Posts tagged Stewardship

40 Days of Preparation Day 33

Mar28
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Warner Smith

Today, Wednesday March 28, 2012, is the thirty-third day of preparing our hearts, souls and minds for the most high of all Christian holy days, Easter Sunday. Today I need to “put off” being inhospitable and “put on” hospitality. I know it may be hard for some to believe, but one of the most hospitable places on earth is the middle east. Those who travel there speak of the wonderful hospitality which they experienced while traveling and meeting those people who inhabit these sometime inhospitable lands. In America those of us who live in th south have taken pride in “southern hospitality.”

The biblical culture valued hospitality and severely punished those who were inhospitable. In the Old Testament the Ammonites and the Moabites, were cursed to the tenth generation for having been inhospitable to the nation of Israel when they came to the promised land, although they were distant relations.

3 “No Ammonite or Moabite may enter the assembly of the Lord. Even to the tenth generation, none of them may enter the assembly of the Lord forever, 4 because they did not meet you with bread and with water on the way, when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you. 5 But the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam; instead the Lord your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loved you. 6 You shall not seek their peace or their prosperity all your days forever. Deuteronomy 23:3–6 (ESV)

It is important for the authentic practice of our Christianity that you and I “put off” being inhospitable and “put on” hospitality. It is with the seriousness of this cultural value for practicing hospitality that Peter’s admonishes Christians to practice hospitality to one another.

8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 1 Peter 4:8–10 (ESV)

We are not to grumble as we are hospitable but are to genuinely care for the comfort and support of each other. It is about this attitude of being exuberant as we practice hospitality that Paul speaks to the Romans.

9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Romans 12:9–13 (ESV)

At the risk of alienating you I want to share my observation that in America today we are becoming more and more inhospitable.  In the biblical world being hospitable related to two distinct classes of people: the traveler and the resident alien.

In the original biblical languages these words are sometimes used interchangeably. A stranger, foreigner, alien, sojourner, wayfarer, or gentile are those who do not belong to a particular community or group. In Israel, the law protected the resident alien, a foreigner who had settled permanently in the land. While he could not own land, he could participate in communal activities. The traveler, however, was extremely vulnerable and depended solely upon the hospitality of strangers.

We need to consider Peter and Paul’s admonitions toward our practicing hospitality and our attitudes toward the transients and illegal aliens who live in or pass through our communities today. We may not have invited them but our genuine acts of hospitality could be used by the Holy Spirit to lead them to faith in Jesus.

One thing is certain our being inhospitable to them, or making disingenuous attempts at being hospitable will not positively impact them for Christ.  You and I need to “put off” being inhospitable and “put on” hospitality toward one another, and the transients and illegals in our society.

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40 Days of Preparation Day 32

Mar27
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Warner Smith

Today, Tuesday March 27, 2012, is the thirty-second day of preparing our hearts, souls and minds for the most high of all Christian holy days, Easter Sunday. Today I need to “put off” busyness and “put on” Sabbath rest. You and I live in a time when people go, go, go and seldom rest.  As a culture we have become too busy. God has a remedy to our increasing levels of stress.  His remedy is largely ignored by us, however. We are supposed to take one day of every seven and REST!

There are two passages of Scripture which present God’s reasons for instituting the Sabbath day of rest.

11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Exodus 20:11 (ESV)

15 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day. Deuteronomy 5:15 (ESV)

God’s reasons for the Sabbath rest are:

  1. Because God finished creation in six days, and then rested on the seventh He, teaches us to rest after six days of labor.
  2. They were to rest in order to reflect on God’s ability to work beyond the labors they had already completed. Israel did not deliver itself from Egypt. It could not. When they came to the Red Sea they panicked. They did not know how they were going to get through the waters. But God opened the waters before them.

So these are the two aspects of the Sabbath – creation and redemption. There are two forms of rest.

There is a rest of cessation; a ceasing from our own works; and there is the rest of rejoicing in the mighty delivering power of God. That is a rest of faith in the mighty hand of God.

Jesus spoke of both of these in Matthew 11:28-29.

