Physical and Spiritual

John 6 is a great commentary on how we all think. Jesus feeds more than five thousand people from a few loaves and fish and then teaches on how Jesus is the true bread from heaven. It seems straight forward however the listeners seem to be completely lost.
They are missing the spiritual connection that Jesus is making from the physical miracle (he calls them signs for a reason). When they approach Jesus after the miracle he knows they are seeking him because he supplied their physical needs not because they are seeking spiritual life.
We do the very same thing. We seek after physical healing and help often going to Jesus as a genie to meet our needs. In giving we can think, "Lord, I'm giving this now and please bless me." While we know that He multiplies our gifts just like the loaves and fish we often expect the result to be physical as opposed to the spiritual. God knows we have both and cares about both but in this world we often care more about the physical.
Don't be afraid to ask God to bless us in particular ways, especially in prayer but let's not also be closed minded in expecting God to bless us only in physical ways. Often it can even be more a blessing to be transformed through difficulty into his likeness rather than lack transformation in comfort. We would do well not to be like the majority of listeners in the passage but be open to receiving spiritual blessings and not grumble when they are not physical.

Why do we worry about Money?

We could say that there are a lot of reasons. I would like to focus on one for today. I think the reason we worry about money is because God provides for us in a way contrary to how we want God to provide for us. When was the last time you pulled the string on why you worry about money?
Certainly you know the scriptures that discuss worry and others that discuss God’s promises. If we believed the Bible for what it said would we worry about money? I think we would seek first the Kingdom and expect God to do the rest. I also believe we would be willing to allow God to provide to the level He wants and in the avenue He wants. The problem that missionaries face when they raise support is the very act of humbling themselves to receive the gifts. Why is it ok for them to humble themselves so much when requesting support but not for us when we approach God? Is it because we believe we earn it through our job? Probably.
The deeper heart issue here is the way that God provides and trusting that God will provide. It’s much easier to say God provides when your bank account has a couple of extra digits than the average man. Since we have not witnessed it with our eyes and in our own lives we doubt it. But we are also not surrendered to allow God to provide it the way He desires to provide it.
I believe that giving sacrificially brings us into that realm of feeling the pressure of seeing God provide. When we give sacrificially with joy I believe God is glorified and He promises to provide. It gets sticky when we start looking at the Josephs and Jobs of the Bible. What if God called you to that?
My hope is that when or if He does that we will remember the simple truth that God is working all things together for good and we do not live on bread (or money) alone but by every word that is God’s. My hope is that we will be willing to surrender our own will to His will even in the context of our finances, particularly when they are tight.

Giving in Response to Grace

Christians often have a perspective of giving that is at odds with scripture. This blog is called Macedonian Grace because God gave grace to the Macedonians to excel in giving. Few people would readily admit they were called to the grace or spiritual gift of giving and many probably see giving as an uncomfortable chore of believing right up there with fasting. This is born out in the examples of what we give. The next two posts should be read together but for the sake of size I will post them separately. They both point to how we view giving and if we see it in a context of grace. May you excel in the grace of giving. So be it.

Grace and Giving

Now consider the greater context of giving again with Jesus’ own voluntary death as a precursor. Why do we give? Because we are commanded to give as Jesus gave and so by giving become like Him. Giving in light of Jesus’ gift is the natural response; in fact worship, of what God has done for us.
Those who see giving as one of many in a list of to-dos for believers are missing the point. Just like those who think that by giving they are earning favor with God, they are operating out of a paradigm contrary to the gospel. This is the gospel: that in spite of our alienation and struggle against God, He, in His great love, sent His son to rescue us from being alien from Him and adopted us as His children so that those who are His children and even those who are not will know of how wonderful He is. This is the gift of God and the status we receive is permanent. Unchanging even in the light of all the things we can muster to do for God, like giving or fasting or any other discipline.
I believe that when we understand the gospel and recognize that we are giving back to God just what he has already given to us, we can joyfully and freely give expecting God to do wonderful things in concert with His character.

