Surely Not Every Good Cause!

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Galatians 6:9 Good News Translation

⁹ So let us not become tired of doing good; for if we do not give up, the time will come when we will reap the harvest.

 

The last blog I posted used the text 2 Corinthians 8:9 “And God is able to give you more than you need, so that you will always have all you need for yourselves and more than enough for every good cause.”

My brother responded with “I'm afraid that every good cause would easily bankrupt me.”

To which I concurred: “I couldn't help thinking that, when I read this verse and thought about its ramifications!”

Practically every day my mail brings me a request for handout for some good (and not so good) cause. My email, my phone, my pastor, my social media connections, my politicians, the pan handler on the street corner, all stand there with a hand stretched out for my help.

In this age others often appear to expect that we are infinite. When I first started teaching, there was one method of getting a message to me, other than in person—in my mail. Even at that time, much of it was junk mail. During my tenure as a teacher, I got a desk phone, then a phone answering machine. Then along came email, text messaging, electronic calendars, a mobile phone, and the list grew. I was told by a host of messaging agents—some people, some simply robotic machines—that they had left me a message, hadn’t I seen it?!

At this point, as mathematicians say, I need to exercise the axiom of choice. To abuse Set Theory, where there is an unlimited number of choices, I can always make a choice. It is up to me to decide which choice I wish to make.

When Paul wrote Galatians 6:9 he must have been thinking about the number of “good causes” that present themselves to a Christian every day. He encourages us to not become weary in well doing. Even though I have an infinite God with me, He knows that I am not infinite—He didn’t make me infinite, and He doesn’t expect me to be infinite. But He assures me that if I don’t give up, there is a reward awaiting me.

Now, think of God continually receiving requests, often contradictory, from the entire universe!

Whew, Lord! You assure us that You don’t get weary and are infinitely able to easily handle all our requests. Thank You!

 

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[1] https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-nJv0EQrLbM/maxresdefault.jpg

Enough for Every Good Cause

 

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2 Corinthians 9:8 Good News Translation

⁸ And God is able to give you more than you need, so that you will always have all you need for yourselves and more than enough for every good cause.

 

For many years we lived like the poor. During our graduate study years, we had to borrow against future service just to pay the rent and eat. A bit later we went on food stamps for a while. In Africa, we were often living hand to mouth. For five years we couldn’t afford a car. At Atlantic Union College I took on a moonlighting job to enable us to buy a house—the cheapest we found on the market. During this time, we paid a full tithe, and never went hungry or naked or homeless.

Since then, God has increased our allowance steadily. When our last child finished college, we were able to channel that tuition amount into a retirement savings account. When we paid off our house, we were able to channel the house payment into the retirement account. In this fashion, although we had been unable to save for retirement initially, when we retired, we had a nest egg that has seen us through the first ten years of retirement without embarrassment.

Since retirement we have stepped out in faith at the Spirit’s urging and supported Bible translation in an ever-increasing amount. We have not shirked our tithing responsibility. Last year our charitable donations totaled over 50% of our adjusted gross income. Never before, even in our wildest imaginings, did we ever think God would make us capable of achieving this goal.

This year we have expected that Satan would redouble his efforts to stop our giving. In January we totaled our car and bought a newer one; inflation is making our retirement savings stretch over fewer of our needs. In spite of this we are relying on God’s promises, like this one in 2 Corinthians 9:8, and God’s amazing grace to meet our needs.

We are grateful, Lord, for Your promise to give us “enough for every good cause.”

 

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[1] https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2017/may/together-for-gospels-bible-translation-unity-illuminations.html

Elephants and Tourists

 

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Romans 11:33 Good News Translation

³³ How great are God's riches! How deep are his wisdom and knowledge! Who can explain his decisions? Who can understand his ways?

 

In 1956, on our furlough from mission service in Africa, Dad bought a VW Microbus in Germany to use back in Africa.  We toured a bit of western Europe and spent a few hours touring the Amsterdam Zoo.  As we walked with a great throng of tourists down a main sidewalk in the zoo, we were asked to step aside and let an elephant come by.  The elephant had a frame on its back and several tourists perched up there.  Our family stood behind a number of other tourists.  When the elephant plodded right in front of us, it suddenly stopped, turned, and looked directly at Mom.  Then it threw its trunk up over its head and trumpeted loudly, right in her face.  Mom just about fainted.  Then the elephant turned and plodded on down the trail.  One of the zookeepers came up to Mom right away and asked if she was okay.  “I have been working here for twenty years,” he apologized, “and I’ve never seen that happen before!  I’m terribly sorry!”

I couldn’t help laughing.  I knew immediately what had happened.  Some two years previously we had been touring Wankie National Park (now Hwange in Zimbabwe). We had seen very little in the way of animals and were driving down a narrow track through the rather dense savannah bush when some 50 feet ahead of us a great African cow elephant stepped into the trail and slowly and majestically walked off into the bush on the opposite side of the track. Then, one-by-one, the rest of the matriarch’s herd filed across the track.  Elephants always have the right of way, so we waited in awe of these great animals.  I was sitting in the back seat and saw the matriarch come around to left side of our car and stand there watching us and her herd coming across in front of us.  The other passengers all had their eyes glued on those crossing our track ahead of us.  When all had finally crossed and disappeared, we sat and waited quietly.  Suddenly the Matriarch threw her trunk into the air and trumpeted violently.  She then started to charge straight at us.  Mom about had a heart attack right there and then.  That was enough to strike an eternal fear of elephants into her heart.  Everyone in the car started yelling: “Roll up the windows!”  “Roll down the windows!”  “Start the car!”  “Backup!”  “Go forward!”  Dad was driving.  He didn’t know what to do so just remained quiet.

Fortunately, after a few determined steps, the matriarch decided against charging us, turning our car upside down, and trampling it flat, as elephants do.  After that episode, Mom would stay in camp while we went elephant watching at Wankie and pray for our safety.  When God created elephants, He put many typically human emotions into their great hearts including love, sadness, and a sense of humor.  Apparently that elephant in Amsterdam sensed the terror that clutched Mom’s heart and responded to it as an elephant’s practical joke, in its own natural way. It was saying to her, “See, I mean you no harm!  This is only noise and bluster!”

 

Thank You, Lord, for Your infinite knowledge and wisdom in creating both us and elephants. We rest in Your loving care for us.

 

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[1] https://i.pinimg.com/originals/c8/32/0d/c8320d52ca67d6e95dbc55cdac40b8a9.jpg