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:28-29 (ESV)

Just come, Jesus says, “Come to me.” Trust me. Rest upon what I have already done, and I will give you a rest. This is the rest of cessation. Then he said, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,” [this is a process] “. . . and you will find rest for your souls.” In this passage Jesus teaches us that there is a rest that is given and a rest that is found, as we walk with Him. Both of these are components of the Sabbath rest.

Today we need to rely on God’s provision, strength, and grace to carry us through life. Ray C. Stedman (was pastor of Peninsula Bible Church in Palo Alto, CA) taught that Sabbath rest was God’s stress management program.

Burnout occurs from being overstressed. We all need to stop and rest, and learn what God can do beyond what we have done. One of the most successful fast food restaurant chains, Chick-fil-a does not open on Sunday. Although many believe such business models are out of date this chain continues to prosper and expand.

I have learned in my own life to detect certain signs of stress, and that rest is important. Stephen Covey teaches businessmen in his popular 7 Habits of Highly Effective People the importance of what he calls “sharpening the saw.”

Stedman trained himself to take “mini-Sabbaths.” He taught that whenever you feel pressured at any time, try to get a half hour alone. Then:

  • Start by taking ten deep breaths to relax your physical body.
  • Ask God to speak to you during this time.
  • Review your life for the past few weeks: How much you have been driven? What are your pressures and problems, etc. Then ask God to help you put order and priority into your life.
  • Take time to evaluate where you are spiritually.
  • Make some new commitments. Write down those items that you feel are really important.
  • Ask yourself, “If I only had a month to live, how would I spend my time?”
  • Put your focus on God at work in your life.

This is God’s stress management program as taught by Ray Stedman. Today you and I need to “put off” busyness and “put on” Sabbath rest.

 

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40 Days of Preperation Day 29

Mar24
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Warner Smith

Today, Saturday March 24, 2012, is the twenty-ninth day of preparing our hearts, souls and minds for the most high of all Christian holy days, Easter Sunday. Today I need to “put off” gambling and “put on” good stewardship. I know more about this subject than I should. Many who read this devotion will automatically discount my opinion because I am a minister, but I ask you to please continue to read and consider my point of view. I spent some time in my late teens and early twenties playing poker, and betting on college and NFL football games. As a child I had a nickel slot machine in my bedroom.  I know something about gambling.

The appeal for gambling is to gain wealth quickly and with minimum effort. You may be surprised to discover that this desire to gain wealth quickly, is contrary to a proper biblical worldview.

20 A faithful man will abound with blessings, But he who makes haste to be rich will not go unpunished. Proverbs 28:20 (NASB)

A practical reason that you and I need to “put off” gambling and “put on” good stewardship is that the game is rigged!  How do I know this, firsthand experience. Were you to bet on ball games and win too often, an unlikely prospect, your bookie will quit taking you bets. If you go to the casino the house will win, much more often than will you, by design, it is their business model.

Consider this news story taken from Rebecca Kelley of The People in the News Examiner:

A Florida woman’s gambling addiction has landed her in jail for allegedly stealing $500,000 of her in-laws’ life savings to play slot machines. Jennifer Dennison, 42, has been arrested by the Hernando County Sheriff’s detectives, for allegedly stealing from her in-laws to fuel her gambling habit. Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis said Dennison is being charged with 16 counts including exploitation of the elderly, forgery of checks, and organized scheme to defraud. Police said it was the thrill of “buzzing slot machines” that led her to steal her in-laws retirement money, drain their bank accounts and cash in their insurance policies. It was when Jennifer’s husbands parents bounced a check when they noticed something wasn’t right which led to the police investigation. “Ms. Dennison was the one who had basically wiped out their accounts to the tune of over $500, 000,” Nienhuis said Dennison was known for hitting the slots at Tampa’s Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, winning a total of nearly $13 million. However police said “she pumped every penny of that back in, plus at least $700,000 more.” Dennison’s husband, Scott, who holds a power of attorney for his parents said he was shocked by the revelation.  ”I mean I never thought…she’d do that…She just had this one bad habit,” Laverne Dennison said. Dennison who is the mother of four says that just one big win of $27,000 was like a drug.  ”We were the typical family, the Beaver Cleaver family…then all of the sudden I was going to the casino more and more. You just chase after the losses,” she said.

