This week, we have been looking at instructions that have been given to followers of God. Today, we will look at one final passage that Jonathan referenced this past weekend. It is a passage that Paul (an early church leader) included in a letter to a community of Jesus followers in the city of Corinth.
2 Corinthians 9
1 I really don’t need to write to you about this ministry of giving for the believers in Jerusalem.
2 For I know how eager you are to help, and I have been boasting to the churches in Macedonia that you in Greece were ready to send an offering a year ago. In fact, it was your enthusiasm that stirred up many of the Macedonian believers to begin giving.
3 But I am sending these brothers to be sure you really are ready, as I have been telling them, and that your money is all collected. I don’t want to be wrong in my boasting about you.
4 We would be embarrassed - not to mention your own embarrassment - if some Macedonian believers came with me and found that you weren’t ready after all I had told them!
5 So I thought I should send these brothers ahead of me to make sure the gift you promised is ready. But I want it to be a willing gift, not one given grudgingly.
6 Remember this - a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop.
7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”
8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.
9 As the Scriptures say, “They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.”
10 For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.
11 Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God.
12 So two good things will result from this ministry of giving - the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God.
13 As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ.
14 And they will pray for you with deep affection because of the overflowing grace God has given to you.
15 Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!
Heart. This whole issue of giving and living generously at its most basic level is an issue of the heart ... can I trust God that the money I have left after giving will go far enough. That is why I love the phrase, “You must each decide in your heart”. Technically, you don’t have to give; but you will miss out on some pretty amazing things. Paul uses words like “provide” and “plenty” and “increase” and “enriched” and “good things” and “ministry” and “gift” to describe them. The bottom line is it is a matter of the heart ... and you must decide.
I will be out of the office the majority of next week so I am going to use the end of this series as a chance to take a break. When we return on Monday June 15th, we will have a brand new format that I believe will bring together the best of everything we have ever done on the Journey. Thanks for being a part of it. Have a great weekend. See you on the 15th.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Why
Today, we are going to continue our look at part of the covenant God made with the Israelites before they entered the Promised Land.
Deuteronomy 15
12 “If a fellow Hebrew sells himself or herself to be your servant and serves you for six years, in the seventh year you must set that servant free.
13 “When you release a male servant, do not send him away empty-handed.
14 Give him a generous farewell gift from your flock, your threshing floor, and your winepress. Share with him some of the bounty with which the Lord your God has blessed you.
15 Remember that you were once slaves in the land of Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you! That is why I am giving you this command.
16 “But suppose your servant says, ‘I will not leave you,’ because he loves you and your family, and he has done well with you.
17 In that case, take an awl and push it through his earlobe into the door. After that, he will be your servant for life. And do the same for your female servants.
18 “You must not consider it a hardship when you release your servants. Remember that for six years they have given you services worth double the wages of hired workers, and the Lord your God will bless you in all you do.
Why. It is important to remember that this covenant relationship the Israelites had with God was something they entered willingly (check out Exodus 19:1-8). These commands simply laid out the boundaries of this relationship. That is why I love the phrase, “That is why I am giving you this command.” God is revealing His heart through these commands. Ultimately, He is a God that saves ... that redeems people from slavery. As Jesus followers, we have been rescued from the slavery of sin. My prayer is that God would remind us of what He has saved us from and give us a heart for redeeming people.
Deuteronomy 15
12 “If a fellow Hebrew sells himself or herself to be your servant and serves you for six years, in the seventh year you must set that servant free.
13 “When you release a male servant, do not send him away empty-handed.
14 Give him a generous farewell gift from your flock, your threshing floor, and your winepress. Share with him some of the bounty with which the Lord your God has blessed you.
15 Remember that you were once slaves in the land of Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you! That is why I am giving you this command.
16 “But suppose your servant says, ‘I will not leave you,’ because he loves you and your family, and he has done well with you.
17 In that case, take an awl and push it through his earlobe into the door. After that, he will be your servant for life. And do the same for your female servants.
