Archive for January, 2022
What Is Your Best Investment? 11/21/99
II Corinthians 9:6-8
JESUS CHRIST is spoken of in God’s Word as God’s “indescribable gift,” that is, “His unspeakable gift.” This gift is so characterized because:
1. The Father’s gift of His Son is unspeakably free.
2. It is unspeakably necessary.
3. It is so unspeakably effective. He cleanses us from “all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9).
4. It is unspeakable because of its eternal consequence. It has the potential of resulting in eternal life for you.
“Thanks be to God…” Thanks is the gratitude offered by a person excited over an act of kindness done to him or her. Out of our gratitude we act to express our thanks.
Every time a Christian gives with thanksgiving he is only reflecting the unspeakable act of God when He gave His only begotten Son for our salvation. Our acts of giving only mirror the self-giving of God. You are never more like God than when you are giving.
There are about 500 verses in the Bible on prayer and 2,350 on how to manage our money. God, who created us, knows our need for help in this area.
Upon hearing the topic to be money some persons put up an immediate barrier. Some persons instantly say, “I can’t give.” God never asks us to do anything He won’t enable us to do. He asked us to give. If we say we can’t there is a reason.
We live in a “let’s pretend” society. If we develop a Madison Avenue mentality we are driven to obtain and possess. There are two ways of acquiring and attaining. One is increase our income the other is to increase our debt. The only problem with borrowing is we have to pay it back. Many in their drive to have a wrinkle-free life have subjected themselves to the bondage of debt.
The Bible has no direct prohibition against borrowing, but it does have guidelines for doing so. Basically, don’t borrow on items that depreciate. To borrow on an appreciating item is an investment. Study your capacity to repay before borrowing. Don’t subject yourself to debt bondage.
Plan your financial program right to the point of retirement. Most Americans don’t. Most retire with under $10,000 in savings. Know your goal. Suppose you are a young person entering the work force and you want to retire on an annual income of $40,000. Here is how you do it. You save $4,000 a year and invest it at no less than 6.2% interest. In 40 years you will have an income of $40,000. The same ratio applies to what ever your financial goal may be.
Don’t be overly eager to become rich. Hear the wisdom of Solomon: “A man with an evil eye hastens after riches, and does not consider poverty will come after him” (Proverbs 28: 22).
There are a variety of reasons the devil attacks the principle of giving:
1. The act of giving is so God-like it reveals His love.
2. It gives joy to the giver. By virtue of chairing one of America’s largest Christian organizations I have the pleasure of relating to major donors. Some foundations give in the seven figures. In expressing thanks the response I hear most is, “Oh thank you. We are so pleased to have a part in such a wonderful cause.” They have joy in giving. That is the way the cheerful giver feels about giving to the cause of Christ.
3. It frees the heart of selfishness.
God decreed the standard for giving in order to help free us from a very restrictive bondage: greed. Hear and never forget this text: “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money: nor he who loves wealth with gain: this also is vain…” (Ecc. 5:10 RSV).
Verifying this is a survey made of lower, middle, and upper income Americans. Each group was asked the same questions:
a. Are you happy with your resources?
b. How much more would make you satisfied?
Lower income people said 20%. Middle income respondents said 20%. Upper income wealthy persons said 20%. Everybody needs just a little more.
Our Lord knows the pressure to make money under which we live. He knows its allure tends to pull us away from Him. He knows its intoxicating influence.
4. It is an act of obedience.
A man by the name of John R. Brown wrote this inscription in his Bible, “I heartily endorse the sentiments expressed herein.”
The Bible being God’s divinely inspired, supernaturally authored, inerrant Word makes it worth our positive response.
God said it, I believe it, that settles it.
I will readily concede there are parts I don’t fully understand and there are parts that challenge my will to comply, BUT I accept it as the guide for my faith and action.
By winking at Scripture passages we don’t like and cherry picking those we do like we create our own tidy little theology about God and money. As a result we grow to reflect society whereas we are intended to correct it.
In our text guidelines for giving are noted.
I. GIVE WITHOUT: CONSTRAINT OR COMPULSION
A. Constraint isn’t a worthy motivation for giving. That is, don’t give because you feel you have to give. Observe verse 5d, “not as a grudging obligation.” And verse 7b “not grudgingly.” It is not as though these people don’t give. It is that they give, but it hurts them to do it. They have a bad attitude about it.
Such negative constraint is unworthy motivation. However, there is a positive constraint. The apostle Paul, a love-slave of His Master, looked upon what Christ did on Calvary and acknowledged, “The Love of Christ constrains us…” (II Cor. 5:14). Paul gave himself and the roots of his giving can be traced to Calvary, all giving is rooted there.
