The cross that my Lord calls me to carry may assume many different shapes. I may have to be content with mundane tasks in a limited area of service, when I believe my abilities are suited for much greater work. I may be required to continually cultivate the same filed year after year, even though it yields no harvest whatsoever. I may be asked of God to nurture kind and loving thoughts about the very person who has wronged me and to speak gently to him, take his side when others oppose him, and bestow sympathy and comfort to him. I may have to openly testify of my Master before those who do not want to be reminded of Him or His claims. And I may be called to walk through the world with a bright, smiling face while my heart is breaking.
Yes, there are many crosses, and every one of them is heavy and painful. And it is unlikely that I would seek out even one of them on my own. Yet, Jesus is never as near to me as when I lift my cross, lay it submissively of my shoulder, and welcome it with a patient and uncomplaining spirit.
He draws close to me in order to mature my wisdom, deepen my peace, increase my courage, and supplement my power. All this He does so that through the very experience that is so painful and distressing to me, I will be of greater use to others. "I grow under the load"
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Friday, July 17, 2009
The Numbers Really Do Work!
Let me challenge you with a riddle. Three guys walk into a hotel to get a room they are going to share. The clerk charges them $300, so they each plunk down a $100 bill and go upstairs with the bellman. When the bellman comes back, the clerk says he made a mistake and that the room was only $270, so he gives the clerk a $50 bill and says go work it out. Well, the bellman knows they can’t split a $50, so he exchanges it for 5 10’s. He decides to pocket two of them for a tip knowing the men would never be the wiser, and then he gives one ten each to the three men. However, here’s the problem: It sounds fine, but the numbers don’t work. Each man put in $100, but with the returned $10, how much have they paid? $90. 90 x 3 is 270. The bellman has 20 which adds up to 290. Where’s the other 10?
It all seems logical. It ought to work. The money is all there, but in this case, the numbers don’t add up. The numbers don’t work. And that bothers us, doesn’t it? We don’t do well when the numbers don’t work. Right now, you are probably scratching your heads. It makes us feel insecure or unsure. We get reluctant to move or act if we don’t feel the numbers work, and that has everything to do with God’s call upon our lives to give and the reason we often don’t. We just can’t make the numbers work.
It is that same confusion I experience when reading Acts 20:32-38. It is Paul’s farewell speech to the Ephesian elders at Miletus. They are parting and, most likely, will never see each other again so you can imagine the poignancy of the moment. It is very emotional. They weep. They embrace. They kiss. It is a rare scene, indeed. However, in this final discourse, this moment when he is sharing the very last words he will ever speak with these leaders, he recalls the words of Jesus, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” He says, “My example among you was that I did not covet what you had -- I did not take from you – but instead I gave.” Why does Paul say that in such a moment? Why does Paul go there? Clearly, he says it because he knows it is one of the most critical things Jesus said, and in the Economy of God, that’s how the numbers work. It is more blessed to give than to receive.
The word there for “blessed” is a word commonly used in Scripture that means “blessed or happy.” In other words, you are going to feel better, have more, experience more contentment and satisfaction when you give than when you receive. That makes no sense. Why? It makes no sense because the numbers don’t work within the parameters of this world’s economy, which is typically the system we are operating in.
Normally, in our world, 1 – 1 = 0. If you have something and you give it away, you are left with nothing. However, in the Economy of God, it does not work that way. In God’s economy, Jesus says 1 -1 = >1. If we have something and we give it away, the result is NOT that we are left with nothing, but we will always have more than we had to begin with. We are blessed more by giving than receiving.
God reminds us of this constantly in Scripture. Psalm 112:5, “Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice.” Proverbs 19:17, “He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will reward him for what he has done.” Luke 6:35, “Love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. THEN your reward will be great…” You do what God says – you give away what He has given to you in a faithful manner – and you get back more than that.
Now, does that mean you are going to get back more money? Not necessarily. However, you will get back MORE. Remember: the Economy of God forces you to define true wealth. When you live in God’s economy, you are going to receive things of far greater value than anything you could experience in this earthly realm.
So, what’s our problem? That sounds so good, why aren’t we doing this? Well, the reason is I’m not sure we actually believe it. We can’t launch out and live into this because in the back of our heads the numbers still don’t work. We are stuck at 1-1=0. So, how do we move forward? If this is where we are and we see the possibility but can’t get around the numbers, then what do we do?
First, in order to live into to this new Economy, you have to have the courage to attempt it. It is one of those things that is hard to believe until you experience it. There is an old axiom that goes, “Progress, without the benefit of prior experience, is, for the most part, unbelievable.” If I went over to the interior of Africa and found a young man who had never ventured outside his village and then showed him an airplane and said, “That huge thing is going to fly in the sky like a bird”, he would never believe me. Why? He has no experience that would point in that direction. He has no frame of reference, and when it comes to our economic understandings, neither do we. We have never actually given God’s economy a shot, so we dismiss it. We can’t make the numbers work, so we dismiss it.
Second, the numbers in the Economy of God work because our faithful use of God’s resources leads naturally to greater intimacy with Him. I know this may sound counterintuitive, but I often come across people who talk about feeling “distant” from God or that their walk with the Lord has stalled in some way. When I do, a question I always ask is, “How is your giving?” You will find that when you invest what God gives you in alignment with His will – in other words, when you ask the owner and do what He says – you start experiencing a oneness with God that is unique. When you partner with God in Kingdom things, there is an intimacy and a sweetness about it that deepens your faith and inspires your growth. When you put your treasure in Kingdom places, the world can’t take it away, which is why the numbers work. You never lost on that investment. However, by doing that, you are also putting your heart closer to the Lord. Your treasure is in heaven – that’s your focus – and that’s God’s dwelling place. It cannot help but create deeper intimacy and a more meaningful faith in God.
Third, the numbers work in the Economy of God because when you live accordingly, you develop Christ-like character. God has said to us that his desire for us is that we become more and more like Christ. How do you become like Christ? You become like Christ when you live as He did – sacrificially, selflessly and humbly. How do we do that? By giving. And if becoming like Christ is the great desire of our God – the reason for which He put us on this planet -- then that character development is more significant – more valuable – than any monetary thing we might gain for ourselves by living otherwise. Such choices do not make sense according to the numbers of the world, but the numbers work in the Economy of God.
Martin Luther once said that every believer goes through three stages of conversion: First is the heart. We feel in our heart the love of God and we respond. The head is generally second. The last part of our conversion is the will - or the wallet in this case. In other words, the last part of our conversion is allowing what we know in our head and our heart to actually change the self-centered will of our soul such that we begin to give - to be the generous, caring people that God desires for us to be.
