves of bread do you have? Go and see.” (v38) and again the miracle was on.
In both stories the principle was essentially the same “What do you have?” What is in your hand?”
As a giver, I give from where I am and from what I have. I can’t begin to tell you how many times I have heard people refer to the great sums of money they are believing God for and when He gives it boy oh boy are they going to be generous. I thank God for the faith that is being expressed but to that person I believe the Lord asks a question “what are you doing now with what you have in your hand?”
Generosity begins with what you have, not what you are believing God for!
If you have heard good teaching on generosity but have never embraced it because you are waiting for a big pay raise, a bonus, an inheritance or perhaps to win the lottery there is a very strong likely hood that you will never be a generous giver. The same excuses that you are making now you will be making when your income is two or ten times the size that it currently is.
One final story, this one from Mark 12:41-44. Jesus was sitting watching people put their gifts into the treasury at the Temple. After a while Jesus called his disciples together and talked to them about what he had watched. The Lord told them that He watched a poor widow and some very rich people put their gifts into the treasury. Jesus commented that although the widow only gave a very tiny amount, probably by today’s standards just a few cents, she actually out gave the rich. The widow gave everything she had while the rich gave a portion of their surplus.
Generosity is not measured by the size of the gift but by our commitment and the sacrifice that it represents. In this story the rich gave a portion of the surplus they had, there was nothing sacrificial about what they did. The poor lady gave sacrificially, she gave it all . The rich simply gave God a tip, the way we would tip a food server or a taxi driver. The poor lady was truly generous; the rich, while they gave a larger gift were actually stingy, greedy and somewhat insulting.
What do you have in your hand and what are you doing with it?
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Saturday, August 22, 2009
THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE UNASHAMED
Paul wrote the book of Romans around 56 AD while he was in Corinth. Paul’s conversion happened in 35 AD and in the twenty-one years following, he had become a truly magnificent man of God. Two thousand years later Paul’s writings, anointed by the Holy Spirit and inspired by God, still nourish and direct millions of believers every day.
In my opinion, Romans 1:16-17 is Paul’s mission statement. It defines, in large part, his approach to his life and ministry.
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
But why would Paul feel the need to declare that he was not ashamed of the gospel? Had something happened that made him falter in his faith? I don’t think so. I believe that Paul had been attacked or questioned about his desire to go and preach in Rome. It’s very conceivable that he had come under attack even by some of his friends in Corinth who tried to dissuade him from embarking on what they thought would be a hopeless venture. Their argument could have gone something like this, “You know, Paul, that the gospel works well here in Corinth among the lowlifes, but now Rome…well, that’s a different matter. Rome is full of very sophisticated people, philosophies and religions. This gospel you preach is just too simple for them. You are going to be embarrassed in Rome so don’t go! Stay here—we love you!”
Paul knew he had a date with destiny in Rome and he was on his way. Rome was a proud city, full of great philosophies and religion. The gospel Paul was preaching came from Jerusalem, the capital of one of the smallest and most inconsequential nations that Rome had conquered. Jerusalem was not a world-class city; Paul was a tentmaker; and Jesus was a carpenter who died a horrible death on a Roman cross. Still, Paul was not ashamed because he was confident in the message of Christ. And he was not ashamed because he personally knew the power of the gospel and what it could do!
Below is a statement that I heard given in a large men’s gathering when I worked with Dr. Ed Cole. I loved the declaration the first time I heard it and I love it now. I tried to track down the identity of the author, without success. Lots of people have tried to lay claim to it but research shows it was written by the infamous person with the Greek-sounding name of “Anonymous.”
Whoever the author was, I would love to tell him two things: You got it right—and thank you!
The Fellowship of the Unashamed is a declaration we need to read from time to time and to remind ourselves that this is what Paul was talking about when he said, “I am not ashamed….”
THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE UNASHAMED
I am a part of the Fellowship of the Unashamed.
The die has been cast. The decision has been made. I have stepped over the line. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still.
