Generous Living

Wilfrid Hyde White, the English actor who gained acclaim playing the role of Colonel Pickering in My Fair Lady , died at age 87, having lived what most would characterize as a colorful and successful life.

The Daily Telegraph reported White's death as well as his confession on his materialism and its failure to satisfy his deepest longings. The paper quoted White as saying, “I’ve owned 12 horses, seven Rolls Royce’s, and I’ve had mistresses in Paris, London, and New York—it never made me happy.”

Raymond Brown describes three attitudes of individuals toward money and wealth. The first group needs it. They are poor and needy. The second group idolizes it. They seek to take advantage of others and do whatever necessary to get more of it. The third group shares it. They use their wealth to bless and be a blessing.

I shared yesterday with the Refuge Church family that I want my life to be characterized by generosity.  I want my life in all respects to bless and be a blessing to others.  And I'm not there yet. I may not even be close. God intends to fully fund the work of His mission with the giving of His people and I want to give generously of all that God has given to me.

Recently Sarah and I were reminded of such generous and compassionate living. As we prepare for Micah's second liver transplant, a group of our former students we had the privilege of serving in previous years, gave us a card. In addition to the encouraging words of prayer and support, they also gave financially for any needs, even one student giving all that she had made in a particular month, right down to the penny. To say the least, we were immensely blessed. We were blessed as much, if not more, by the act of generosity than the amount of that generosity. 

The problem for too many followers of Jesus is that their wealth has possessed them rather than them possessing their wealth. Jesus talked much about wealth and possessions. He warned us not to think our life consists of what we own, possess, or have stored in our bank account, garage, or safe.  He was far more concerned with His disciples allowing money to control them than money being within their control. 

True riches are not even stored here according to Jesus. They are secured in the vault of heaven where they are eternally safe and secure.

It seems that many have missed this, like Mr. White. And we have all read and heard countless stories of men and women who died lamenting that their worldly pursuits of possessions, positions, and pleasure left them empty. Rarely have I, if ever, heard of one person regretting the time they gave serving, the resources they spent meeting needs, and the life lived for the glory of God and the blessing of others.

How are you living? Would others say your pursuit is for the glory of you or the glory of God? What would you say about the way you use your time and resources? Are you generous or stingy? 

When you come to the end of life, assuming you are able to reflect in that moment, would what you are living for today leave you full or empty in that moment? Could what you are living for today cause great regret for you tomorrow?

The Air We Breathe

We owe an incredible debt of gratitude to Martin Luther whom God used in what we call the Reformation. Luther became convinced that Christ is the ultimate mediator between God and humanity rather than an earthly priest, pope, or king. 

He challenged people to see Christ's work as the only means of salvation, which could not be bought or sold. Luther desired to lead individuals into the intimate love-relationship with Jesus Christ for which we were made.

Every follower of Jesus, whether man or woman, should live in constant dependence on God through prayer. Not doing so is to in essence cut off one's oxygen supply. God wants relationship with us and communication (prayer) is essential to any relationship, even ours with God. Whether with my wife, kids, coworkers, neighbors, or friends, good and regular communication is essential to a good and regular relationship.

Once Luther wrote, "To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing." He believed this and lived this often spending hours in prayer. The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, urging him to lead the church in prayer. In 1 Timothy 2, Paul wrote that God's people should be lift up in prayer all people, including those in authority of them, whether believer or not. But I love even more that Paul wrote in verse 8 of that chapter to men specifically. He wrote, "I desire then that in every place the men should pray, liftingholy hands without anger or quarreling…"

The truth of the matter is that there are far more things for which I can pray in a day than I have the time.  Yet this should only drive me to pray more passionately and regularly.

And there is far more things for which I have to do in a day that I often see prayer as the impediment to accomplish those things. Yet again, praying focuses my priorities and connects me with the divine power from above for these things. Or as Thomas Brooks says, "You can do more than pray after you've prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed."

What stands before you today for which you need to first stand before God in prayer?

Shadrach the Bird

I had an African Grey bird when I was in college.  His name was Shadrach and his stay with me was short-lived (that's another story). But he stayed long enough that I learned what the word repeat really means.

African Greys are  medium-sized parrots from the rain forests of West and Central Africa.  The African-Grey is regarded by many experts as one of the most intelligent birds in the world. 

Shadrach's mimicry amazed me. He would repeat the words I said over and over to him with precision of both the words and the tone of my voice.  At other times, he would seek to mimic the tone of others including my sister-in-law.

It wasn't until I had spoken the word or phrase to him numerous times that he finally picked it up.

Richard Nixon had a good quote.  No, not the "I am not a crook" quote.  He said, "You know, when I'm tired of hearing it, I know my staff has gotten it. And when my staff is tired of hearing it, I know the press corps has gotten it. And when the press corps is tired of hearing it, I know the nation has gotten it."

As we put in place foundational pieces upon which the life and ministry of Refuge Church will be built, there are foundational truths that will be repeated over and over again. That isn't an apology but a promise.  For I, like most, can easily become distracted and lose focus of not just the what, but, more importantly, the why.

One of the most important statements I will repeat is our vision/mission statement.  This statement encapsulates not only why I believe Christ led us to begin this new work, but also how we desire to do this. 

We want to be a church that displays and declares the good news of Christ's kingdom to individuals near and far.

Refuge Church is the work of God to display and declare the good news of His kingdom to those of every tribe and nation, beginning where we are, for His ultimate glory.

We desire to accomplish this vision by leading individuals to connect in a relationship with Jesus Christ, belong in community with other Christ followers, and serve the world by displaying the gospel in action and declaring the gospel in word.

This is our focus and 'why' Refuge Church began.  This is our mission and purpose in God's redemptive plan.  This will be repeated a lot, along with a number of other key principles and truths for Refuge Church. When we are tired of hearing it, then we may have only begun to accomplish it.