One of my favorite stories is from a book called The Signature of Jesus. He tells of a group of businessmen who were running late to catch their train after a meeting in New York. They wanted to get home to their families and in their rush to get to the terminal, one of the men kicked over a slender table on which rested a basket of apples. A ten-year-old boy had been standing there selling apples to pay for his school books and clothes. The five made it to their train, but the one who had hit the table felt a twinge of compassion - and guilt - over the boy whose table he had turned over. With that, he told his friends to call his wife and tell her that he would be late. He got off the train and when he made it back to the spot, there was the boy, on hands and knees, feeling around for all the apples that had been spilled. The boy was blind. The man began to help the boy collect the apples and in doing so, noticed that some were now split or bruised. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a twenty dollar bill and said to the boy, “Here’s twenty dollars for the apples I damaged. I hope I didn’t ruin your day. God bless you.” As the salesman turned to get the next train, the blind boy called after him, saying, “Hey, Mister, are you Jesus?”
And the reality is, in the Kingdom of God, we are. The grace of Jesus has been given to us - and when we get the grander vision of that blessing - we have the privilege of being Jesus, incarnate, to others - to lift up His church - to take care of His kids - to reach out to the orphan and the widow and the alien - to be Jesus. And no, for all those who watch you do this, the numbers won’t work. But in the Economy of God, they always do. It’s a different kind of math. It’s more blessed to give than to receive.
It all seems logical. It ought to work. The money is all there, but in this case, the numbers don’t add up. The numbers don’t work. And that bothers us, doesn’t it? We don’t do well when the numbers don’t work. Right now, you are probably scratching your heads. It makes us feel insecure or unsure. We get reluctant to move or act if we don’t feel the numbers work, and that has everything to do with God’s call upon our lives to give and the reason we often don’t. We just can’t make the numbers work.
It is that same confusion I experience when reading Acts 20:32-38. It is Paul’s farewell speech to the Ephesian elders at Miletus. They are parting and, most likely, will never see each other again so you can imagine the poignancy of the moment. It is very emotional. They weep. They embrace. They kiss. It is a rare scene, indeed. However, in this final discourse, this moment when he is sharing the very last words he will ever speak with these leaders, he recalls the words of Jesus, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” He says, “My example among you was that I did not covet what you had -- I did not take from you – but instead I gave.” Why does Paul say that in such a moment? Why does Paul go there? Clearly, he says it because he knows it is one of the most critical things Jesus said, and in the Economy of God, that’s how the numbers work. It is more blessed to give than to receive.
The word there for “blessed” is a word commonly used in Scripture that means “blessed or happy.” In other words, you are going to feel better, have more, experience more contentment and satisfaction when you give than when you receive. That makes no sense. Why? It makes no sense because the numbers don’t work within the parameters of this world’s economy, which is typically the system we are operating in.
Normally, in our world, 1 – 1 = 0. If you have something and you give it away, you are left with nothing. However, in the Economy of God, it does not work that way. In God’s economy, Jesus says 1 -1 = >1. If we have something and we give it away, the result is NOT that we are left with nothing, but we will always have more than we had to begin with. We are blessed more by giving than receiving.
God reminds us of this constantly in Scripture. Psalm 112:5, “Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice.” Proverbs 19:17, “He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will reward him for what he has done.” Luke 6:35, “Love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. THEN your reward will be great…” You do what God says – you give away what He has given to you in a faithful manner – and you get back more than that.
Now, does that mean you are going to get back more money? Not necessarily. However, you will get back MORE. Remember: the Economy of God forces you to define true wealth. When you live in God’s economy, you are going to receive things of far greater value than anything you could experience in this earthly realm.
So, what’s our problem? That sounds so good, why aren’t we doing this? Well, the reason is I’m not sure we actually believe it. We can’t launch out and live into this because in the back of our heads the numbers still don’t work. We are stuck at 1-1=0. So, how do we move forward? If this is where we are and we see the possibility but can’t get around the numbers, then what do we do?
First, in order to live into to this new Economy, you have to have the courage to attempt it. It is one of those things that is hard to believe until you experience it. There is an old axiom that goes, “Progress, without the benefit of prior experience, is, for the most part, unbelievable.” If I went over to the interior of Africa and found a young man who had never ventured outside his village and then showed him an airplane and said, “That huge thing is going to fly in the sky like a bird”, he would never believe me. Why? He has no experience that would point in that direction. He has no frame of reference, and when it comes to our economic understandings, neither do we. We have never actually given God’s economy a shot, so we dismiss it. We can’t make the numbers work, so we dismiss it.
Second, the numbers in the Economy of God work because our faithful use of God’s resources leads naturally to greater intimacy with Him. I know this may sound counterintuitive, but I often come across people who talk about feeling “distant” from God or that their walk with the Lord has stalled in some way. When I do, a question I always ask is, “How is your giving?” You will find that when you invest what God gives you in alignment with His will – in other words, when you ask the owner and do what He says – you start experiencing a oneness with God that is unique. When you partner with God in Kingdom things, there is an intimacy and a sweetness about it that deepens your faith and inspires your growth. When you put your treasure in Kingdom places, the world can’t take it away, which is why the numbers work. You never lost on that investment. However, by doing that, you are also putting your heart closer to the Lord. Your treasure is in heaven – that’s your focus – and that’s God’s dwelling place. It cannot help but create deeper intimacy and a more meaningful faith in God.
Third, the numbers work in the Economy of God because when you live accordingly, you develop Christ-like character. God has said to us that his desire for us is that we become more and more like Christ. How do you become like Christ? You become like Christ when you live as He did – sacrificially, selflessly and humbly. How do we do that? By giving. And if becoming like Christ is the great desire of our God – the reason for which He put us on this planet -- then that character development is more significant – more valuable – than any monetary thing we might gain for ourselves by living otherwise. Such choices do not make sense according to the numbers of the world, but the numbers work in the Economy of God.
Martin Luther once said that every believer goes through three stages of conversion: First is the heart. We feel in our heart the love of God and we respond. The head is generally second. The last part of our conversion is the will - or the wallet in this case. In other words, the last part of our conversion is allowing what we know in our head and our heart to actually change the self-centered will of our soul such that we begin to give - to be the generous, caring people that God desires for us to be.