My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is in God’s hands. I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, the bare minimum, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, frivolous living, selfish giving, and dwarfed goals.
I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, applause, or popularity.
I don’t have to be right, first, the best, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith. I lean on Christ’s presence. I love with patience, live by prayer, and labor with the power of God’s grace.
My face is set. My gait is fast, my goal is heaven. My road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my Guide is reliable, and my mission is clear.
I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
I won’t give up, shut up, let up or slow up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and spoken up for the cause of Christ.
I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give until I drop, speak out until all know, and work until He stops me.
And when He returns for His own, He will have no difficulty recognizing me. My banner is clear: I am a part of the Fellowship of the Unashamed.
In my opinion, Romans 1:16-17 is Paul’s mission statement. It defines, in large part, his approach to his life and ministry.
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
But why would Paul feel the need to declare that he was not ashamed of the gospel? Had something happened that made him falter in his faith? I don’t think so. I believe that Paul had been attacked or questioned about his desire to go and preach in Rome. It’s very conceivable that he had come under attack even by some of his friends in Corinth who tried to dissuade him from embarking on what they thought would be a hopeless venture. Their argument could have gone something like this, “You know, Paul, that the gospel works well here in Corinth among the lowlifes, but now Rome…well, that’s a different matter. Rome is full of very sophisticated people, philosophies and religions. This gospel you preach is just too simple for them. You are going to be embarrassed in Rome so don’t go! Stay here—we love you!”
Paul knew he had a date with destiny in Rome and he was on his way. Rome was a proud city, full of great philosophies and religion. The gospel Paul was preaching came from Jerusalem, the capital of one of the smallest and most inconsequential nations that Rome had conquered. Jerusalem was not a world-class city; Paul was a tentmaker; and Jesus was a carpenter who died a horrible death on a Roman cross. Still, Paul was not ashamed because he was confident in the message of Christ. And he was not ashamed because he personally knew the power of the gospel and what it could do!
Below is a statement that I heard given in a large men’s gathering when I worked with Dr. Ed Cole. I loved the declaration the first time I heard it and I love it now. I tried to track down the identity of the author, without success. Lots of people have tried to lay claim to it but research shows it was written by the infamous person with the Greek-sounding name of “Anonymous.”
Whoever the author was, I would love to tell him two things: You got it right—and thank you!
The Fellowship of the Unashamed is a declaration we need to read from time to time and to remind ourselves that this is what Paul was talking about when he said, “I am not ashamed….”
THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE UNASHAMED
I am a part of the Fellowship of the Unashamed.
The die has been cast. The decision has been made. I have stepped over the line. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still.
My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is in God’s hands. I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, the bare minimum, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, frivolous living, selfish giving, and dwarfed goals.
I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, applause, or popularity.
I don’t have to be right, first, the best, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith. I lean on Christ’s presence. I love with patience, live by prayer, and labor with the power of God’s grace.
My face is set. My gait is fast, my goal is heaven. My road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my Guide is reliable, and my mission is clear.
I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
I won’t give up, shut up, let up or slow up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and spoken up for the cause of Christ.
I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give until I drop, speak out until all know, and work until He stops me.
And when He returns for His own, He will have no difficulty recognizing me. My banner is clear: I am a part of the Fellowship of the Unashamed.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
THERE IS A RIVER
Driving back from Houston a few weeks ago, I was tired and bored from listening to the constant whining of talk/news radio and the emptiness of country and rock music. I found in the console of our SUV a worship CD that a local church here in Dallas had done. I slipped it into the player and in a rather distracted and tired way began to listen. The first couple of songs were nice, nothing special, but the music was somewhat of a welcome distraction.
It had been a long day for me, but a very good day. I had left the house a little before 5 o’clock that morning in order to be in Houston before 10 o’clock to have breakfast with my friend Mike Myers. Then we spent the rest of the day at the offices of Somebody Cares Houston working with them on a very special fund-raising program. We finished up around 3:30 and I got onto the freeway to get started on my 250-mile drive back home, tired but rather pleased at the progress of the day.