B. Compulsion is not a meritorious reason for giving. Our giving should not be “of necessity,” (Vs. 7c).
This term also describes persons who have given; but they would not have done so, if they could have found a way out.
Don’t feel like you have to do it. It is given with the right spirit when one feels, “Oh, boy, by giving to this cause I have a part in it.”
An IRS agent called a pastor and said, “One of your members reported giving $1,000 to the church last year. I am calling to verify this gift.” The pastor replied, “I don’t have his record right here. But I will check; and I assure you, if he didn’t he will.” That is constraint.
We should give with the mentality of a farmer. A farmer sows seed knowing he isn’t making a contribution to the soil, but an investment in the soil. The seed he puts in the soil returns multiplying what is sown.
Based on this agricultural principle there is no act in the Christian experience that increases our capacity for receiving more blessings of God than the act of giving.
Show me a stingy, selfish Christian; and I will show you a Christian whose spiritual life is shriveling.
Conversely, introduce me to a Christian who enjoys the delight of giving in Christ’s name; and I will show you a growing Christian open to all God want’s to give.
Every opportunity to give that is rejected is the rejection of an opportunity to receive. God doesn’t always repay with currency. It is often something much more valuable.
In John Bunyan’s “Pilgrims Progress” are these lines:
A man there was, they called him mad,
The more he gave the more he had.”
The very heartbeat of salvation is the principle of giving. “For God so loved…He gave…His unspeakable gift.”
With reliance on this agricultural principle a now-deceased Georgian made a commitment to the Lord. R. G. Latourneau pledged to give 90% of his profits to the Lord’s work. Once when things were going bad and he was giving generously, he and a companion went on a trip together. The weary industrialist fell asleep. His companion related that suddenly Latourneau sat up, pulled out a pad and pen and wrote furiously on it. Then almost instantly he fell asleep again. Later his companion asked what he had written. “When?” was the response. Upon being told he pulled out the pad, and there on it was the needed formula for the world’s largest earth-moving machine. God had provided even in his subconscious.
II. GIVE WITH: CONVICTION AND CHEER
A. Conviction comes from the heart according to verse 7a, “…as he purposes in his heart.” All of our giving should be heartfelt. The word “purposes” reveals giving to be a matter of choice. It is either a deliberate act of obedience or disobedience.
B. Cheer in giving is enjoyed by God Himself as noted in verse 7d, “God loves a cheerful giver.”
When it comes to giving, even to giving being spoken of, some persons curl up into a tight ball of emotional pain. They are frozen inside by the prospects of giving. They have failed to realize the release associated with relinquishing what is possessed as an act of confidence in God. It is a way of showing you to believe He will provide for you as you serve as His agent to provide for others.
In II Cor. 8: 15 reference is made to the experience of Israel wandering in the desert. God supplied their need by feeding them with manna from heaven. Those who gathered more than they could use had nothing left over. It spoiled. Those who gathered what little they needed had plenty. They were confident that the God who supplied their need today would do it again tomorrow.
A simple way of summing this up is:
“What I spent I lost.
What I kept others inherited.
What I gave away pays eternal dividends.”
The Greek word translated “cheerful” is HILAROS. It speaks of a joyfulness that motivates action.
When the Old Testament, written in Hebrew, was translated into Greek the Greek verb form of HILAROS was used to translate the phrase “to cause to shine.” Such a holy cheerful glow should come from a congregation at the time of the offering that the house lights have to be turned down because they are so turned on by giving.
This verse means God gets delight out of those who get a kick out of giving. Such a giver lives in the love of the Almighty God.
God always looks behind the ACT to the ATTITUDE,
Behind the FACT to the FAITH.
The DEED to the DEVOTION.
III. GIVE WITHIN: CAPACITY AND COMPASSION
A. Our capacity is made possible by God and He expects us to give according to it. READ verses 8, 10, & 11.
He is the source of our every resource. We should have a greater fixation with our Source than our resource.
B. Our compassion should pertain to “every good work” (Vs. 8d). It should come from our giving “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift” (Vs. 15).
God anticipates one response to this truth. Someone might say, “If I give to help others in need, all it is going to do is create another person in need — me.” Therefore, He says through the inspired penman, He is “able to make all grace abound toward you” (Vs. 8a). That is code language for “God is going to take good care of you.”
Immediately He returns to the idea of agriculture in verse 10. The Lord is referred to as “God who supplies.”
The translation of the New English Bible makes this more understandable in our language: “Thus you will have ample means in yourselves to meet each and every situation, with enough to spare for every good cause.” Verse 10 in that same translation reads: “And you will always be rich enough to be generous.”
