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2.7.11 Giving: What’s Really at Stake

I am faced with a most interesting tension around giving, and I bet I am not alone.  I wholeheartedly believe that when people approach us who are in need and ask us to help, we are to give without judging them (Luke 6:37).  Why?  Because Jesus says “He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.  Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:35-36 ).  Jesus teaches that we are to even lend to our enemies without expecting to get anything back.  (Luke 6:35) 

When I look at the Scripture around this principle of giving, I don’t see anywhere in the Scripture that I have a role to assess the real level of need when a person asks for help.  I think of the panhandlers I see daily.  They are asking for help, but they obviously had enough resources available to get them to the corner on which they stand.  Some are likely receiving disability checks, have some form of housing, and can find meals at soup kitchens.  So exactly how much “in need” are they?  I don’t know, and I don’t think it really matters.  I still think that Jesus teaches us to give out of a spirit of kindness and mercy – not out of a spirit of  judgment.   On the other hand, the Bible clearly teaches that we are to be good stewards of His resources.  So how panhandlers are handling what they receive does matter to God.  In fact , we will all give an account some day for how we handled His resources. 

The tension I am facing is that the request is coming from someone I know, and I have watched some of the spending habits of this person, and I am having to fight the urge to judge.  Have you ever been in this position?  Do you think a person who is asking for financial assistance should be accountable for how they spend money if they are going to be receiving help on a regular basis?  Should we be asking a person to “prove” they are short on money before we honor a request?   My head says, “Absolutely”, but my heart says, “No.  The Lord will hold all persons accountable for how they stewarded His dollars, and it is not my place to be the judge.”  

I keep vascillating between being given the privilege to give and being frustrated knowing that I may very well be enabling some poor spending habits or decisions.  And by enabling another and seeing some unnecessary spending, can I guard my heart well enough to prevent possible resentment?  Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”  Whatever I decide to do has to be settled in my heart because I don’t want the joy of my salvation and my walk with Christ to be eroded by a monthly check being given because someone asked for help.  2 Cor 9:7 says that when we give, we should give with a cheerful heart.  Cheer or joy should be the default setting of our heart when we give.  

I am landing on just giving and not judging someone’s perceived need for assistance.  Do I want to see the bank statements and credit card statements? Yep.  Do I want to see the person  demonstrate sacrificing some current expenses that can be eliminated from their current spending patterns? Yep.  Do I want them to be accountable to me on a regular basis? Yep.  Do I want them to demonstrate that they have exhausted their income sources first before asking for help? Yep.  Am I going to press for any of these logical requests? Nope.  Here’s why.  

There is too much at stake before the Lord that has nothing to do with the amount of money being requested.  What’s at stake is my heart.  The Lord can use this situation as an opportunity to mold my heart to be more like His.  It’s the decision to give with a spirit of kindness and mercy, which is more like Him.  It’s a decision to love unconditionally, which is more like Him.  It’s a decision to allow this opportunity to grow my heart toward being a more generous giver, which is more like Him.  It’s a decision to give with joy without expecting anything in return, which is more like Him.  It’s also a decision to trust Jesus at his Word.  Jesus gives me a promise in Luke 6:38, “Give, and it will be given you.  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.  For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”  I either believe this to be true or I don’t.  I will tell you that I not only trust Him at His word, but I rest on this promise on a regular basis in the area of giving.  I can tell you that I cannot outgive Him.  When I give, there is only a temporary reduction in the checkbook, but it never fails that the Lord pours blessings into my lap when I least expect it.  It is truly an amazing experience to trust Him and risk with Him in the area of giving.  

The Lord’s message is to not worry about judging another’s financial situation and their stewarding abilities.  The judging role belongs exclusively to the Lord.  We weren’t invited to be on His panel.  But we have been invited to give His resources.  I bet those of you who have already given in situations like this look back without any regrets.  I believe the Lord’s message to us is “I understand the tensions you feel with this, but I will reward it.  Just trust me.”  If we will just trust Him in this matter, then the joy of giving will be there, and our heart will be free from any potential resentment.  I am going to say “yes” because I am to give to anyone who asks and trust the Lord to help my heart to be more like His. 