The fourth track on the CD was a song from the late ’60s written by Max and David Sapp entitled “There is a River.” I immediately recognized the song and began to quietly worship along with the singers. When the song finished, I hit the replay button and listened to it again and then again and then one more time. My bored drive up Interstate 45 had become a refreshing time of praise and worship.
The words to the chorus begin with, “There is a river that flows from deep within.” The chorus finishes with, “There is a river that never shall run dry.”
Jesus makes a very powerful statement about the water of life flowing in those who follow Him.
“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive” (John 7:38-39).
As I sat in the car and enjoyed the time of worship and the refreshing of the Holy Spirit, I was gently reminded again of the presence of God’s Spirit in me. While He indwells me, I need to actively participate with Him and again and again be filled with His power and presence (see Ephesians 5:18). Part of the Holy Spirit’s work in me is to refresh, rebuild and repair. The word edify used in 1 Corinthians 14:4 means exactly that and is a reference to what happens when we participate with the Holy Spirit.
I need the Holy Spirit’s work in me regularly and more so right now as our world tumbles headlong into the chaos of the coming days. Praying in the Spirit…it’s vital that we do that! As we pray in the Spirit, worship and praise Him, we are allowing the Holy Spirit to fill our lives, and the Spirit’s ministry of healing, rebuilding, refreshing and restoring takes place. If you have a prayer language (tongues), then it needs to be exercised regularly. If you don’t pray in tongues, then may I suggest that you begin to verbally worship and praise Him or sing a worship chorus during your prayer time. Don’t rush this—take your time in praise and worship and invite Him to fill you with His power and presence.
I confess that I need that time with Him and I need it more now than ever before. The rough and tumble of all that is going on in our world, the economic uncertainty, the increasing violence, the foolishness of politics, the depressing news day after day takes a toll on you whether you understand it or not. It is vital that we who have been given the Holy Spirit allow Him to do His work in us.
The Holy Spirit should not be relegated to the basement of our lives. We need to invite Him to fill us, to literally fill this house we call our body. Can the river really flow if I relegate it to just a corner of my life? I am not a Spirit-filled person in name, I am a Spirit-filled person in practice.
A few days after driving home from Houston and while I was still basking in the afterglow of that marvelous time with the Lord in the car, I made another wonderful discovery. I found on YouTube a video of the Gaither Vocal Band singing, “There is a River.” David Phelps’ tenor voice is one of the best I have ever heard. Here is the link to the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5n8w3OI70Y
You may be able to just click on the link and it will take you to the video. If not, then copy and paste the link to your Web browser and get ready to be refreshed.
Turn on your speakers, sit back and enjoy…and let the Holy Spirit refresh you as you worship Him. The river of living water is flowing! Come on in, the water is fine!
It had been a long day for me, but a very good day. I had left the house a little before 5 o’clock that morning in order to be in Houston before 10 o’clock to have breakfast with my friend Mike Myers. Then we spent the rest of the day at the offices of Somebody Cares Houston working with them on a very special fund-raising program. We finished up around 3:30 and I got onto the freeway to get started on my 250-mile drive back home, tired but rather pleased at the progress of the day.
The fourth track on the CD was a song from the late ’60s written by Max and David Sapp entitled “There is a River.” I immediately recognized the song and began to quietly worship along with the singers. When the song finished, I hit the replay button and listened to it again and then again and then one more time. My bored drive up Interstate 45 had become a refreshing time of praise and worship.
The words to the chorus begin with, “There is a river that flows from deep within.” The chorus finishes with, “There is a river that never shall run dry.”
Jesus makes a very powerful statement about the water of life flowing in those who follow Him.
“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive” (John 7:38-39).
As I sat in the car and enjoyed the time of worship and the refreshing of the Holy Spirit, I was gently reminded again of the presence of God’s Spirit in me. While He indwells me, I need to actively participate with Him and again and again be filled with His power and presence (see Ephesians 5:18). Part of the Holy Spirit’s work in me is to refresh, rebuild and repair. The word edify used in 1 Corinthians 14:4 means exactly that and is a reference to what happens when we participate with the Holy Spirit.
