Honest Abe

January 23, 2013

"Abram replied to the king of Sodom . . . 'I will not take so much as a single thread or sandal thong from what
belongs to you. Otherwise you might say, "I am the one who made Abram
rich."'" Genesis 14:22-23

On every piece of US currency appear the words, "In God We Trust."

But do we?

When it came to financial dealings Abram (later known as Abraham) proved an honest man. I can recount at least two different times in Scripture when Abram flat-out lied about his marriage relationship and then justified his mishaps based on a technicality (technically Sarai was Abram's half-sister). But when it came to worldly riches Abram lived as a man with integrity.

In Genesis 14 Abram receives word that four enemy kings have taken his nephew Lot as a prisoner of war from the land of Sodom. If you'll recall from my previous post, A Golden Globe, because of Sodom's lush appearance Lot chose to live in the land of Sodom even though the people of Sodom were "exceedingly wicked" (Genesis 13:13). After hearing news of his nephew's capture Abram gathers his own men and pursues the enemy kings eventually defeating them and recovering all of the stolen loot, including his nephew Lot.

Following Abram's battle the king of Sodom approaches Abram and says in Genesis 14:21, "Give back my people who were captured. But you may keep for yourself all the goods you have recovered." But Abram replies, "I will not take so much as a single thread or sandal thong from what
belongs to you. Otherwise you might say, ‘I am the one who made Abram
rich'"" (Genesis 14:22-23).

If the people of Sodom were "exceedingly wicked" I can only imagine how the king of Sodom must have lived. Abram had a right to the plunder he recovered from the enemy kings. But Abram refused. Rather than accept worldly riches from the hand of an enemy of God Abram trusted God for his great reward. Other than the food his warriors had already eaten Abram accepted nothing in return for his work except the sweet taste of victory (Genesis 14:24).

Several years later we see Abram--now Abraham--deal in a similar manner with the sons of Heth in Canaan. Though Abraham's descendents would one day inherit Canaan as their own land, at this point in history Abraham lived as a foreigner in Canaan. Following the death of his wife Sarah Abraham asks the sons of Heth for a place to bury his dead. The sons of Heth reply to Abraham, "You are an honored prince among us. Choose the finest of our tombs and bury her there" (Genesis 23:6).

The sons of Heth offer Abraham a burial tomb free-of-charge. But Abraham insists on paying full price--400 shekels of silver--for the tomb. I can only assume Abraham carried the same attitude toward the sons of Heth as he did the king of Sodom, though Scripture doesn't exactly say.

Prior to Israel's conquest of Canaan the inhabitants of Canaan sinned greatly against the Lord. The same held true for the sons of Heth (also known as the Hittites). In Genesis 26:34-35 Abraham's grandson Esau "grieved his parents hearts" when he chose to marry a Hittite woman (um, make that two Hittite women). Once again we see that rather than accept a gift from an enemy of God Abraham chose to trust that God would provide for all of his needs.

The desire to provide for ourselves comes natural. Indeed I believe God placed inside man an innate desire to work (see Genesis 2). However, when we choose to depend only on ourselves to make ends meet, we fail to give God a chance to reveal to us His great reward. After Abram politely declined the king of Sodom's offer God appeared to Abram in a vision and said, "Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great" (Genesis 15:1).

What has God called you to do? Have you hesitated for fear of receiving little to no financial compensation in return? Have you considered accepting compensation through means which would prove displeasing to God? God knows our needs and He's promised to meet them IF we put Him first (Matthew 7:32-33).

In what . . . or in Whom do you trust?

One Gift

December 23, 2011


"For God loved the world so much that He gave His one
and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but
have eternal life." John 3:16

How many gifts will you receive this Christmas? I know, I know, that's a highly inappropriate question. Perhaps an even more ill-suited conversation starter is, how many gifts will your children receive on Christmas day?

Our children will receive an abundance of loot over the next forty-eight hours. They'll move from one gift to the next unable to fully embrace or appreciate any one particular item because their internal drive forces them to keep going, to keep unwrapping, to keep searching for the next best thing. Each year I witness our children's gratitude weaken; the significance of each gift minimized as they make their way through a multitude of presents.