The biblical reason that you and I need to “put off” gambling and “put on” good stewardship is because of the teaching of Jesus about faithfulness which was the subject of yesterday’s devotion.

10 “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? 13 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” Luke 16:10–13 (ESV)

All the money we will ever earn in our lifetimes is the gift of God. Therefore, on judgement day, we will all have to give an account for how we used it.  Whenever we gamble we are not being good stewards of the money which God has given us to use.  Each dollar wagered would be better spent by giving to the poor, or funding our favorite mission agency.

Whenever you or I gamble with what the Lord has given to us we are saying that there is no better use for those dollars than gambling with them.  Do you think that God will be easily convinced that you and I have money to burn, and that gambling with those dollars was a better choice of expenditure than giving to ministries who are trying to win the world to Christ or assist the poor? Gambling is not only a selfish use of our money but an unwise use.

Below are some other reasons that you and I need to “put off” gambling and “put on” good stewardship:

  • Gambling is irresponsible stewardship. When you gamble you throw God’s resources away at the altar of a god called chance or luck. It’s idolatry. Nothing we have really belongs to us; it belongs to God, and we should use all of it for His glory (Matt. 6:19-20).
  • Gambling violates the biblical work ethic. We are to earn our bread by the sweat of our brows (Gen. 3:19) not from games of chance. Gambling promises to short circuit God’s curse on mankind and promises us that we can gain something for nothing.
  • The desire to gamble proceeds from the sin of covetousness. Gambling – and its accompanying greediness – violates the 10th commandment (Ex. 20:17). It assumes that God has not given us what we ought to have and that wealth will finally make us happy.
  • Gambling exploits others. Gambling exploits people who can least afford to be victims and violates both the “golden rule” and the eighth commandment, You shall not steal (Ex. 20:15). For every winner, there are many more losers – people who have been tricked by  marketing and prompted to throw away large sums of money they cannot afford to loose. This exploitation has now become legal, between 1964-94 37 states have legalized lotteries, although it is the most regressive of all possible tax systems. [This point is best illustrated by one of our nations largest state lotteries.  The Illinois state lottery spent some of its proceeds to advertise by placing billboards in the poorest sections of Chicago with the motto “Your Ticket Out”until criticism forced them to remove the billboards].

You and I need to “put off” gambling and “put on” good stewardship so we can be better stewards but also better witnesses. While the Bible nowhere says “Thou shalt not gamble” to do so is to violate the principle of biblical stewardship, which you and I, our culture, and our churches desperately need to recover.

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40 Days of Preparation Day 21

Mar16
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Warner Smith

Today, Friday March 16, 2012, is the twenty-first day of preparing our hearts, souls and minds for the most high of all Christian holy days, Easter Sunday. Today I need to “put off” lust and “put on” pure desires. The most famous mention of “lust” in Scripture is by Jesus when He said:

27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Matthew 5:27–28 (NIV)

Jesus’ teaching on adultery takes many by surprise. Many have tried to find an alternate meaning in this passage, especially men.  Based on my extensive study of the Scriptures I can announce that this verse means what it says. The Jewish people of Jesus’ time thought that they were morally and ethically superior to individuals from other societies because they were the recipients and interpreters of the law of Moses.

Jesus is teaching in this passage that the ethical standards in His kingdom are much higher than those of the Pharisees and the other Jews in His audience. Jesus states that this is His intent earlier in this passage:

20 “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:20 (NASB)

Thus, I need to “put off” lust and “put on” pure desires. This teaching presents any honest observer with an obvious question, “How do we achieve such high ethical standards while living in a fallen world?” By allowing God the Holy Spirit to live in and through us.  While we will continue to sin, we are to cease practicing sin.

Peter explains how we are able to achieve living by Jesus’ higher ethical standard of the kingdom.

4 . . . He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. 2 Peter 1:4 (NASB)

Peter is teaching us that through God’s promises we become partakers of His divine nature. When I have this nature I am able to “put off” lust and “put on” pure desires. While sin will still plagues me in this life I am to be in the process of becoming like Christ as I am being sanctified. This sanctification process will ultimately lead us to escape the corruption of this world.