18 “You must not consider it a hardship when you release your servants. Remember that for six years they have given you services worth double the wages of hired workers, and the Lord your God will bless you in all you do.
Why. It is important to remember that this covenant relationship the Israelites had with God was something they entered willingly (check out Exodus 19:1-8). These commands simply laid out the boundaries of this relationship. That is why I love the phrase, “That is why I am giving you this command.” God is revealing His heart through these commands. Ultimately, He is a God that saves ... that redeems people from slavery. As Jesus followers, we have been rescued from the slavery of sin. My prayer is that God would remind us of what He has saved us from and give us a heart for redeeming people.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Should
This week, we are talking about giving ... God’s challenge to be generous. Over the next two days, we will look at part of the covenant God made with the Israelites before they entered the Promised Land. These passages are very important because they provide us a glimpse at God’s heart on this subject and God’s expectations for us followers of Him.
Deuteronomy 15
1 “At the end of every seventh year you must cancel the debts of everyone who owes you money.
2 This is how it must be done. Everyone must cancel the loans they have made to their fellow Israelites. They must not demand payment from their neighbors or relatives, for the Lord’s time of release has arrived.
3 This release from debt, however, applies only to your fellow Israelites - not to the foreigners living among you.
4 “There should be no poor among you, for the Lord your God will greatly bless you in the land he is giving you as a special possession.
5 You will receive this blessing if you are careful to obey all the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today.
6 The Lord your God will bless you as he has promised. You will lend money to many nations but will never need to borrow. You will rule many nations, but they will not rule over you.
7 “But if there are any poor Israelites in your towns when you arrive in the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tightfisted toward them.
8 Instead, be generous and lend them whatever they need.
9 Do not be mean-spirited and refuse someone a loan because the year for canceling debts is close at hand. If you refuse to make the loan and the needy person cries out to the Lord, you will be considered guilty of sin.
10 Give generously to the poor, not grudgingly, for the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.
11 There will always be some in the land who are poor. That is why I am commanding you to share freely with the poor and with other Israelites in need.
Should. I am challenged by the phrase, “There should be no poor among you.” It insinuates that if those of us that call ourselves followers of God are doing our part to care for the less fortunate then that statement would be true. Is it? Are we all doing our part? The first step is asking God to examine our hearts ... healing any areas that could be labeled “hard-hearted” or “tightfisted” and replacing them with parts that could be labeled “gives generously” and “shares freely”. At Eastside, I invite you to join us this month in caring for our community by providing resources for the Food Pantry or preparing/delivering food to the local homeless shelter (June 19th) or preparing donated goods for shipment at Matthew 25 Ministries (June 27th) or delivering furniture with New Life Furniture (June 27th). Can we fix all the problems of the world? No; but we can fix some of the problems. Please help us care for our community.
Deuteronomy 15
1 “At the end of every seventh year you must cancel the debts of everyone who owes you money.
2 This is how it must be done. Everyone must cancel the loans they have made to their fellow Israelites. They must not demand payment from their neighbors or relatives, for the Lord’s time of release has arrived.
3 This release from debt, however, applies only to your fellow Israelites - not to the foreigners living among you.
4 “There should be no poor among you, for the Lord your God will greatly bless you in the land he is giving you as a special possession.
5 You will receive this blessing if you are careful to obey all the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today.
6 The Lord your God will bless you as he has promised. You will lend money to many nations but will never need to borrow. You will rule many nations, but they will not rule over you.
7 “But if there are any poor Israelites in your towns when you arrive in the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tightfisted toward them.
8 Instead, be generous and lend them whatever they need.
9 Do not be mean-spirited and refuse someone a loan because the year for canceling debts is close at hand. If you refuse to make the loan and the needy person cries out to the Lord, you will be considered guilty of sin.
10 Give generously to the poor, not grudgingly, for the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.
11 There will always be some in the land who are poor. That is why I am commanding you to share freely with the poor and with other Israelites in need.