One of my favorite stories is from a book called The Signature of Jesus. He tells of a group of businessmen who were running late to catch their train after a meeting in New York. They wanted to get home to their families and in their rush to get to the terminal, one of the men kicked over a slender table on which rested a basket of apples. A ten-year-old boy had been standing there selling apples to pay for his school books and clothes. The five made it to their train, but the one who had hit the table felt a twinge of compassion - and guilt - over the boy whose table he had turned over. With that, he told his friends to call his wife and tell her that he would be late. He got off the train and when he made it back to the spot, there was the boy, on hands and knees, feeling around for all the apples that had been spilled. The boy was blind. The man began to help the boy collect the apples and in doing so, noticed that some were now split or bruised. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a twenty dollar bill and said to the boy, “Here’s twenty dollars for the apples I damaged. I hope I didn’t ruin your day. God bless you.” As the salesman turned to get the next train, the blind boy called after him, saying, “Hey, Mister, are you Jesus?”
And the reality is, in the Kingdom of God, we are. The grace of Jesus has been given to us - and when we get the grander vision of that blessing - we have the privilege of being Jesus, incarnate, to others - to lift up His church - to take care of His kids - to reach out to the orphan and the widow and the alien - to be Jesus. And no, for all those who watch you do this, the numbers won’t work. But in the Economy of God, they always do. It’s a different kind of math. It’s more blessed to give than to receive.
Teachings from this economy......
The headlines are filled with anxiety about the economy, as are many of our hearts. Those who have been able to save have watched their savings lose value; the ability to thrive in retirement has been threatened; those living on the edge have gotten closer to the precipice. What’s a Christian to do?
First, let’s remember that God is always with us. Second, let’s recall that God is always trying to teach us something. Now, God did not cause this economic crisis in order to teach us something. We (not just greedy fat cats on Wall Street), have been part of the problem. We, who had some savings, pushed our investors to get the most bang for our bucks, no matter the risk. Some of us took personal risks and reached further than was prudent. Now that the crisis is here, what good might God bring out of it and what might God be hoping we would learn? Here are some thoughts I have gleaned from myself as I walk through this economic season:
1. We are not our 401(k)s (or 403(b)s). Our worth as human beings is not dependent on our financial worth. Jesus tells the story of the man who accumulated wealth in more and more barns, but then was called home to God with a “penniless” soul. When did we begin to define our security – as Christians – by our retirement accounts?
2. Nothing that really matters is threatened by this economic crisis. Make a list of what really matters to you: your relationships with your spouse, children and family; your health and that of your family; purposeful work and ministry; your salvation at the hands of a loving God. None of it is dependent on the stock market or the value of your home.
3. Unbridled capitalism is prone to greed and misplaced values. Might this crisis be an opportunity to question, once again, whether “more and more” is the key to happiness? Perhaps we need to learn how much is “enough” instead. According to the Bible, every society is to be judged by how it cares for the least fortunate among us, not by how big executive compensation can be for the few.
Just as the ancient Israelites had to wander in the desert for 40 years to learn their dependence on God alone, perhaps we must experience a financial desert in order to remember that God alone is our source of security. While the culture depends on governmental “homeland security,” are we not meant to find our “homeland” in heaven, and our “security” in a loving and merciful God?
Shouldn’t Christians be responding differently than others to this crisis? Wouldn’t it be a bold act of evangelism if people could look at Christians and wonder, “How can THEY be so calm in the midst of this crisis?” Wouldn’t the world want what we’ve got – a confidence in God that calms our anxiety and keeps us hopeful, positive, and productive in the midst of a crisis? Wouldn’t it be great if we were the ones to say, “This isn’t all bad! Let’s see what we can learn from this?”
Let me suggest three things that you and I might do in the midst of this crisis – as Christians:
1. Pray for those who are adversely affected by this crisis. There’s nothing like praying for someone else to get your mind off your own perceived troubles. Pray for those whose services will be cut in order to pay for the bailout. Pray for those whose limited and diminished incomes will cause them to make truly painful choices in how they live. Pray for those who will have to redefine themselves and their lives because they can no longer be defined by financial success.
2. Give. I know, this sounds counter-intuitive, but it’s SO important (more about this at the link listed below). There is nothing like giving money away to remind myself that I don’t really need all the money I have. When I write a check to my church, or to a food bank, I remind myself how blessed I am….especially when my own budget is tight. Even in the midst of this “meltdown,” we are among the most blessed people in the whole world.
3. Take a deep breath, several times a day, and remember that God is still God, that we are loved and cared for by that God, and that we are accompanied by God no matter what our personal journey or circumstances. And then tell the world.
I don’t believe there is any more oft-repeated phrase in Holy Scripture than “Be not afraid.” What a witness it would be, to the world, and for God, if we were able NOT to be afraid in the midst of this crisis. It would say in a loud and profound way, “We know something that the world does not know. We know that God is with us, that God is teaching us something we need to know in the midst of this crisis, and that at the end of the day, we are still the loved, redeemed and resurrected people of God, no matter what the economy does.”
Seeing this situation as an opportunity, rather than a crisis, may be the most profound witness we can make as Christians to a hurting world.
Be an evangelist. Be not afraid.
First, let’s remember that God is always with us. Second, let’s recall that God is always trying to teach us something. Now, God did not cause this economic crisis in order to teach us something. We (not just greedy fat cats on Wall Street), have been part of the problem. We, who had some savings, pushed our investors to get the most bang for our bucks, no matter the risk. Some of us took personal risks and reached further than was prudent. Now that the crisis is here, what good might God bring out of it and what might God be hoping we would learn? Here are some thoughts I have gleaned from myself as I walk through this economic season:
1. We are not our 401(k)s (or 403(b)s). Our worth as human beings is not dependent on our financial worth. Jesus tells the story of the man who accumulated wealth in more and more barns, but then was called home to God with a “penniless” soul. When did we begin to define our security – as Christians – by our retirement accounts?
2. Nothing that really matters is threatened by this economic crisis. Make a list of what really matters to you: your relationships with your spouse, children and family; your health and that of your family; purposeful work and ministry; your salvation at the hands of a loving God. None of it is dependent on the stock market or the value of your home.
3. Unbridled capitalism is prone to greed and misplaced values. Might this crisis be an opportunity to question, once again, whether “more and more” is the key to happiness? Perhaps we need to learn how much is “enough” instead. According to the Bible, every society is to be judged by how it cares for the least fortunate among us, not by how big executive compensation can be for the few.
Just as the ancient Israelites had to wander in the desert for 40 years to learn their dependence on God alone, perhaps we must experience a financial desert in order to remember that God alone is our source of security. While the culture depends on governmental “homeland security,” are we not meant to find our “homeland” in heaven, and our “security” in a loving and merciful God?
Shouldn’t Christians be responding differently than others to this crisis? Wouldn’t it be a bold act of evangelism if people could look at Christians and wonder, “How can THEY be so calm in the midst of this crisis?” Wouldn’t the world want what we’ve got – a confidence in God that calms our anxiety and keeps us hopeful, positive, and productive in the midst of a crisis? Wouldn’t it be great if we were the ones to say, “This isn’t all bad! Let’s see what we can learn from this?”