Why should I be concerned about this sanctification process? Because it is God’s will!

3 It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, 5 not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; 6 and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. 7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8 Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 4:3–8 (NIV)

Did you get that? The sanctification process is not automatic. It requires you and I to “avoid” and “learn to control.”  We are to avoid sexual immorality, which comes from my lust, so I need to “put off” lust. Peter says more, however, I must also learn to control my body so as to be holy and honorable, so in addition to “putting off” lust I need to also “put on” pure desires. To reject this instruction Peter says is to reject God.

Our society is continually being built on those who use their bodies in dishonorable ways. The porn industry made $10.0 billion in revenue in the latest year I could find statistics       (bigger than the NFL, the NBA and Major League Baseball combined) and General Motors, AOL Time Warner and Marriott quietly share the profits.

  • 89% of porn is created in the U.S.
  • $2.84 billion in revenue was generated from U.S. porn websites in 2006
  • $89/second is spent on porn
  • 72% of porn viewers are men
  • 260 new porn sites go online daily

Young girls are being continually bombarded with messages by the media that their bodies are not the right size or shape.

  • Girls are becoming weight conscious as young as 8 years old
  • 80% of 9 year old’s are on diets
  • Eating disorders have grown 400% since 1970
  • 27% of the girls felt that the media pressures them to have a perfect body (Survey by Teen People magazine).

While this may not be popular, I am coming to realize more and more that a proper understanding of biblical stewardship must extend beyond our bank accounts and time management to include our physical bodies as well.

The primary motivation for you and I to “put off” lust and “put on” pure desires is not for our own salvation, however.  Our primary motivation is to be vessels of honor which are fit for our Master’s use.

21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. 22 Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. 2 Timothy 2:21–22 (NASB)

One purpose of our salvation is to become sanctified, so that we may be glorified and enter God’s presence.

People who claim to be saved yet do not change their lifestyles misunderstand the doctrine of salvation.  They are confusing God’s offer of salvation with the purchase of fire insurance.  Too many think that by simply praying a prayer they will be eternally secure from suffering the fires of hell. Such thinking represents a serious misunderstanding of God’s offer of grace.

God saves me independently of my works, however, because I am saved I have come to love God so that I no longer have the same desires which I once had and now seek to honor Him by my works. Living life in the same manner with the same desires after my salvation as I did before I received the gift of God’s saving grace indicates that I have never been genuinely converted.  Whenever someone is genuinely converted their old desires change, sometimes abruptly and sometimes over time, but old desires change; being replaced by new godly desires which lead us to desire to be a vessel of honor, sanctified, useful and prepared for His good work from a pure heart.

This desire to be holy as God is holy, or said another way to become sanctified, causes me to “put off” lust and to “put on” pure desires.

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40 Days of Preparation Day 11

Mar06
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Warner Smith

Today, Tuesday March 6, 2012, is the eleventh day of preparing our hearts, souls and minds for the most high of all Christian holy days, Easter Sunday. Today I need to “put off” discontentment and “put on” contentment. One means to help you and I recognize the seriousness with which we must deal with putting off discontentment is to ask ourselves “for what purpose do I do work?” If the answer is to provide for my family’s needs then I must ask a further question. “How much is enough?” According to my Economics 101 instructor the basic needs of a human are “food, clothing, and shelter.”

I believe that too many of us in America today suffer with an incessant need for “more!”  It really doesn’t matter what we are discussing we want “more” of it. At the root of this desire for “more” is the basic problem of a lack of contentment or discontentment. As we prepare ourselves today I ask you to consider the areas of your life with which you are discontented. You may discover that those are the same areas over which Jesus may not have complete control.  You and I need to ask God to take these aspects of our life and have His way in the whole of our lives.

The children of Israel became discontented after waiting 40 days for Moses to return from meeting with God on Mount Sinai.  Their discontentment led them to grievous sin!  While the sin of the nation of America does not take this particular form, we are guilty of our own types of idolatry. According to this passage from The Message Bible the root cause of Israel’s sin was discontentment.