I need the Holy Spirit’s work in me regularly and more so right now as our world tumbles headlong into the chaos of the coming days. Praying in the Spirit…it’s vital that we do that! As we pray in the Spirit, worship and praise Him, we are allowing the Holy Spirit to fill our lives, and the Spirit’s ministry of healing, rebuilding, refreshing and restoring takes place. If you have a prayer language (tongues), then it needs to be exercised regularly. If you don’t pray in tongues, then may I suggest that you begin to verbally worship and praise Him or sing a worship chorus during your prayer time. Don’t rush this—take your time in praise and worship and invite Him to fill you with His power and presence.
I confess that I need that time with Him and I need it more now than ever before. The rough and tumble of all that is going on in our world, the economic uncertainty, the increasing violence, the foolishness of politics, the depressing news day after day takes a toll on you whether you understand it or not. It is vital that we who have been given the Holy Spirit allow Him to do His work in us.
The Holy Spirit should not be relegated to the basement of our lives. We need to invite Him to fill us, to literally fill this house we call our body. Can the river really flow if I relegate it to just a corner of my life? I am not a Spirit-filled person in name, I am a Spirit-filled person in practice.
A few days after driving home from Houston and while I was still basking in the afterglow of that marvelous time with the Lord in the car, I made another wonderful discovery. I found on YouTube a video of the Gaither Vocal Band singing, “There is a River.” David Phelps’ tenor voice is one of the best I have ever heard. Here is the link to the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5n8w3OI70Y
You may be able to just click on the link and it will take you to the video. If not, then copy and paste the link to your Web browser and get ready to be refreshed.
Turn on your speakers, sit back and enjoy…and let the Holy Spirit refresh you as you worship Him. The river of living water is flowing! Come on in, the water is fine!
Saturday, August 8, 2009
HOW BIG IS GOD?
This is an interesting question and one that gives me a headache if I think too much about it. Trying to “guesstimate” God’s approximate size is like trying to pinpoint the birth date of eternity. If I want to frustrate myself, I try to figure out where and when God came into being.
How big is God? Wasn’t that a popular Southern gospel song years ago? Yes, it was! I believe one of the very first times I heard that song was at a Blackwood Brothers Quartet Concert that Carol and I attended in Denver back in the days when almost all TV sets were black and white. In other words, before a bunch of you were born. Big John Hall was the bass singer for the Blackwoods and he stole the show when he began to sing, with his booming bass voice, “How big is God?”
There is a fascination with trying to comprehend God in human terms. It’s understandable and yet at the same time limiting to us. When we say “big” in our normal frame of reference, we tend to think in terms of the size of people or buildings or a mountain. When we say, “That’s a big problem,” we are making reference to its seriousness, not necessarily its size.
Isaiah 40:12 gives us a different perspective on the bigness and greatness of God.
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand,
Measured heaven with a span
And calculated the dust of the earth in a measure?
Weighed the mountains in scales
And the hills in a balance?
I love the illustration that Bruce Ware uses in his book Big Truths for Young Hearts as he tells of trying to teach his young daughters about the greatness of God. While on vacation in Oregon, Bruce took his two girls to the beach. At water’s edge, looking out over the Pacific Ocean, Ware asked them to stand close to the shoreline. He walked several steps out into the water and asked the girls to watch carefully as he scooped up a handful of water. The girls’ attention was riveted on their dad as he dipped his hand into the ocean and lifted it for them to see.
He then asked his daughters this question, “Did the level of the ocean go down when I took out a handful of water?”
“No, Daddy,” both girls replied, “nothing happened!”
Ware repeated the experiment with the girls and the result and their response was the same.
A few minutes later Ware talked to his girls about this verse (Isaiah 40:12) and explained that our God is big beyond our understanding and is capable of holding all the water on the earth in the palm of His hand, leaving the oceans, the lakes and the rivers completely dry. Now that is big!