Let me suggest three things that you and I might do in the midst of this crisis – as Christians:
1. Pray for those who are adversely affected by this crisis. There’s nothing like praying for someone else to get your mind off your own perceived troubles. Pray for those whose services will be cut in order to pay for the bailout. Pray for those whose limited and diminished incomes will cause them to make truly painful choices in how they live. Pray for those who will have to redefine themselves and their lives because they can no longer be defined by financial success.
2. Give. I know, this sounds counter-intuitive, but it’s SO important (more about this at the link listed below). There is nothing like giving money away to remind myself that I don’t really need all the money I have. When I write a check to my church, or to a food bank, I remind myself how blessed I am….especially when my own budget is tight. Even in the midst of this “meltdown,” we are among the most blessed people in the whole world.
3. Take a deep breath, several times a day, and remember that God is still God, that we are loved and cared for by that God, and that we are accompanied by God no matter what our personal journey or circumstances. And then tell the world.
I don’t believe there is any more oft-repeated phrase in Holy Scripture than “Be not afraid.” What a witness it would be, to the world, and for God, if we were able NOT to be afraid in the midst of this crisis. It would say in a loud and profound way, “We know something that the world does not know. We know that God is with us, that God is teaching us something we need to know in the midst of this crisis, and that at the end of the day, we are still the loved, redeemed and resurrected people of God, no matter what the economy does.”
Seeing this situation as an opportunity, rather than a crisis, may be the most profound witness we can make as Christians to a hurting world.
Be an evangelist. Be not afraid.
Increase giving in tough times
What? Increase giving during a poor economy? Some claim giving’s off 20 percent while others say its 10 percent. Mostly we have no clue how giving has been affected. Isolating a few examples here and there does not make a scientific study.
As with the rest of this economy, my feel is that a few years from now we will realize while there was a decline, it was not as bad as we thought. We tend to have short-term historical memories. We survived other tough times, we will survive this one. I am not naive enough to say that it is not a challenge and that some ministries are not suffering. I am simply saying that not everyone is seeing such a decline in giving………and I believe there are some strategies the church can use to help:
Compelling vision. People give to a compelling vision. My own church, through the leadership of the senior pastor, has a vision of reaching the lost and unchurched of their area. They have a vision to help connect people more closely to Christ. They are about doing exciting things and it is exciting to be a part of that vision. Good vision trumps bad economy.
Kingdom accomplishment. People give where they believe their money is accomplishing something for the Kingdom. My church tells its story of reaching people. In turn, celebrating those Kingdom “wins” produces stewardship funding.
Have you ever wondered why the top colleges in football regularly get the best athletes to sign with them? If you have a chance of playing for a national championship or playing at a small school, where would you go? Winning teams draw winning players. Show people you are a winner and they will want to join your team.
Pastoral involvement. My church’s senior pastor does not relegate stewardship responsibility to another staff member or lay person. He keeps his pulse on what is happening with giving in his church. In my experience churches that do better in the stewardship arena are churches where the senior pastor is engaged. Good stewardship takes good leadership.
A stewardship plan. Churches have mission plans, evangelism plans and discipleship plans. Why do so few have a stewardship plan? Every church should have that kind of plan and work it regularly. The success will be obvious.
Stewardship plans must be multifaceted. It begins from the pulpit with positive preaching. It is carried out through stewardship education and even direct mail. What works for one church might not work for yours but you need to develop a working plan of action for success. Without a plan you are planning to fail.
Positive atmosphere. We tend to think of stewardship as tiresome and negative. If you approach it with chagrin don’t be surprised if your members don’t view it the same way. This past fall I visited a church the Sunday they kicked off their annual campaign. I felt like I was at a funeral. The lay leader giving the stewardship sermon talked about how bad the economy was. The staff member assigned to preach that day talked about how they dreaded approaching the subject. In the end I dreaded I had attended.
At my church the leadership does not shy away from talking about the responsibility of stewardship. They have simply found a way to make the message positive instead of negative. It helps that the health of the church is positive, giving them a base to communicate from. Be positive in your approach and you will produce cheerful givers. Cheerful givers become repeat givers.
Consistency. To maintain and even increase giving during a poor economy takes hard consistent work. You can not make this a one-time sermon or a one-time letter. You have to regularly stay in tune with what is happening in your ministry. Too many leaders put stewardship on the back burner until they realize they are in a crisis.
Study after study has shown that donors are willing to continue giving despite these current times. The willingness is there. They are just looking for a reason to give. Develop your vision, create a plan to communicate that vision and work your plan.
As with the rest of this economy, my feel is that a few years from now we will realize while there was a decline, it was not as bad as we thought. We tend to have short-term historical memories. We survived other tough times, we will survive this one. I am not naive enough to say that it is not a challenge and that some ministries are not suffering. I am simply saying that not everyone is seeing such a decline in giving………and I believe there are some strategies the church can use to help:
Compelling vision. People give to a compelling vision. My own church, through the leadership of the senior pastor, has a vision of reaching the lost and unchurched of their area. They have a vision to help connect people more closely to Christ. They are about doing exciting things and it is exciting to be a part of that vision. Good vision trumps bad economy.
Kingdom accomplishment. People give where they believe their money is accomplishing something for the Kingdom. My church tells its story of reaching people. In turn, celebrating those Kingdom “wins” produces stewardship funding.
Have you ever wondered why the top colleges in football regularly get the best athletes to sign with them? If you have a chance of playing for a national championship or playing at a small school, where would you go? Winning teams draw winning players. Show people you are a winner and they will want to join your team.
Pastoral involvement. My church’s senior pastor does not relegate stewardship responsibility to another staff member or lay person. He keeps his pulse on what is happening with giving in his church. In my experience churches that do better in the stewardship arena are churches where the senior pastor is engaged. Good stewardship takes good leadership.
A stewardship plan. Churches have mission plans, evangelism plans and discipleship plans. Why do so few have a stewardship plan? Every church should have that kind of plan and work it regularly. The success will be obvious.
Stewardship plans must be multifaceted. It begins from the pulpit with positive preaching. It is carried out through stewardship education and even direct mail. What works for one church might not work for yours but you need to develop a working plan of action for success. Without a plan you are planning to fail.
Positive atmosphere. We tend to think of stewardship as tiresome and negative. If you approach it with chagrin don’t be surprised if your members don’t view it the same way. This past fall I visited a church the Sunday they kicked off their annual campaign. I felt like I was at a funeral. The lay leader giving the stewardship sermon talked about how bad the economy was. The staff member assigned to preach that day talked about how they dreaded approaching the subject. In the end I dreaded I had attended.