I experience the same dilemma. The abundance of activity during the holiday season--shopping, buying, wrapping, decorating, caroling, baking, visiting, packing, more shopping and wrapping, traveling--causes me to lose sight of the true reason for the season. Rather than focusing on the most significant gift I've ever received--the gift of my salvation--the hysteria of the holidays robs me of my focus and adoration for my Savior.

God loved the world so much that He gave us one gift--His one and only Son--so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.

Feeling overwhelmed this past week I prayed that God would hush the world around me and remind me of His one true Gift. I recently taught a four-week Bible study which revealed multiple treasures God bestowed us through the birth of His Son (see the Free Resources tab to download the handout from each lesson). But each of those gifts came from the same hand, from the life of One.

As my thoughts grew still I realized it isn't until everything else--the shopping, the gifts, the packing list--is removed that I truly appreciate my one gift. I recognized a similarity between my children and me, and for the first time I began to consider what would happen if my children received just one gift for Christmas.

Did you roll your eyes? I thought some might but I invite you to stay with me for a moment.

My children receive gifts from family members. I am grateful for the generosity of family and friends, and I wouldn't begin to tell others to exclude our children at Christmastime. I realize that the giving and exchanging of gifts is one way to demonstrate our love for others.

I'm suggesting that our children receive one gift from my husband and me.

What if?

What if, when we celebrate Christmas with our immediate family, we each received one gift?

Two years ago my husband and I trimmed our children's Christmas list down to three gifts--after all, the wise men brought Jesus three gifts upon His birth (Matthew 2:1-11), why should we receive more than our King? But this year, we've trimmed our tree even more.

God gave us one gift at Christmas--not three, not one hundred and three. To my earlier point, many treasures came to us through that one gift--the gift of life, hope and peace to name a few. When my children receive one gift from mom and dad, won't they also receive the gift of simplification? of gratitude? of learning to embrace and appreciate one gift?

What if I follow God's lead?

What if we give our children one gift and give Jesus three?

Maybe you've seen the image circulating on Facebook--the one with a picture of starving children on one side and a picture of holiday shoppers with full carts (and full arms) on the other side. Beneath the photo reads, "Define necessity."

Just think of what we could do with the money made available by narrowing down our shopping list.

Yesterday our family chose to return this

$10 Barbie clothes

in exchange for this

feeding a hungry baby for a week.
(Photo courtesy of Samaritan's Purse 2011 Gift Catalog)

I share snapshots of our giving neither to boast nor to depict myself as a saint, but rather to demonstrate the power of a dollar . . . or in this case, of ten dollars.

Malachi 3:10 reads, "'Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,' says the Lord
of Heaven’s Armies, 'I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will
pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in!
Try it! Put me to the test!'" Its the only place in Scripture God tells us to test Him. In essence God says, "Share generously with those in need. When you do, I will bless you so much you won't have room for it all." I know my God. He's an A+ student. He'll pass this test every time!

As the conclusion of a busy holiday season fast approaches I invite you to consider one gift. May God help us to unwrap the gift of Jesus on Christmas day as well as each day of the coming new year.

I'd love to hear from you. If you had to choose, what one gift would you like to receive this Christmas? How does your family take time to recognize the significance of each gift at Christmastime?

Meeting Needs

October 25, 2011


"'Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,' says the Lord
of Heaven’s Armies, 'I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will
pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in!
Try it! Put me to the test!'" Malachi 3:10 

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas . . .  Everywhere you go you'll find store shelves increasingly stocked with Christmas treasures (you can thank me later for placing that jingle in your head). Each year the arrival of the holiday season seems to usher in a fresh awareness of needs . . . as well as the pressure to say "yes," and feelings of guilt for saying "no." As requests for support begin to flood our mailboxes, churches and hearts, how do we keep from growing bitter and resentful or overwhelmed by all the needs? By turning to the One who owns all things.

"The whole earth is mine and everything in it," says the Lord (Psalm 50:12). Recognizing ourselves as stewards--not owners--of God's resources is the key which unlocks the door to a generous heart.

I recently asked my small group to consider where they would place themselves on a scale of 1-10; 1 representing the utmost struggle to recognize that all we have comes from the Lord (after all, we work hard for our stuff, don't we?) and 10 representing the firm belief that everything we have comes from Him. I didn't force anyone to answer aloud (what kind of teacher would I be?!?). However, I did profess that most of the time I am hard-pressed to place myself at a "10." My head recognizes that all I have comes from Him but my heart tends to disagree.