God is glorified by our giving in that:
1. There are “many thanksgivings” (Vs. 12d).
2. It is an occasion to prove our love (Vss. 13 & 8:8).
3. It pays spiritual dividends. Earlier it had been noted in II Cor. 8: 14, “but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may supply their lack, that their abundance also may supply your lack.”
II Cor. 9: 14 explains how this is done. The Christians in Jerusalem did not pay back the church in Corinth in kind, that is, in money. They paid them back by praying for them.
What started out in the minds of some as a fund- raiser turned out to be a kingdom-builder.
Come full circle with me now back to where we began with verse 15 which speaks about thanking “God for His indescribable gift.” It is indescribable because it provides what is needed so badly the need can’t be fully expressed. It is indescribable because it provides the need in a loving manner which can’t be fully understood.
The Roman philosopher Seneca expressed the dilemma faced by all of us: “All my life I’ve been seeking to climb out of the pit of my besetting sins. I cannot do it, and I never will unless a hand is let down to draw me up.”
That is exactly why Christ came to earth. He is that indescribable hand to lift us. God so loved He gave that lifting hand.
Tolerance
There are three destructive schools of thought prominent in our culture, This addresses the first: relativism, tolerance, and subjectivism. They will be addressed in three sequential Posts. Second, tolerance.
Tolerance is the new “virtue” in our society. Tolerance is now taught in schools and most of society demands tolerance.
For years The American College Dictionary defined tolerance as “the disposition to be patient toward those whose opinions or practices differ from our own…” That is now known as negative tolerance.
For years many have felt it proper to say, “I love you, but I disapprove of what you are doing and your beliefs.”
That is negative tolerance. That statement is now considered bigotry.
Positive tolerance is defined as “every single individual’s beliefs, values, lifestyle, and truth claims are equal.”
To assert your opinion is right and another wrong is to be called prejudiced.
William Penn, founder of the state of Pennsylvania, said, “Right is right, though all be against it and wrong is wrong though all be for it.” Today he would be called prejudiced.
Ask an advocate of tolerance if he is sure there are no absolutes and he will say, “Absolutely!”
Advocates of positive tolerance are tolerant of everything except the Christian belief that there are moral absolutes.
Tolerance has replaced the former virtue of justice.
Justice and what is called “positive tolerance” can not co-exist. Justice is the enemy of tolerance. Justice says there is a moral basis for discerning right from wrong. Positive tolerance says there is no such moral basis.
Secular journalist Rowland Netaway wrote of the present generation, “They don’t seem to know right from wrong.” Current teaching regarding positive tolerance is the reason.
Such value-free, morally neutral, education opens the door for sources in Hollywood, Madison Avenue, and even Nashville to bombard young minds with thousands of hours of sounds and images that glamorize immorality and mock Biblical values.
King David asked, “If the foundations be destroyed, what shall the righteous do?” (Psalm 11: 3).
There are two distinct foundational models of truth:
#1. Truth is defined by God for everyone; it is objective and absolute.
#2. Truth is defined by the individual; it is subjective and situational.
Which is your standard for life? Christians can expect to be criticized and ostracized for advocating the first of these.
Resolve “…we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ.” (Ephesians 4: 15)
Relativism
There are three destructive schools of thought prominent in our culture, This addresses the first: relativism, tolerance, and subjectivism. They will be addressed in three sequential Posts. First, relativism.
In the late 1960’s a book emerged entitled Situation Ethics. The thesis is that the situation determines what is right and what is wrong. There are no absolutes. Thus, what is right for one person at a given time and under a specific circumstance might not be right for others.
Push that out of the envelope and consider what it does to our legal system. It would also dramatically impact education.
In chemistry there are absolutes. One atom of oxygen and two atoms of hydrogen always produces H2O, water. That’s an absolute. Think what it would be like in a chemistry lab if there were no absolutes.
There are absolutes in math. Try to convince a math teacher that your answer is different and right from the rest of the class because you did yours at 6:00 AM on Tuesday and the rest of the class did theirs at 8:00 PM on Monday.
In the matter of morals and ethics there must be absolutes. One reason certain groups have worked to have the Ten Commandments taken from public view is they are absolutes. In ruling to remove them from certain public places the court even said they must be removed lest persons looking upon them might come to believe in them as absolutes.
Parents need to be sure they don’t subtly teach children right or wrong is a matter of personal choice. This is done by a parent giving instruction to a child followed by “O.K.” Such as, “Junior, don’t do that, O.K.?” or, “Sissy, pick up your toys, O.K.?” If the child is being given instruction it should be made clear and not optional, “O.K.?”