Blessings,

Lee Ann

1.16.11 Are We a House of Prayer?

When Jesus stated in Luke 19:46 that “my House will be a House of Prayer”, I have found myself asking how Jesus would describe His Houses or churches today.   Would He label the majority of our churches as “Houses of Prayer”, “Houses of Praise”, “Houses of  Biblical Teaching”?  I wonder what a House of Prayer looks like.  

When I look at Jesus’ prayer to His Father before His crucifixion and the New Testament churches we read about in Acts, it appears that prayer should be an integral part of our gathering as believers because it appears that UNITY with the Father is important to Him.  Here are the Scripture passages that come to mind (underlining is my emphasis):

John 17:11, 20-23- 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.  20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me–so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 

Acts 2:42 -They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 

Acts 6:1-4 – 1 In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” 

There is no doubt in my mind that churches have prayer warriors among them and that many of our leaders who are pastoring or leading ministries have strong prayer ministries.  I have the privilege of being a part of dynamic prayer teams behind the scenes.  I am just wondering how all members come together as ONE through prayer.  How do we obtain UNITY as an end result if we don’t know what our pastors are praying for, or our neighbors in the pew?  Matthew 18:19-20 says: 19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth AGREE about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”  It seems that in order get traction on becoming ONE, we need to intentionally pray in agreement  as a body of believers on the things that matter to God.  Are we really engaging in “corporate prayer” in order to become a “House of Prayer”?  Do we really believe His promise in Matthew 18? 

I couldn’t sleep last night because this topic of achieving UNITY in the body of Christ through prayer wouldn’t shut off!  In fact, a quote from “Servant Leadership” kept floating across my radar screen: “A team cannot succeed if they don’t share the same goal.”  Shouldn’t we be praying for the same things as a body?  So I just want to share the ideas that I hope were from the Spirit that I just feel I need to share: 

  1. For churches who have multiple services, what if we considered converting one of the services into strictly a prayer service?  This would allow anyone in the body of Christ who wants to pray in agreement with the pastor and their staff to join together and pray with a holy boldness to become the House of Prayer He has called us to be.  This service should not require “preparation” by the pastor, nor an order of worship, etc.  It is just a group of believers who want to achieve unity in the Spirit and let it build.  It also allows the pastor and their teams to communicate with the body of Christ what they are actually praying for and let us join them!  I picture this as a time for conversational prayer.  I think it would also lead us to be much more other-centered in our prayer life.  I envision this as a weekly opportunity just like a worship service is a weekly opportunity.
  2. For churches who have only one service, what if you considered having a Friday evening, or a mid-week meeting that allows the members of your church to come strictly for the purposes of prayer?  There may only be two or more at first, but the Lord will honor it and grow it.
  3. For any of us who are leading any ministry, what if we made prayer time as the entree instead of a side dish?  For example, I have a teaching ministry and most people come to my study expecting the bulk of the time to be a bible study.  But what if it was a devotional with the bulk of the time being spent in prayer?  Or what if I offered another time for the sole purpose of praying in addition to the bible study?  I totally believe that supernatural results start to happen when His people pray!!
  4. I think it would be most interesting if we would journal what we are praying for as a church body and record when and how He answers the prayer and then PRAISE Him for the result!  What a powerful testimony we would have to share with others.
  5. I think it would be powerful to pray for God-sized requests that absolutely, positively cannot be achieved in our strength or abilities.  Let’s come together in agreement before the Lord with bold, specific requests.   Remember, nothing is impossible for God! (Matt 17:20) 

What would be some goals we could be praying about as a body of believers?  These are just ideas:

  • Perhaps we seek that His kingdom would come and that His will would be done on earth as it is in Heaven.  (Jesus taught his disciples to pray this specifically.)
  • Perhaps we should pray for obedience to the Great Commission.  Jesus gave us a mandate, not a suggestion.
  • Perhaps we should pray for obedience in the area of giving.  It is saddening to read the statistics among conservative evangelicals who aren’t even close to tithing 10% of their income. 
  • Perhaps we pray for a strong urgency to become the House of Prayer that He called us to be in the first place. 
  • Perhaps we pray for God to create an intense desire within every member of the church to serve in and through the church so that all spiritual gifts represented in the body of Christ are activated for His purposes.
  • Perhaps we pray against all forms of pride and personal agendas in the church such that humility becomes the attribute of our churches.
  • Perhaps we pray on the full spiritual armor of God so that we are most effective partners with God in His kingdom.
  • Perhaps we come together for the sole purpose of listening to God’s voice and share what thoughts came to mind and test them with the body of believers to see if a theme emerges. 

Corporate prayer is heavy on my heart.  I have come to a place in my spiritual walk where it has really struck me that there is way more to the Christian walk than my participation at the individual level.  God has called us to pray together  because united prayer yields increased power and authority in His kingdom.  Because God has really grown me in the area of intercessory prayer over the last two years and has shown me how much more is possible through prayer, I have not only felt so much closer to Him, but I am really hungering to see the larger body of Christ come together on bended knee.  I just believe that the power of the Holy Spirit resides in all of His believers, and He is waiting to be UNLEASHED if we would just believe that we could move mountains in His name as ONE in the Spirit who will be brought to complete unity with the help of our Triune God through prayer!  I want to partner with a church body who is not afraid to come together and make corporate prayer one of the most regular, central things we do.  The natural byproduct will be supernatural results that will only cause us to praise His name even more.  

As you contemplate this writing, if you find yourself desiring to ask the Lord to help you be an integral part of a prayer ministry with the right heart, then meditate on the following hymn “Breathe on Me, Breath of God” to get yourself in the right frame of mind: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/ttl/ttl-b.htm and click the title of the song.  For those of you who resonate with this writing, let’s have the courage to contact our pastors and staff to see if there is an openness to cultivate corporate prayer and offer to help launch such a prayer time.  I would love to hear your thoughts.  May God’s blessings abound to you in 2011. 

Blessings,

Lee Ann

12.29.10 It’s All About the Cookies!

I love the season of Christmas.  It’s the time of year that tugs my heart to gather with my family.  This year was yet another fun and joyous time of being with my family and extended family.  I love the traditions that are in place and the memories that will be treasured for a lifetime.  Let me share one with you. 

Every year my Mother gets asked the following question, “Is Aunt Betty Ann coming with her Christmas Cookie Bouquet?”  My Mother is the great aunt to 9 nieces and nephews belonging to my cousin Carol (ages range from 2 to 21), and 3 belonging to my cousin Kathy.  As you can see, Carol and her husband took God’s command to “be fruitful and multiply” rather seriously!  My Mother started a fun tradition years ago that all of her nieces and nephews love and that was to bring a special cookie for each child via a cookie bouquet.  These aren’t just ordinary cookies.  These are custom-made with Christmas themes and are baked and fitted on sticks (or “stems”).  Here was this year’s cookie bouquet (ignore the date!):  Since my cousin Carol didn’t have all 9 children in one year, the challenge for Mother over the years has  been coming with the right number of cookies. When asked “Are you coming with the cookie bouquet?”, her response is “Exactly how many nieces and nephews do I have THIS year?!”  The joy in this tradition is watching the kids approach the cookie bouquet to admire each of the cookies that will depict a Santa, or a Christmas tree, or a reindeer, or a snowflake, etc.  It is so cute how they just labor over the decision of which cookie they want!  So how do you know who gets which cookie?  We simply have a drawing for numbers.  This year there were 12 nieces and nephews, so 12 slips of paper were put in a basket so that each child could draw a number.  The one who draws #1 gets to pick their cookie first.  The one who draws #12 gets whatever is left!  Then once everyone has their prized cookie in hand, they all gather around my Mother for the group shot to show off their chosen cookie, which is always precious.  Here is this year’s picture (or go to http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=194415&id=100001592625717#!/photo.php?pid=194412&id=100001592625717&fbid=128478887215198 to view more)