At my church the leadership does not shy away from talking about the responsibility of stewardship. They have simply found a way to make the message positive instead of negative. It helps that the health of the church is positive, giving them a base to communicate from. Be positive in your approach and you will produce cheerful givers. Cheerful givers become repeat givers.
Consistency. To maintain and even increase giving during a poor economy takes hard consistent work. You can not make this a one-time sermon or a one-time letter. You have to regularly stay in tune with what is happening in your ministry. Too many leaders put stewardship on the back burner until they realize they are in a crisis.
Study after study has shown that donors are willing to continue giving despite these current times. The willingness is there. They are just looking for a reason to give. Develop your vision, create a plan to communicate that vision and work your plan.
Use the times to emphasis stewardship
The economic implosion that has rocked our world may be one of the greatest gifts that church leaders could ever receive. It has thrown a spotlight on one of the most significant issues facing the church today — financial stewardship.
The uncertainty of these days presents a great opportunity to reframe the way Christians think about this issue that is so vital to the spiritual life of every believer. For the most part, Jesus’ teaching about money has failed to seep into the fabric of churches, as members have a view of money that is more culturally informed than biblically informed.
Most churches don’t view how money is handled as a central part of spiritual growth and a key to a personal relationship with Christ. It’s trumped by things like Bible reading, prayer, accountability to others, worship, mission trips and attending small groups. Although all of these are important, your church members can’t fully mature as Christians if they do not view money from a biblical perspective. But in our culture, many people serve and worship money. Living in capitalistic societies that are driven by money and consumerism shapes how people, including most Christians, handle their money.
People keep their money
A recent study by the Center on Philanthropy shows that giving within Christian denominations ranges from about 1.6 percent of household income to a high of 3.5 percent. The U.S. average of all households — Christian or not — is 2.3 percent. So it’s fair to say that Christians have bought into the world’s view of finances and are holding on to their money rather than sharing it as generously as they should. They have bought into the consumerism of capitalism.
I’m not against capitalism; it has helped build great nations. But it has at its roots a humanistic view of God’s world. It lives for the here and now and builds capital for self-serving purposes. As a result, it is the god that the masses worship — believing that this god will bring security and good fortune.
We should have learned a hard lesson, however, with the meltdown of the world economy and the resulting financial struggles of nations, markets, economies and households. This god of capitalism promises a security it can never deliver. Many hearts have been ensnared by the promise of good fortune, when in fact, this worship of money has only turned hearts away from fully following God.
This financial hardship is a clear and vibrant wake-up call to Christians everywhere. It challenges our view of money and our consumerism. It tests where we have placed our faith and trust. And it calls into question to what degree we have succumbed to the hypnotizing trance induced by money.
Bigger portfolio not the end
God knows that money has the power to turn the hearts of his people away from him because the human heart is inclined to put its “hope” in money, to find its security there. So if the priority of Christians in handling money is building a bigger and bigger portfolio, or accumulating possessions, or acquiring material things to the point that they are deeply in debt, then their hearts cannot fully follow God.
This is the danger in our churches today, even for serious followers of Christ. Subtly the hearts of God’s people have been given to money above God in the belief that money is a source of security, with the result that the lives of our people are driven more by consumerism than by genuine, biblical stewardship.
What should church leaders, do? Let me give just a few suggestions.
• Understand that how church members view and handle money is crucial to their spiritual well-being. They cannot be fully devoted to Christ and become mature in their faith if they are not investing as they should in God’s Kingdom.
• Preach the whole counsel of God, including the central role that money plays in a person’s spiritual walk. This doesn’t mean putting congregants on a guilt trip, but helping them understand that the natural inclination of the heart is for money to be the source of security rather than God. If people’s hearts are given to the things of this world, God’s Kingdom work will lack the resources needed to fulfill God’s call.
• Challenge your members to take time to step back and give serious consideration to their financial priorities, especially those with eternal consequences. Is funding God’s Kingdom work here on earth really a priority or not?
• Finally, inspire Christians to understand that they are in the midst of an epic spiritual battle against the forces of darkness for the hearts and souls of men and women, and that they have a crucial role to play in fighting this battle through their financial support of God’s work, especially through His Church.
• God expects us to use the resources He has put in our trust to fund the advancement of His Kingdom against those forces. As we make that investment, God also ends up with what He really wants — our hearts.
The uncertainty of these days presents a great opportunity to reframe the way Christians think about this issue that is so vital to the spiritual life of every believer. For the most part, Jesus’ teaching about money has failed to seep into the fabric of churches, as members have a view of money that is more culturally informed than biblically informed.
Most churches don’t view how money is handled as a central part of spiritual growth and a key to a personal relationship with Christ. It’s trumped by things like Bible reading, prayer, accountability to others, worship, mission trips and attending small groups. Although all of these are important, your church members can’t fully mature as Christians if they do not view money from a biblical perspective. But in our culture, many people serve and worship money. Living in capitalistic societies that are driven by money and consumerism shapes how people, including most Christians, handle their money.
People keep their money
A recent study by the Center on Philanthropy shows that giving within Christian denominations ranges from about 1.6 percent of household income to a high of 3.5 percent. The U.S. average of all households — Christian or not — is 2.3 percent. So it’s fair to say that Christians have bought into the world’s view of finances and are holding on to their money rather than sharing it as generously as they should. They have bought into the consumerism of capitalism.
I’m not against capitalism; it has helped build great nations. But it has at its roots a humanistic view of God’s world. It lives for the here and now and builds capital for self-serving purposes. As a result, it is the god that the masses worship — believing that this god will bring security and good fortune.
We should have learned a hard lesson, however, with the meltdown of the world economy and the resulting financial struggles of nations, markets, economies and households. This god of capitalism promises a security it can never deliver. Many hearts have been ensnared by the promise of good fortune, when in fact, this worship of money has only turned hearts away from fully following God.
This financial hardship is a clear and vibrant wake-up call to Christians everywhere. It challenges our view of money and our consumerism. It tests where we have placed our faith and trust. And it calls into question to what degree we have succumbed to the hypnotizing trance induced by money.
Bigger portfolio not the end
God knows that money has the power to turn the hearts of his people away from him because the human heart is inclined to put its “hope” in money, to find its security there. So if the priority of Christians in handling money is building a bigger and bigger portfolio, or accumulating possessions, or acquiring material things to the point that they are deeply in debt, then their hearts cannot fully follow God.
This is the danger in our churches today, even for serious followers of Christ. Subtly the hearts of God’s people have been given to money above God in the belief that money is a source of security, with the result that the lives of our people are driven more by consumerism than by genuine, biblical stewardship.