Imbalances in Wealth

The problem of the rich having too much and the poor having too little is daily discussion for many in politics. Many think this is an injustice and as such, as God is the divine controller of all things, reflects on God’s injustice or carelessness. Like many of the concerns those who judge God have – why does He allow bad things to happen at all? In this case, God addresses what the rich and poor should be doing as believers in His kingdom.
To the rich, he tells them to give to help those that are poor; and to the poor, he tells them to receive so no one will have too little and no one have too much. Naturally this relieves the two problems of over and under abundance. It makes sense as members of the body of Christ that if one area of the body was receiving too little blood flow that an area that receives much may curtail the use so that some may reach the appendages. Giving and receiving is an encouragement of our faith and a recognition that God is providing.
Many who are rich say to themselves, “look at all I have” as opposed to honoring God and saying, “look at all I have the opportunity to share and provide for others.” God provides for the rich and poor alike and both should be in the business of using that wealth to build the kingdom of God. Now let me encourage you to be like the Macedonians and excel in the grace of giving where the rewards are eternal and the blessings are practical.

How Much is Enough?

The human heart is never satisfied. Every time I desire to accomplish something I can always go back and read from Solomon in Ecclesiastes 2 and comfort myself by knowing that its already been done and it doesn’t satisfy. It’s a long lesson I have learned multiple times and we all have. But when it comes to providing for our families and leaving a legacy how much is enough?
Do you ever read financial publications? You can pretty much sum up all that the human heart desires as it relates to money by looking at the advertisements. Answering to themselves whether they have enough is one of the biggest concerns for Americans and you can see all throughout the advertisements.
While most of us wish the Bible had it written in Proverbs 1 the amount above which we have too much money, it specifically does not do that. I firmly believe the reason is because it is different for everybody. This is not an excuse for the compulsive hoarder but more a recognition that God calls people uniquely and that is true regarding their giving and keeping as well.
The United States remains one of the wealthiest countries in the world and many of us live with so much luxury and so little sacrifice that we truly may not be able to identify with the sheep in Matthew 25. Are you feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting those in prison, welcoming strangers or even being a neighbor to your neighbors? Many of our possessions take up untold amounts of our time and giving them can sometimes be the first step to a larger work God plans to do in our lives.
When we think about the needs of others and recognize the state in which the majority of the world lives in it naturally takes our focus off ourselves and on others. When we meet the needs of others, even at a price to ourselves, we take one more step to fulfilling God’s command to love our neighbor above ourselves. As you reflect on meeting the needs of others and honestly ask God what it means for you to be His steward I am sure He will tell you if you’re holding on to too much.

Endowments Part 1

I began my research into endowments by asking myself the question: should one give to an endowment or give directly to a cause with most of the contribution allocated to action immediately. For those unfamiliar with an endowment it is essentially a charitable entity designed to allow the income from the entity to go toward charitable causes. For example, instead of giving $25k to a university to be used for socioeconomic causes, one can contribute to the university’s endowment and allow perhaps $1k to be used for socioeconomic causes every year in perpetuity so long as the investments of the endowment continue to grow and provide for the $1k outlay.
For many reasons I have been in favor of endowments. Why not create something sustainable and leave a legacy rather than dump a lump sum on an organization? It is attractive to think that I can give $25k and allow that to provide for scholarships for more than fifty years multiplying the impact of my gift. If invested appropriately, it can have a dramatic impact particularly on those administrative needs every organization has but few people like to contribute toward. Not many mention to their spouse and celebrate that they were able to give money for the upkeep of an old building when they can have a new one named after them. It can also be very liberating to a cause that is constantly strapped for cash and having to rely on gifts every month to meet budgets. Imagine if you sat on an elder board. Wouldn’t it be nice to know you at least have the costs of warming and cooling the church covered by the interest from an endowment?
Yet, for the very same reasons I wonder about the real benefit and cost of an endowment. Particularly coming off of the past decade, can I really be sure that the returns on the investment of the endowment are going to keep up with the necessary outflows, inflation and expenses? It’s very easy for me to open the paper and read about another unfunded pension liability. The same thing can happen if the leadership of the endowment is not fiscally minded regarding the necessity to keep the endowment’s principal stable and growing.
I also see the effect that endowments have on some organizations. When the organization is dependent on monthly gifts then they are accountable to the givers. If another organization is better able to complete the mission of the first organization, shouldn’t those who give direct their giving to the new organization? An endowment could prolong the existence of the first and possibly to the detriment of the second. Leaders or followers can abandon the original mission of an organization with or without an endowment. Just think about all the organizations that started off to promote one thing and decades later promote something very different. How many grandpas would be rolling over in their graves!
For me the jury is still out. Next time I want to look at the spiritual side of the question. What are the ramifications of an endowment on a body of believers? If it isn’t right for the body is it not right for the individual? Some of these questions we will address next time. In the mean time, what are your thoughts?

