Today’s post is brought to you by my friend, Chris Free. I had the privilege of working with Chris for about one year until God called him somewhere else. Chris is genuine, humble, selfless and kind. Characteristics you rarely see in a selfie world. I have been challenged multiple times by Chris’ compassion. It is an honor to know him and his wife Jenna. They make a dynamic team, and their daughter Lizzie just adds a whole other level of dynamite to their family.
In addition to his most important role as a husband and father, Chris is a videographer, producer, professor and a marathon runner. He has run in the Boston Marathon, and Chicago Marathon and will be running in the New York Marathon in November. See how you can partner with Chris at the end of this blog. Without further ado here is a blog from my friend, Chris Free.
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Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
James 1:2 NIV
Life is not fair. It’s not even equally unfair to everyone; not even close. That’s a tough reality. Some people will be born without a parent. Some will be born without an arm. Some will be born, only to die a few hours later. Life is not fair.
I have a hard time with all that. It’s not fair that I was born in one of the wealthiest countries in the world. It’s not fair that I have parents who love me. It’s not fair that I live in a country that gives certain inalienable rights. It’s not fair that I live in a sturdy house instead of one made of sticks. I recognize all that. One or more of these things probably apply to you as well.
So how do we balance being thankful for our privilege against the mandate to love our neighbor who has far less? Is it true that God intentionally gives more to some than others? Take this parable as an example:
“”Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. “ ‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”
Matthew 25:14-30 NIV
One way to read this is that not only are we going to take from this poor person, we are going to give it to a rich person. I’m not exactly sure that’s the entire lesson. I think this means we are asked to take the gifts that God has given us to bring Him the most glory. It goes along with the scripture that says, “To whom much is given, much will be required” (Luke 12:48). So what does that look like with the state of poverty around the world? Pray for that wisdom in your own life.
Unfortunately for the poor, wealth is not God’s ultimate goal for humanity. However, fortunately for humanity, wealth is not God’s ultimate goal for humanity.
So, again, what am I to do with my resources, my gifts? What did Jesus have to say about all this? Why has God entrusted me (read: us), with many resources?
Every good and perfect gift comes from God and he can take it all away. He has done that to many a Christian to teach them a lesson. So what’s our mandate with this resource? Well, let’s consider one thought that seems counter-cultural…
“Looking at his disciples, he said: ‘Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets. But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.’”
Luke 6:20-26 NIV
Wait, what? That’s not fair. I can’t control where I was born. I can’t control who I was born to. Didn’t God give these gifts in the first place?
I’d like to share my personal conclusions on how to respond to these passages in a Biblically-sound way. However, another area where I struggle (and this passage almost kept me from writing this, but I felt God’s prompting to address the topic) so hopefully what is seen, moreover what God sees in me, is humility in my position. Consequently, I submit the following passage for your consideration before we move on:
““Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
Matthew 6:1-4 NIV
How do we spur each other on to love and good deeds, to give to the poor, to serve our neighbor, without boasting in what we have done?
1) We boast in the Lord, not ourselves.
2) We give, give, and give some more—as the Church.
3) We show mercy as the Church.
“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to 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.””
Luke 6:36-38 NIV
We should constantly seek to be more like Christ, asking God to refine our hearts and replace selfishness with pure motives in our souls. What does that look like in the context of a society where the sin nature is greed?
For me and my family, this has manifested itself as only investing financially in Kingdom work. There are a lot of noble pursuits in the world, but even with as many resources as God has entrusted us with, we want to be wise with how we invest. We want to throw our seed on fertile soil. We want to invest where there is a Kingdom return. This is a big reason why I’ve moved my career down the path of Christian humanitarian endeavors. That is why we only give to Christian organizations. I don’t believe this is a Biblical mandate, instead a personal conviction for me.
There are a lot of convicting passages in the Bible, and most of them reveal my inadequate nature apart from Christ. I need to remind myself that I am not the judge and juror. There are plenty of passages that illustrate that principle.
“How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”
Luke 6:42-45 NIV
So my rhetorical question to you: where have you chosen to invest the gifts and resources that God has given you? If you are interested in finding a place to invest your resources, Charity Navigator is a great place to start your search.
Until next time, love like Jesus! If you want to make a difference in this way now, you can sponsor a child through World Vision for $39 a month here.