6 The same thing could happen to us. We must be on guard so that we never get caught up in wanting our own way as they did. 7 And we must not turn our religion into a circus as they did—“First the people partied, then they threw a dance.” 8 We must not be sexually promiscuous—they paid for that, remember, with 23,000 deaths in one day! 9 We must never try to get Christ to serve us instead of us serving him; they tried it, and God launched an epidemic of poisonous snakes. 10 We must be careful not to stir up discontent; discontent destroyed them. 1 Corinthians 10:6–10 (MSG)

I believe that discontentment is destroying our nation today and many Christian families along with it.  The danger of discontentment is further illustrated in The Message Bible in the following text.

14 Work at getting along with each other and with God. Otherwise you’ll never get so much as a glimpse of God. 15 Make sure no one gets left out of God’s generosity. Keep a sharp eye out for weeds of bitter discontent. A thistle or two gone to seed can ruin a whole garden in no time. 16 Watch out for the Esau syndrome: trading away God’s lifelong gift in order to satisfy a short-term appetite. 17 You well know how Esau later regretted that impulsive act and wanted God’s blessing—but by then it was too late, tears or no tears. Hebrews 12:14–17 (MSG)

That discontentment has led many in our nation to be guilty of this “Esau syndrome” is evidenced each day as our politicians haggle over how to cut spending from this year’s federal budget all the while acknowledging that a failure to do so will burden our children and grandchildren with crippling debt.

You and I are also guilty of this “Esau syndrome” each time we borrow from the future to pay for pleasures and conveniences in the present.  It is discontentment which fuels our debtor economy and has led America to become a debtor nation made up of debtor citizens. You and I need to put off “discontentment” and put on “contentment.”

You say you are debt free and therefore have no problem with being discontented. Perhaps the following verse will enlighten you. Are you guilty of grumbling or complaining? If so the root of these expressions is being discontented. Jude warns us that there are individuals within our churches who are discontented and grumble because deep down they are really seeking their own way and not God’s.

16 These people are discontented grumblers, walking according to their desires; their mouths utter arrogant words, flattering people for their own advantage. Jude 16 (HCSB)

I have come to understand that many times in my life when I have prayed that phrase in the Lord’s Prayer “thy will be done on Earth, as it is in heaven” that I really did not mean it.  Instead, had I been more honest I would have prayed “my will be done in heaven as it is also done on Earth.”

When I truly learn and except that God’s will is best for me, for you and for everyone, then and only then, can I become truly contented.  It is in this state of contentment that I can trust God to meet my needs and can cease attempting to serve both God and money (Matthew 6:24). The Hebrew writer explains it this way;

5 Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” Hebrews 13:5 (NASB)

Indeed the apostle Paul says it very well when he states;

6 Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, 1 Timothy 6:6 (ESV)

Yet, for you or I to experience this great gain in godliness we must learn to be content with what we have and quit seeking to constantly gain more and more for our own selfish purposes.

8 If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. 1 Timothy 6:8 (NASB)

Perhaps the greatest New Testament passage which deals with learning to be content with what one has is contained in the letter which Paul wrote to the church at Philippi while he was imprisoned in Rome. Paul writes;

10 I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. 11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of [being content] whether facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:10–13 (ESV)

How as Paul learned this great secret of being content?  He tells us in 2 Corinthians.

7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:7–10 (ESV)

Scholars have written many pages trying to convince one another of what exactly was Paul’s “thorn in the flesh.” I do not intend to add my voice to theirs. Instead, I want to focus your attention upon the effects which Paul says this “thorn in the flesh” wrought in his character.

Paul says that this “thorn in the flesh” taught him to be “content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities.” It is precisely weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities which you and I seek to insure ourselves against by every means possible in our daily lives.  Our society is built upon the “pursuit of happiness”  precisely by preventing such troubling personal experiences to befall any one of our citizens. Yet, Paul teaches us that whenever he was experiencing these things we naturally seek to avoid he discovered that during those times he was strong with the Lord.

I need to put off “discontentment” and put on “contentment!”  As I do so I must learn to strive for less of this worlds goods and for more, much much more of God and the things of God.

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