Isaiah 40:12 carries on with the description of God’s bigness as it says that God can measure the size of the universe by using the span of his hand. A span refers to the distance from the end of the thumb to the tip of the little finger of a spread hand. If I really spread my fingers wide, the span of my hand is about nine inches. One of God’s hands is sufficient to measure the extent of the universe. Now that is big!
Not only does the verse pictorially assist us in understanding God’s bigness but it also ties in a reference to His strength. The word picture of “weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance” is the picture of a God whose bigness and strength is so immense that He could weigh all the mountains of the world holding the scales in His hands. That is strength beyond understanding.
How big is God? He is big beyond comprehension and yet He has made Himself available to His people!
He has expressed His love by giving His Son so that you and I can enjoy the grandness of eternity with Him. Now that’s a BIG God with a BIG heart!
We have a big God who has a big love for His people. When we are struggling to overcome a temptation, a problem, a worry, it is worthy to remind ourselves that we serve a BIG God who extends a BIG grace to us. Paul could say, “His grace is sufficient,” because it’s a big grace coming from a big God!
How big is God? Wasn’t that a popular Southern gospel song years ago? Yes, it was! I believe one of the very first times I heard that song was at a Blackwood Brothers Quartet Concert that Carol and I attended in Denver back in the days when almost all TV sets were black and white. In other words, before a bunch of you were born. Big John Hall was the bass singer for the Blackwoods and he stole the show when he began to sing, with his booming bass voice, “How big is God?”
There is a fascination with trying to comprehend God in human terms. It’s understandable and yet at the same time limiting to us. When we say “big” in our normal frame of reference, we tend to think in terms of the size of people or buildings or a mountain. When we say, “That’s a big problem,” we are making reference to its seriousness, not necessarily its size.
Isaiah 40:12 gives us a different perspective on the bigness and greatness of God.
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand,
Measured heaven with a span
And calculated the dust of the earth in a measure?
Weighed the mountains in scales
And the hills in a balance?
I love the illustration that Bruce Ware uses in his book Big Truths for Young Hearts as he tells of trying to teach his young daughters about the greatness of God. While on vacation in Oregon, Bruce took his two girls to the beach. At water’s edge, looking out over the Pacific Ocean, Ware asked them to stand close to the shoreline. He walked several steps out into the water and asked the girls to watch carefully as he scooped up a handful of water. The girls’ attention was riveted on their dad as he dipped his hand into the ocean and lifted it for them to see.
He then asked his daughters this question, “Did the level of the ocean go down when I took out a handful of water?”
“No, Daddy,” both girls replied, “nothing happened!”
Ware repeated the experiment with the girls and the result and their response was the same.
A few minutes later Ware talked to his girls about this verse (Isaiah 40:12) and explained that our God is big beyond our understanding and is capable of holding all the water on the earth in the palm of His hand, leaving the oceans, the lakes and the rivers completely dry. Now that is big!
Isaiah 40:12 carries on with the description of God’s bigness as it says that God can measure the size of the universe by using the span of his hand. A span refers to the distance from the end of the thumb to the tip of the little finger of a spread hand. If I really spread my fingers wide, the span of my hand is about nine inches. One of God’s hands is sufficient to measure the extent of the universe. Now that is big!
Not only does the verse pictorially assist us in understanding God’s bigness but it also ties in a reference to His strength. The word picture of “weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance” is the picture of a God whose bigness and strength is so immense that He could weigh all the mountains of the world holding the scales in His hands. That is strength beyond understanding.
How big is God? He is big beyond comprehension and yet He has made Himself available to His people!
He has expressed His love by giving His Son so that you and I can enjoy the grandness of eternity with Him. Now that’s a BIG God with a BIG heart!
We have a big God who has a big love for His people. When we are struggling to overcome a temptation, a problem, a worry, it is worthy to remind ourselves that we serve a BIG God who extends a BIG grace to us. Paul could say, “His grace is sufficient,” because it’s a big grace coming from a big God!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