What should church leaders, do? Let me give just a few suggestions.
• Understand that how church members view and handle money is crucial to their spiritual well-being. They cannot be fully devoted to Christ and become mature in their faith if they are not investing as they should in God’s Kingdom.
• Preach the whole counsel of God, including the central role that money plays in a person’s spiritual walk. This doesn’t mean putting congregants on a guilt trip, but helping them understand that the natural inclination of the heart is for money to be the source of security rather than God. If people’s hearts are given to the things of this world, God’s Kingdom work will lack the resources needed to fulfill God’s call.
• Challenge your members to take time to step back and give serious consideration to their financial priorities, especially those with eternal consequences. Is funding God’s Kingdom work here on earth really a priority or not?
• Finally, inspire Christians to understand that they are in the midst of an epic spiritual battle against the forces of darkness for the hearts and souls of men and women, and that they have a crucial role to play in fighting this battle through their financial support of God’s work, especially through His Church.
• God expects us to use the resources He has put in our trust to fund the advancement of His Kingdom against those forces. As we make that investment, God also ends up with what He really wants — our hearts.
Church Board/Business Meeting Musings
One church sign revealed, “Today’s sermon: What is hell like?” Underneath the sermon title were the words “Church business meeting tonight.” Some church business meetings have been alarmingly similar to the place of torment.
In Dr. W.A. Criswell’s famous sermon, “The Old Time Religion,” he tells about a church conference or church business meeting he had in the church he served as pastor when he was a student at Southern Seminary. Criswell reported, “We had a man in our church who was born in the objective mood, negative case. No matter what we were considering he was ‘agin it.’ “At one church business meeting we were discussing the prospect of building a fence around the church cemetery, and this obstreperous, cantankerous, argumentative church member rose to state his position on the matter at hand. “He vociferously exclaimed, ‘I am agin it! I am agin it! Why should we build a fence around the cemetery? Do you know anyone in the cemetery who can get out; and do you know anyone outside of the cemetery who wants to get in? Why build a fence around the cemetery?’”
Your church probably doesn’t have anyone born in the objective mood and negative case, but I have encountered a few people like that in the course of my ministry of auditing churches and board/business meetings. I have witnessed heated board meeting discussions regarding who should be in charge of the thermostat in the church worship center, the color of the carpet in the church, and whether or not to buy an electric typewriter or just keep the old manual typewriter for the church secretary.
The minutes of one church business meeting recorded the following: The committee charged with reducing the electrical costs in the church building reported that they had been standing outside the bathrooms after services and reminding people to turn out the lights as they leave. Mr. __________ objected that this might create the wrong impression with visitors but was quickly shouted down by Deacon __________ who opined that anyone who couldn’t follow a few simple posted rules weren’t the kind of people we wanted around this church anyway. After another thirty minutes of discussion, the matter was tabled until next month.
A blogger from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada has obviously been around a church business meeting or two. He observed, “Local churches all over the world are shattered so often that it is almost an expected result. Pastors are fired, members storm off, staff members take a group from one church to start another just down the road. Business meetings become filled with yelling, fighting, and screaming, believers taking sides against fellow believers. Then there are power plays, deception, and alliances that would make reality TV look sane.”
I have a few rules I would like to suggest that churches employ for their business meetings.
First, non-tithers should not be allowed to speak or vote at church business meetings. If that rule seems unfair then the time allotted for members to speak should be in direct proportion to how much they give. For example, a person who gives 2 percent of their income to the church should be given the opportunity to speak for 20 seconds, the person who gives 4 percent should be allotted 40 seconds, the person who gives 10 percent for 1 minute and 40 seconds and the person who gives 20 percent should be allowed to speak for 3 minutes and 20 seconds, etc.
Second, no one should be allowed to speak or vote at the church business meeting who is more conversant with the church constitution/by-laws and Robert’s Rules of Order than the Bible. I have known deacons who could quote Article III, Section 4, paragraph 6 of the church constitution, but couldn’t find the Gospel of John in the Bible.
Third, the only members who can speak or vote at church business meetings should have at least a 75 percent attendance record. In other words, if the church has Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and Wednesday evening worship services or Bible studies each week or 12 such meetings a month, a member should be in attendance for nine of those meetings in order to participate in a business meeting. Having this rule will prohibit conniving members from importing scads of inactive members for crucial votes – like for the termination of a pastor.
Fourth, a man who is silenced and controlled by his wife should not try to make up for his lack of authority at home by attempting to assert himself and control the church business meeting. Unfortunately, some men are as bold as a lion at a church conference and as meek as a lamb at home.
Fifth, some church business meetings should be held in a wrestling arena or hockey rink, because there is nothing spiritual about them and they hardly qualify to be held in a “house of prayer.” Half nelsons and flying pucks are more likely to be seen in some church business meetings than grace and unity.
In case you think the preceding suggestions are manifestly unspiritual I want you to know that I have written them facetiously or tongue-in-cheek – well, maybe somewhat facetiously. Others of you may be cheering the suggestions because if they were employed your church business meetings would be significantly improved.
Here is the question: What kind of impression would an unsaved person get about your church if his only exposure to it were a business meeting? Furthermore, if the resurrected Christ were to visibly walk into your church business meeting would He feel at home in His Church?
May the Lord be exalted in your church’s next business meeting. Why? Because sometimes the only impression the world gets of us is from that of our business meeting.
In Dr. W.A. Criswell’s famous sermon, “The Old Time Religion,” he tells about a church conference or church business meeting he had in the church he served as pastor when he was a student at Southern Seminary. Criswell reported, “We had a man in our church who was born in the objective mood, negative case. No matter what we were considering he was ‘agin it.’ “At one church business meeting we were discussing the prospect of building a fence around the church cemetery, and this obstreperous, cantankerous, argumentative church member rose to state his position on the matter at hand. “He vociferously exclaimed, ‘I am agin it! I am agin it! Why should we build a fence around the cemetery? Do you know anyone in the cemetery who can get out; and do you know anyone outside of the cemetery who wants to get in? Why build a fence around the cemetery?’”
Your church probably doesn’t have anyone born in the objective mood and negative case, but I have encountered a few people like that in the course of my ministry of auditing churches and board/business meetings. I have witnessed heated board meeting discussions regarding who should be in charge of the thermostat in the church worship center, the color of the carpet in the church, and whether or not to buy an electric typewriter or just keep the old manual typewriter for the church secretary.