God's ownership over all things can best be demonstrated by the parable of the three servants found in Matthew 25. A man leaves for a long trip. While away he entrusts his money to three servants. The first servant receives 5 bags of silver. He invests them and earns 5 more. The second servant receives 2 bags of silver. He invests them and earns 2 more. The third servant receives 1 bag of silver. Afraid of loosing what little he was given, the third servant simply hides his bag of silver in the ground. When the master returns he replies to the first and second servants, "Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have
been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many
more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!" (Matthew 25:21, 23) To the third servant the master responds, "That's a terrible way to live! It's criminal to live cautiously like
that! . . . Get rid of
this "play-it-safe" who won't go out on a limb. Throw him out into
utter darkness" (Matthew 25:26-30, The Message).

The master responds a little harshly to the third servant, don't you think? It's not as if the third servant squandered his master's money; he simply held on to it for a rainy day. Cast into utter darkness? Why?

Because God makes us rich in every way so that we can be generous on every occasion (2 Corinthians 9:11).

What about that rainy day? Isn't it prudent to save up for hard times?

Like the ant we are wise to store up food for the winter (Proverbs 6:6 and 30:25). But the earth is God's and everything in it. God owns it all--even our emergency funds.

God makes us rich in every way so that we can be generous on every occasion. God gives us
our wealth as well as the ability to earn wealth. Romans 12:6 says that
in His grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things
well. All we have, all that we are . . . comes from Him. God is the owner, we are the steward. When it comes to meeting needs the answer is simple: ask the Owner how He would have us invest His resources--His money, the time and very breath He gives us, the abilities with which He has empowered us--to meet the needs of others.

Remember the boy who offered two fish and a few loaves of bread to feed 5,000 men? I'm certain those men scoffed at the boy's contribution. But in the hands of Christ there proved more than enough to go around.

What if God asks me to give it all away?

God loves a generous giver (2 Corinthians 9:7). "To
those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and
they will have an abundance" (Matthew 25:29).  "'Bring your tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,' says the Lord
of Heaven’s Armies, 'I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will
pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in!
Try it! Put me to the test!'" (Malachi 3:8) God will never let you out-give Him.

Scripture clearly calls us to meet the needs of others. I
challenge you to ask God how He would have you meet the needs of the
world around us, and ask Him to give you the courage to obey. As the holiday season approaches, "let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up" (Galatians 6:9).

By First Giving Thanks, There Is Always Enough

October 4, 2011


"So Jesus told all the people to sit down on the ground. Then He took the
seven loaves, thanked God for them, and broke them into pieces. He gave
them to His disciples, who distributed the bread to the crowd. They ate as much as they wanted. Afterward, the disciples picked up seven large baskets of leftover food." Mark 8:6, 8

Last night my husband and I had one of our quarterly-ish budget meetings. Hashing out our finances proves almost as much fun as a root canal (no offense, honey--it's the topic of discussion, not the company!). Once again it seems we need to tighten our purse strings.

Fear and doubt become frequent (and unwanted) visitors during hard economic times. When I feel tempted to fret I must turn to the One who promises to supply all my needs (Philippians 4:19).

Each of the four gospel writers included the account of Jesus feeding 5,000-plus people with only a few loaves of bread. What I find most intriguing about this story is that by first giving thanks to God for what He had, God supplied His Son with with more than enough food to feed the crowd.

Philippians 4:6 reads, "Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done."

When fear says, "You'll never have enough," God says, "Do not worry. Tell Me what you need. Thank Me for all I have done."

Matthew 6:33 reads, "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need."

When the world says, "If it's going to be it's up to me," God says, "Seek Me first. I will give you all you need."

When my husband lost his job last year my dad sent us a sizable check "just in case." Thankfully, after a few months we were able to return the check to my dad uncashed. Matthew 7:11 reminds me, "If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask Him." Though my earthly father loves me dearly, my heavenly Father loves me even more. Though my earthly father could afford to supply us with the resources to cover several months worth of living expenses, my heavenly Father's resources are glorious and unlimited (Ephesians 3:16).

I fail to understand how He does it. Our budget almost never works on paper but somehow we've always had more than enough.

What are you in need of today? Money? Faith? Hope? Patience? Endurance? Peace?

Seek His kingdom first. Tell Him what you need. Thank Him for what He has given. Then you'll experience more than you'll ever need.