The opposite of relativism is absolutism. Absolutism claims that morality relies on universal principles (natural law, conscience). Christian absolutists believe that God is the ultimate source of our common morality, and that it is, therefore, as unchanging as He. Absolutism builds confidence within society. It is a safety zone. Adherents can feel confident knowing what the rules are. An athletic team dare not engage in competition without knowing the absolute rules. They can feel confident by playing within the rules. In life as in sports there are penalties for violating the absolute.
Isaiah evidently faced relativism in his day and wrote “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5: 20)
Have you established your core beliefs? That is, have you set your own personal moral and ethical standards based on God’s Word and said these are they.
According to tradition, Martin Luther is said to have said, “Here I stand, I can do no other,” before concluding with “God help me.”
Go On Worry, Prove It Doesn’t Work – Part Four
We all go through tough hard times, and we’re subjected to pain and suffering in our lives. Such is no time to just whistle in the dark. It takes faith, industrial strength faith, to deal with it. It can be so easy to just give in to feelings of worry and negativity. What’s going to happen next?
For a Christian, however, there is hope in a Savior that cares for us. He gives us strength in hard times, and he wants us to look to Him in prayer when our circumstances start to overwhelm us.
Jesus stands ready to aid His followers in overcoming worry, and it’s big brother anxiety. The touchstone was identified for us:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).
Worry is the only sin about which we brag. “I worried so I couldn’t sleep.” Or, “I was so worried I couldn’t eat..”
Worry is like a soft bed, it is easy to get into and hard to get out of.
Once a positive or negative pattern of thought is established, and this is often done early in life, it becomes instinctive to maintain it.
Worry can be learned from an example. The child of a parent who perpetually worries tends to develop into a person who worries. Worry isn’t a disease, but it can contribute to developing a disease or physical disorder. Like a disease it is contagious. Some medical authorities say it is more contagious than diphtheria. It can come from fears of being inferior, poverty, or poor health.
Some people worry so, they know that if it weren’t for bad luck they wouldn’t have any luck at all. They are convinced that if they found a magic lantern they would have the luck of the fellow who did find such a lantern and was promised by the genie a midas touch. Sure enough, everything he touched turned to a muffler.
Worry is like a strong acid perpetually running on a soft surface in which it eventually cuts a channel. Unless worry is checked, it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained. The channel consists of three contributories.
First, past events we long to live over.
The second is an uncertain future regarding which we have no confidence.
The third is the present which is paralyzed by absorption with our past and apprehension related to our future. Therefore – – –
“Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:34)
“Commit your works to the Lord and your thoughts will be established….” (Proverbs 16:3)
Go On Worry, Prove It Doesn’t Work – Part Three
Jesus told us how to get out of a worry rut. How to win over worry. He offers three antidotes.
Work is number one.
This is great therapy. Jesus appealed to His listeners to “Look at the birds of the air….” (Vs. 26) If He watches out for the sparrow, doesn’t it make sense that He will watch out for you? Observe that little sparrow over which He is watching. He allows the sparrow to scratch. We, too, must develop a good work ethic. Cultivate good work habits. Get up early and get going with enthusiasm. Be refreshed by experiencing a new day Dawning. Let your mind be bathed in the joy of a new day’s birth.
God spends more on bird food each year than our national debt. If He is going to provide for the world’s bird population, which is estimated to be over 100 billion, He is going to take care of you.
“Consider the lilies…” (Vs. 28) Christ takes care of them. They are in harmony with their environment. Put aside the idea you are Atlas, and therefore responsible for carrying the world on your back.
Resign as Vice President in charge of the world’s affairs. Commit yourself and your work to Christ. Master the plan of developing the proper attitude. Who talked you into not liking your work? You did.
Plan your work and work your plan. That is far better and much more productive than worrying.
Worship is number two. “Seek first the kingdom of God…”
Don’t even consider the kingdom of God if you don’t intend to seek it first. Where there is a kingdom there is a king. Don’t dare contemplate the kingdom unless you intend to make Christ’s rule the priority in your life.
“O worship the King all glorious above, and gratefully sing of His wonderful love.”
Food and clothes are important, but pale in importance when compared to the vitality of Christ as Master in your life. When He is, you are so secure you can live without labels. You can be confident and survive without brand names. Your composure and serenity comes from what is within, not what from what is on you.
Wait is the third. “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow…”
Worry is projected negative thoughts into the future. It is pulling yesterday’s clouds over tomorrow’s sun. What then are we to do?
“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you: because he trusts in you.” (Isaiah 26:3)
“Casting all your care on Him, for He cares for you” (I Peter 5:7)