The minutes of one church business meeting recorded the following: The committee charged with reducing the electrical costs in the church building reported that they had been standing outside the bathrooms after services and reminding people to turn out the lights as they leave. Mr. __________ objected that this might create the wrong impression with visitors but was quickly shouted down by Deacon __________ who opined that anyone who couldn’t follow a few simple posted rules weren’t the kind of people we wanted around this church anyway. After another thirty minutes of discussion, the matter was tabled until next month.
A blogger from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada has obviously been around a church business meeting or two. He observed, “Local churches all over the world are shattered so often that it is almost an expected result. Pastors are fired, members storm off, staff members take a group from one church to start another just down the road. Business meetings become filled with yelling, fighting, and screaming, believers taking sides against fellow believers. Then there are power plays, deception, and alliances that would make reality TV look sane.”
I have a few rules I would like to suggest that churches employ for their business meetings.
First, non-tithers should not be allowed to speak or vote at church business meetings. If that rule seems unfair then the time allotted for members to speak should be in direct proportion to how much they give. For example, a person who gives 2 percent of their income to the church should be given the opportunity to speak for 20 seconds, the person who gives 4 percent should be allotted 40 seconds, the person who gives 10 percent for 1 minute and 40 seconds and the person who gives 20 percent should be allowed to speak for 3 minutes and 20 seconds, etc.
Second, no one should be allowed to speak or vote at the church business meeting who is more conversant with the church constitution/by-laws and Robert’s Rules of Order than the Bible. I have known deacons who could quote Article III, Section 4, paragraph 6 of the church constitution, but couldn’t find the Gospel of John in the Bible.
Third, the only members who can speak or vote at church business meetings should have at least a 75 percent attendance record. In other words, if the church has Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and Wednesday evening worship services or Bible studies each week or 12 such meetings a month, a member should be in attendance for nine of those meetings in order to participate in a business meeting. Having this rule will prohibit conniving members from importing scads of inactive members for crucial votes – like for the termination of a pastor.
Fourth, a man who is silenced and controlled by his wife should not try to make up for his lack of authority at home by attempting to assert himself and control the church business meeting. Unfortunately, some men are as bold as a lion at a church conference and as meek as a lamb at home.
Fifth, some church business meetings should be held in a wrestling arena or hockey rink, because there is nothing spiritual about them and they hardly qualify to be held in a “house of prayer.” Half nelsons and flying pucks are more likely to be seen in some church business meetings than grace and unity.
In case you think the preceding suggestions are manifestly unspiritual I want you to know that I have written them facetiously or tongue-in-cheek – well, maybe somewhat facetiously. Others of you may be cheering the suggestions because if they were employed your church business meetings would be significantly improved.
Here is the question: What kind of impression would an unsaved person get about your church if his only exposure to it were a business meeting? Furthermore, if the resurrected Christ were to visibly walk into your church business meeting would He feel at home in His Church?
May the Lord be exalted in your church’s next business meeting. Why? Because sometimes the only impression the world gets of us is from that of our business meeting.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Tips for seasons of unemployment
In his weekly radio and Internet address, President Obama claimed that more people have filed for unemployment in recent weeks than at any time in the last 26 years. There are many experts that believe our unemployment rate could reach double digits.
Bad news.
The good news is that God promises to help us in our financial lives—even when we don’t know where our provision is going to come from. Jesus told the masses in his day (many of whom were unemployed), “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes” (Mat 6:34 MSG).
Comforting words…but how does it work when we are out of a job? And what are we to do with the time and the bills we find ourselves with while we sit jobless? I’ve got a few suggestions.
Pray Into Your Situation
Prayer is a funny thing. You don’t always get exactly what you pray for, and if you do, it’s usually not in the timeframe you expected. But we are called to a life of prayer. We are called to pray even when prayer didn’t keep us out of the trouble we are currently in. You probably prayed that you wouldn’t lose your job. Obviously that didn’t work. Why would prayer do any good now? Tough question, but one that is left unanswered as God calls us to pray…continually.
The place God first told his followers to live by faith was in a conversation he had with an Old Testament prophet named Habakkuk. Habakkuk was questioning why God had not protected his people. At that moment it looked like God was being unjust. God didn’t answer Habakkuk with a clear answer. Instead, he simply told Habakkuk, “the righteous will live by his faith” (2:4). In other words, God-followers are to trust God, period. No matter what is going on. Even if it seems like God dropped his end of the bargain.
Truth is, prayer always increases the activity of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and over the long haul God responds to the cries of his people and will redeem the ugly circumstances of their lives by weaving them into his good purposes. Keep praying into your situation.
Tighten Your Belt
When you find yourself out of work, find ways to spend less money. Obviously this is easier said than done. Why? Because spending money makes us feel good. When we buy $4 coffees at Starbucks, $70 haircuts, $22 lipsticks, and $5 half-gallons of organic milk, we feel good about ourselves. These purchases seem like “must-haves,” not luxuries.
In the past several decades our expectations of what is normal has changed so drastically that what used to be viewed as a luxury is now seen as "essential." Our standards have skyrocketed. Consider that not too long ago twelve hundred square feet used to be considered the standard-size house for a family. Many spend money on perceived essentials like—iPhones, designer sunglasses, flat-screen TVs, new cars, etc. Americans are so used to expecting these standards that we can no longer afford our lives. Now when times get tight, it's hard to find a way to cut back—it all seems so…necessary. But we must. We need to do a better job defining essentials. We must learn to differentiate between needs and wants.
Contact Your Lenders
Though you might feel embarrassed, contact your lenders if you know you will not be able to make a scheduled payment. And do so BEFORE they contact you. Creditors appreciate communication and will work with you when things get tight. Be honest about your situation and then follow through with whatever you arrange with them.
Jesus told those who wanted God to help them with their financial need to “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness” (Mt. 6:33). Seeking “his kingdom” is looking for his influence. Seeking “his righteousness” is working hard to do what is right. Contacting those you cannot pay is the “right” thing to do. Not only will your creditors appreciate it, God will honor it.
Don't Stop Giving
It may sound crazy, but God calls us to give even when it looks like we are going to run out of resources. There’s a wild story in 1 Kings 17 about the prophet Elijah asking this lady for a meal in the middle of a horrible famine. The lady said, "‘I swear, as surely as your God lives, I don't have so much as a biscuit. I have a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a bottle; you found me scratching together just enough firewood to make a last meal for my son and me. After we eat it, we'll die.’
Elijah said to her, ‘Don't worry about a thing…first make a small biscuit for me and bring it back here…The jar of flour will not run out and the bottle of oil will not become empty before God sends rain on the land and ends this drought'" (vv. 12-14). The lady did it and she didn’t run out of food until the drought ended. God used her giving to open up provision. It isn’t that giving “earns” anything with God; it’s that giving messes with us in a way nothing else does, and it brings trust to the forefront of our lives. It is trust in God that opens up the flow of provision.