12 Nieces and Nephews with my Mother

As I reflect on this Christmas celebration and those of the past, I won’t remember the specific gifts I received, but rather the laughter, my cousins singing their specials for the family, the sparkle in the kids eyes as they staked out cookies, the big smiles on the faces of each child as they opened their gifts,  experiencing the genuine love that is shared in our family, and just watching my Mother cuddle her 2.5 yr old nephew David.  If you look at her holding him, then you have a glimpse of how much love I experienced in my own home that just keeps on growing year after year! 

There is no question that there is a period of time during our celebration that Christmas is all about the cookies and watching the joy spread across the faces of my cousins as they chose their cookie, but there is also no doubt that Christ was present in this celebration.  This Christmas season I was impacted by the truth of Christ incarnate who came to dwell among us (John 1:14).  We celebrate Emmanuel, or “God with us”.  But the greater joy is that a great majority of my family has accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior (John 1:12), so our celebration is about “Christ in us” and the bond in Christ that we share.  As I enjoyed building memories with my family, I couldn’t help but see Christ “incarnate” in each person in the room.  That’s CHRISTmas for me!  I am blessed beyond measure to have a family where the love and light of Christ shines bright and am so thankful that the Lord placed me in this family.   Thank you for indulging me as I share one of my favorite memories and traditions for this year’s Christmas.  I hope you had a very merry Christmas as well!

Blessings,

Lee Ann

12.7.10 The Fifth Gospel

I heard someone say, “There are five gospels, and four of them no one reads.  The fifth one read by many is YOU.”  During this Christmas season, I find myself asking, “What gospel are others reading in me?”  We all know people in our circles of influence who are unchurched and may not even be hearing the Christmas story, so how do we help them experience and not just hear about the Christ of Christmas?  

I have been pondering this while enjoying the Christmas messages during this Advent season.   I love hearing sermons at this time of year to see how pastors share the same, unchanging story of the virgin birth of Jesus and focus different characters in the story in fresh, new ways.  I found myself with a similar challenge as I was preparing the Sunday school lesson on John 1:1-14 last week, but the Spirit did not disappoint me.   John chooses to introduce the Christmas story by sharing that Christ dwelt above us (John 1: 1-3) before He came to dwell among us (John 1:14) as the God-man, i.e.  being  fully God and fully human.  This is what we call in the Christianese language the incarnation of Christ.  Christ dwelling among us by entering the world as a baby is what we celebrate during the Christmas season.  So it begged the question, “What happened after Christ dwelled among us?” 

If we get out our binoculars and look ahead to see how the Christmas story unfolds, we will see that  Christ did not come to dwell among us just to hang out with us as His creation, but rather  to hang on a cross as a sacrifice for His creation.  He came to pay the penalty of our sins so that those of us who believe that Jesus is the Son of God could be reconciled to God (I Pet 3:18) and enjoy the free gift of eternal life that comes with our profession of faith in Jesus Christ alone for our salvation (I John 5:11-13).  Once Jesus accomplished the mission of being the perfect sacrifice for our sins by shedding His blood on the cross, He was resurrected.   Between the time He was resurrected from the dead and His ascension back to Heaven, He made sure to meet with His disciples to prepare them for the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8).  The gift of the Holy Spirit is sealed within all believers the moment we declare our faith and trust in Christ for our salvation.  