The Widow

Yes, I’m referring to the two half-penny wielding woman that Jesus called attention to in Mark 12 that has since left theologians and philosophers scratching their heads. What earthly sense does it make to put all you have in the offering when you have so little to offer anyway? She contributed enough to have a laborer polish a step in the temple. Maybe she should have polished the step herself and kept her two half-pennies for a piece of bread (as an aside Jesus uses the amount of her offering to express how little it really is in Matthew 10 when he refers to the insignificance of two sparrows falling to the ground but that even that is in the Father’s will). Certainly holding on to it would have been better than giving it away. Jesus wouldn’t want you to put yourself into trouble like that, would he?
Would he?
While we do start to shift into theological territory with that last question isn’t this near the essence of many of God’s teachings about money? It is more than just a worldly item. It can point to the gaps and disconnects in our hearts. Specifically, the disconnect between what we believe and how we think and live. I believe that we should be stewards and that God is the owner but I act and think like I am the owner.
However, that is not the only challenging element in studying the passage, Jesus also mentions that the widow “put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box.” Really? More than the rich men who “put in large sums?” That’s what Jesus says. Certainly she gave more in percentage than the rich men but didn’t she also then have to rely on Christ to meet her imminent physical needs? I think she gave more because of her faith.
When we evaluate offerings in our lives we often value them by their size, sacrifice, or impact. Perhaps we should be evaluating them based on our faith and obedience to God. After all, Jesus is about life, love, and knowing the Father rather than money, status, or influence.
Even after meditating on this passage and wrestling with the application I can always rest on Romans 8:28- that God will work all things together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose. I also know that when something seems really strange and a big risk that I can always ask God. First and foremost pray. Then, Lord willing, be obedient!

Giving to God by Giving to Another

Have you ever given something that you valued to someone and discovered that they used it poorly and nearly destroyed your gift? I have heard of a single man receiving a laptop to help him in his struggling photography business. The computer was a gift from a fellow church member and at the time was a rather expensive gift including unique and specific software. After only three months the giver connected with the receiver to see how it was working. To the receiver’s credit he resisted the urge to shade the truth and told him directly that he lost it.
What do we do when that happens to us? Do we get upset? Should we scold the receiver? Blame God for giving us the impulse to give just to see what we gave squandered or wasted? These responses are natural and unhelpful. When we respond this way we are revealing that the object we gave cares more to us than the one we gave it to. We prayed about it and gave it to God, ultimately, and that in obedience, and God told us to give it to the struggling photographer. By nature a gift is really only a gift with no strings attached. Conventional wisdom says, “Learn a lesson and be prudent in your giving.” God says, “Trust me. I am using your gift for more than its practical application.” We would be prudent not to judge with our own eyes but trust God to whom we really gave the gift.

Estate Planning – is it giving?

There are multiple decisions wealthy men and women who love the Lord have to make as they plan for the end of their lives. One of the first questions is: will I leave an inheritance to my children or give to charity through estate planning? While this is a rather new question, our culture has for at least a generation stressed that it was normal to live all that you had to your children. Is that really the best idea?
Randy Alcorn in The Treasure Principle: Discovering the Secret of Joyful Giving (LifeChange Books)argues that leaving an inheritance to your children is potentially a bad idea. The children could be poor stewards or even simply not have the same attitude toward giving as the parents. Unlike biblical times, most children are near financial stability at middle age and are not reliant upon their parents’ inheritance. The result then is the option to give to charity through the estate.
While this may be an improvement from the traditional inheritance model, there are other concerns associated with estate planning. First, giving is really a joy and letting the opportunity pass to be blessed by giving is a mistake. Second, in your life you have the opportunity to be a blessing, example, and leader to others, particularly to the community, your children, and your church. Third, why wait for the one who received the gift to want to know who has decided to bless them just for them to find out that the giver died.
Isn’t it better to give during your lifetime? Instead of giving through your estate, consider allowing the natural mentoring and relationship form between the giver and the receiver and let God receive the glory.