Get Your Resume Out By Faith
With an eye towards heaven put together your resume and make a job out of getting a job. Don’t sulk and sit in fear. Keep moving with expectation. Remember God is a creator—that means that even if no job exists for you at this moment, he can create one just for you. Dare to believe. It was Jesus who said, “Everything is possible for him who believes” (Mark 9:23). Also, be willing to work at jobs that pay less than you are used to and ones for which you are overqualified. The bottom line is stay in motion. Over my 30+ years of dealing with various financial situations, I’ve observed that God moves more quickly in the lives of those who keep moving forward than he does in the lives of those who feel victimized and paralyzed by their circumstances.
Ask for Help
I hate this, but sometimes we need to ask for help. Maybe from a family member, a friend, or even the government. I know asking for financial help seems irresponsible on some level, but sometimes we need others. You may need to ask someone close to you for a loan that you can pay back after you are out of crisis. If you are a person of integrity, such vulnerability will be met with empathy and kindness.
This Too Shall Pass
The old adage, “This too shall pass” is true. Hang in there and your season of lack and joblessness will eventually pass. Hang onto that and keep keeping on. The Hebrew writer said it this way: “And now I want each of you to extend that same intensity toward a full-bodied hope, and keep at it till the finish. Don't drag your feet. Be like those who stay the course with committed faith and then get everything promised to them” (Heb. 6:11-12 MSG). Remember, this too shall pass. God will see to it that it does.
Bad news.
The good news is that God promises to help us in our financial lives—even when we don’t know where our provision is going to come from. Jesus told the masses in his day (many of whom were unemployed), “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes” (Mat 6:34 MSG).
Comforting words…but how does it work when we are out of a job? And what are we to do with the time and the bills we find ourselves with while we sit jobless? I’ve got a few suggestions.
Pray Into Your Situation
Prayer is a funny thing. You don’t always get exactly what you pray for, and if you do, it’s usually not in the timeframe you expected. But we are called to a life of prayer. We are called to pray even when prayer didn’t keep us out of the trouble we are currently in. You probably prayed that you wouldn’t lose your job. Obviously that didn’t work. Why would prayer do any good now? Tough question, but one that is left unanswered as God calls us to pray…continually.
The place God first told his followers to live by faith was in a conversation he had with an Old Testament prophet named Habakkuk. Habakkuk was questioning why God had not protected his people. At that moment it looked like God was being unjust. God didn’t answer Habakkuk with a clear answer. Instead, he simply told Habakkuk, “the righteous will live by his faith” (2:4). In other words, God-followers are to trust God, period. No matter what is going on. Even if it seems like God dropped his end of the bargain.
Truth is, prayer always increases the activity of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and over the long haul God responds to the cries of his people and will redeem the ugly circumstances of their lives by weaving them into his good purposes. Keep praying into your situation.
Tighten Your Belt
When you find yourself out of work, find ways to spend less money. Obviously this is easier said than done. Why? Because spending money makes us feel good. When we buy $4 coffees at Starbucks, $70 haircuts, $22 lipsticks, and $5 half-gallons of organic milk, we feel good about ourselves. These purchases seem like “must-haves,” not luxuries.
In the past several decades our expectations of what is normal has changed so drastically that what used to be viewed as a luxury is now seen as "essential." Our standards have skyrocketed. Consider that not too long ago twelve hundred square feet used to be considered the standard-size house for a family. Many spend money on perceived essentials like—iPhones, designer sunglasses, flat-screen TVs, new cars, etc. Americans are so used to expecting these standards that we can no longer afford our lives. Now when times get tight, it's hard to find a way to cut back—it all seems so…necessary. But we must. We need to do a better job defining essentials. We must learn to differentiate between needs and wants.
Contact Your Lenders
Though you might feel embarrassed, contact your lenders if you know you will not be able to make a scheduled payment. And do so BEFORE they contact you. Creditors appreciate communication and will work with you when things get tight. Be honest about your situation and then follow through with whatever you arrange with them.
Jesus told those who wanted God to help them with their financial need to “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness” (Mt. 6:33). Seeking “his kingdom” is looking for his influence. Seeking “his righteousness” is working hard to do what is right. Contacting those you cannot pay is the “right” thing to do. Not only will your creditors appreciate it, God will honor it.
Don't Stop Giving
It may sound crazy, but God calls us to give even when it looks like we are going to run out of resources. There’s a wild story in 1 Kings 17 about the prophet Elijah asking this lady for a meal in the middle of a horrible famine. The lady said, "‘I swear, as surely as your God lives, I don't have so much as a biscuit. I have a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a bottle; you found me scratching together just enough firewood to make a last meal for my son and me. After we eat it, we'll die.’
Elijah said to her, ‘Don't worry about a thing…first make a small biscuit for me and bring it back here…The jar of flour will not run out and the bottle of oil will not become empty before God sends rain on the land and ends this drought'" (vv. 12-14). The lady did it and she didn’t run out of food until the drought ended. God used her giving to open up provision. It isn’t that giving “earns” anything with God; it’s that giving messes with us in a way nothing else does, and it brings trust to the forefront of our lives. It is trust in God that opens up the flow of provision.
Get Your Resume Out By Faith
With an eye towards heaven put together your resume and make a job out of getting a job. Don’t sulk and sit in fear. Keep moving with expectation. Remember God is a creator—that means that even if no job exists for you at this moment, he can create one just for you. Dare to believe. It was Jesus who said, “Everything is possible for him who believes” (Mark 9:23). Also, be willing to work at jobs that pay less than you are used to and ones for which you are overqualified. The bottom line is stay in motion. Over my 30+ years of dealing with various financial situations, I’ve observed that God moves more quickly in the lives of those who keep moving forward than he does in the lives of those who feel victimized and paralyzed by their circumstances.
Ask for Help
I hate this, but sometimes we need to ask for help. Maybe from a family member, a friend, or even the government. I know asking for financial help seems irresponsible on some level, but sometimes we need others. You may need to ask someone close to you for a loan that you can pay back after you are out of crisis. If you are a person of integrity, such vulnerability will be met with empathy and kindness.
This Too Shall Pass
The old adage, “This too shall pass” is true. Hang in there and your season of lack and joblessness will eventually pass. Hang onto that and keep keeping on. The Hebrew writer said it this way: “And now I want each of you to extend that same intensity toward a full-bodied hope, and keep at it till the finish. Don't drag your feet. Be like those who stay the course with committed faith and then get everything promised to them” (Heb. 6:11-12 MSG). Remember, this too shall pass. God will see to it that it does.
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