So here is how Christmas has a brand new energy that is being experienced in a fresh and powerful way for me, and I hope for you as well.  Christ originally dwelt above us, then came down to dwell among us, and now dwells within His believers.  I have never attached the indwelling of Christ in me to the Christmas message, but this whole theme of incarnation just kept blossoming.  John 14:10(b) quotes Jesus, “…it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.”  Jesus was telling Philip that God the Father was indwelling Him.  Christ was modeling how to live in our earthly bodies with the power and presence of the living God within us.  Now that Christ has ascended to Heaven and no longer has an earthly body, Christ is looking for bodies to indwell, and that is you and me!  (You may be yawning at this point and needing a seventh inning stretch here, but my spiritual adrenaline is rushing!)  I have known for years that Christ lives in me.  Galatians 2:20(a) says, “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”  It absolutely excites me to think that when Christ was in human form, His Father dwelled in him, and now that we are in our own bodies, Christ chooses to dwell in us.  As believers, we are the “incarnation” of Christ.  Since Christ parted with his earthly body, He is counting on our hands to be His hands.  He desires for our feet to be His feet, and our mouth to be His mouthpiece.  He wants to permeate every part of our being.  If you would like some inspiration around this idea through music, I invite you to listen to a beautiful benediction piece by John Rutter called “God be in my Head” that can be offered as a prayer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPQcRmN6hvg). 

Since there are people who have never read the four gospels, may we be the hands and feet of Christ as we go through this Christmas season to be the “fifth gospel” that draws people closer to Christ.  The power of the CHRISTmas story is living and dwelling in us!  If people can see Christ in us, then from the vantage point of Christ who is celebrating His birthday,  I can only imagine that He is having a very Merry Christmas indeed!  You have a very Merry Christmas as well!  

Blessings,

Lee Ann

11.12.10 Robbing God His Due

How many times as kids did we receive a gift, only to be prompted by our parents’ with, “What do you say?”,  which was our cue to say, “Thank you!”  My parents coaching became more sophisticated when I was a teenager,  especially at Christmas.  We were not allowed to open gifts until a notepad and pen were in insight, and we were prepared to write down who gave us the gifts.  In the days following Christmas I often heard, “Have you written your thank you notes yet?”  I thought I was being badgered, but with 20/20 hindsight, I see my parents were training me on the importance of saying “thank you”. 

As an adult I appreciate this training.  I understand that no gift should be taken for granted, and saying “thank you” supports this basic truth.  From the vantage point of the one giving the gifts, I now understand why my parents pushed me to write “thank you” notes.  Givers desire acknowledgement.  They want to know their gift brought joy and gladness!  The joy of giving is intense for me.  I have no words in my vocabulary to describe that feeling.  But I have discovered a weakness in my flesh.  When I don’t get a thank you, my heart feels  discouragement that robs me of the joy of giving.  How do I get over this discouragement? 

Recently,  I was doing my daily reading in Scripture, which happened to be 2 Cor 9, Paul’s message on the Macedonians’ giving. While reading the following passage, the Spirit showed me the answer to my question: 

6Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9As it is written:
   “He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor;
      his righteousness endures forever.”[a]

10Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. (Hmmm…it doesn’t say “thanksgiving to Lee Ann”)  12This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. (Hmmm…is this a typo?  It doesn’t say “thanks to Lee Ann”) 13Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God (It doesn’t say “praise Lee Ann”) for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. 14And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. 15Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

This reading brought instant clarity as to why I feel discouragement.  I desire a thank you.  I want people whom God has led me to bless to acknowledge what He’s doing in their life.  I want to hear their joy about these blessings!  I am not opposed to God being thanked, but I at least want some of it to go to me – which is SO WRONG according to the Scripture above.  The fact is my discouragement was unwittingly self-induced by looking for the wrong outcome.  Now that my perspective is correct, I not only lost the feeling of discouragement, but I lost my desire to hear a “thank you”. 

The lesson is obvious:  it is not about me and never will be, and everything that I say and do should only be for His glory and honor.  If my investment of time, energy, and resources given through a variety of ministries causes others to give “overflowing expressions of thanks to God” and leads others to “praise God” because of sharing His gifting and resources with others, then everything has happened according to God’s plan.  Thus, to even desire a “thank you” from anyone is to rob God of the “thank you” He deserves since He is the real Giver. He is the only reason I have anything to give in the first place!  I am just His conduit to be a blessing to others, so the thank you should ALWAYS go to Him.  I’m a slow learner as it has taken me 50 years to figure this out, but I think I am finally getting it.

Blessings,

Lee Ann