Should. I am challenged by the phrase, “There should be no poor among you.” It insinuates that if those of us that call ourselves followers of God are doing our part to care for the less fortunate then that statement would be true. Is it? Are we all doing our part? The first step is asking God to examine our hearts ... healing any areas that could be labeled “hard-hearted” or “tightfisted” and replacing them with parts that could be labeled “gives generously” and “shares freely”. At Eastside, I invite you to join us this month in caring for our community by providing resources for the Food Pantry or preparing/delivering food to the local homeless shelter (June 19th) or preparing donated goods for shipment at Matthew 25 Ministries (June 27th) or delivering furniture with New Life Furniture (June 27th). Can we fix all the problems of the world? No; but we can fix some of the problems. Please help us care for our community.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Try It
I apologize for Friday and Monday’s absence. I had a passage and thought ready to email you on Friday (with a notice to tell you that I would be out of town and unable to send you one on Monday); but it turns out I was unable to email you on Friday as well. So, here is the passage I was going to encourage you to read ... Psalm 136:1-9. It is a great resource you can use to prepare for and endure a crisis. Try using it as a template for writing out a personal prayer.
This past weekend, Jonathan concluded our series, “Never Waste A Crisis” by looking at the one time God invites us to challenge Him. This week, we are going to review that challenge and look at some other passages where we get a glimpse of God’s heart concerning our (His) resources.
Before you read this passage, remember that this is really a “once-in-a-lifetime” experience ... God is offering you an opportunity to do something He would normally discourage (check out Deuteronomy 6:16 or Matthew 4:7).
Malachi 3
6 “I am the Lord, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed.
7 Ever since the days of your ancestors, you have scorned my decrees and failed to obey them. Now return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “But you ask, ‘How can we return when we have never gone away?’
8 “Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me! “But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’ “You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me.
9 You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me.
10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!
11 Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease. Your grapes will not fall from the vine before they are ripe,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
12 “Then all nations will call you blessed, for your land will be such a delight,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
Try it. Remember, the challenge Jonathan gave was to increase our giving by 1% over the next 90 days. For those of you that have never tried giving, I pray God gives you the courage to take a chance. For those of you that feel tied up financially, I pray God frees some of those resources and reveals to you the possibility of giving. For those of you that don’t currently have any income, I pray God opens a new stream of resources that offers you the opportunity to give. For those of you that already give, I pray God helps you overcome any complacency that would prevent you from becoming more and more generous. Mostly, I pray God helps you develop a heart for living generously. Like Jonathan, I can only tell you that I have been blessed by giving; but you have to try it for yourself.
This past weekend, Jonathan concluded our series, “Never Waste A Crisis” by looking at the one time God invites us to challenge Him. This week, we are going to review that challenge and look at some other passages where we get a glimpse of God’s heart concerning our (His) resources.
Before you read this passage, remember that this is really a “once-in-a-lifetime” experience ... God is offering you an opportunity to do something He would normally discourage (check out Deuteronomy 6:16 or Matthew 4:7).
Malachi 3
6 “I am the Lord, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed.
7 Ever since the days of your ancestors, you have scorned my decrees and failed to obey them. Now return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “But you ask, ‘How can we return when we have never gone away?’
8 “Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me! “But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’ “You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me.
9 You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me.
10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!
11 Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease. Your grapes will not fall from the vine before they are ripe,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
12 “Then all nations will call you blessed, for your land will be such a delight,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
Try it. Remember, the challenge Jonathan gave was to increase our giving by 1% over the next 90 days. For those of you that have never tried giving, I pray God gives you the courage to take a chance. For those of you that feel tied up financially, I pray God frees some of those resources and reveals to you the possibility of giving. For those of you that don’t currently have any income, I pray God opens a new stream of resources that offers you the opportunity to give. For those of you that already give, I pray God helps you overcome any complacency that would prevent you from becoming more and more generous. Mostly, I pray God helps you develop a heart for living generously. Like Jonathan, I can only tell you that I have been blessed by giving; but you have to try it for yourself.
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