Finance devotions: Worse Than An Unbeliever? - 1 Timothy 5:8

1 Timothy 5:8             If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Money can be a terribly divisive thing. In my many years as a pastor, I've sadly seen families falling out over wills, estates, property, and heirlooms. I’ve seen an old man give up his home because his stepchildren forced him out. I've known of an old lady being duped of all of her finances by a greedy nephew. I've seen divorces destroy partners because of money. And I’ve also known of families forcing other relatives to give up their rights of inheritance because of greed.

These types of wickedness (because that’s what these are) always astound me. I grew up in poverty, so money and possessions don’t mean a lot to me. I’m also just a pilgrim who is travelling through this world, so earthly objects don’t possess me. When it’s my turn to go, my loved ones will have what I presently own. I won’t be needing them any longer. And even if I could, I won’t be wanting to take them with me either.

Paul’s admonition to Timothy which we can read in today’s passage (1 Timothy 5:1-15) is about caring for our loved ones and relatives. Providing for our families is of prime importance; if we neglect to do this then, according to Paul, we have denied the faith and are worse than unbelievers. That’s a harsh and severe judgment. However, it makes me wonder if those who duped loved ones or greedily pressed others to give up their rights will ever get to Heaven. It seems to me that Jesus also covered this with His ‘camel through the eye of a needle’ story.

So what’s the lesson for today? Simply this: Practice our faith by providing for our families. Sounds like good advice to me.

Questions for personal reflection

Does greed ever get the better of me? If so, how does it affect my faith and family relationships?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, help us to be better Christians by providing for our loved ones. Keep us from being greedy and enable us to support our families when they are in need. Be with us and bless us this day. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, TN. If you would like to ask a question or make a comment about today’s message, please send him an email to traqair@aol.com.

Today’s drawing is one of John’s latest in a new art series called ‘Art Gecko.’ This one is called ‘Geckosville.’ If you would like to view a large image, please click on the following link:

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2835/12579159574_ab150d742a_b.jpg

Church Meeting Devotions: Stewardship Season

Matthew 6:1   “Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.”

Like most churches, it’s Stewardship Season in our congregation. For six weeks, we are all supposed to focus upon what we give to God through the local church. Each Sunday, church members give testimonies about why they support the congregation and how they feel drawn closer to God by the worship, fellowship, and faithfulness at Erin.

The same sorts of stories are being told all over the land. Churches are gathering centers of like-minded people who pool their resources together in order to become effective vehicles of Christ’s ministry and mission at home and abroad. Stewardship is a key element to the impact that any church makes on the surrounding community. Without the money that people give, without the resources that people offer, Christ’s work could not be done.

At our church, people are given an annual invitation to re-make a personal financial pledge to the congregation. Even in tough economic times, Erin Christians are still willing to make money commitments to sustain the work that Christ has asked us to accomplish. It’s very humbling and uplifting to see the pledges coming in from all different sorts of folk. The people who pledge are making an investment in the future of the church and making a difference in the world. They look for no reward or public recognition; they give for all of the right reasons – to glorify God and to support Christ’s mission.

The challenge for all of us who are reading this today is this: have we prayed about our financial commitment to God’s work this year? Are we willing to invest our money and resources in the future work of our church, so that Christ’s ministry may continue to be worshipped, honored, and supported through our faithful giving and generous love?

Prayer:                       Lord Jesus, You call us to be disciples of Your way, messengers of Your truth, and stewards of Your life. Open our eyes to Your work in our church; open our minds to Your mission in our community; and open our pockets to Your purposes for our congregation. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest Lighthouse drawings called “Guiding Light.” You can view a larger version of this picture at the following link: http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6225/6290707518_a96fd3c801_b.jpg

Church Stewardship devotions: The Swan Pond - Ecclesiastes 11:1

Ecclesiastes 11:1       Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again. 

Some of the simplest joys that I can remember of living in Scotland were the times when Evelyn and I would take our two daughters to Culzean Castle to feed the birds at the Swan Pond. It was always wonderful to watch our girls smile, laugh, and be happy as they threw the bread to the beautiful swans.

The swans knew what to expect and they would majestically glide across the water to feast on the bread. Usually a number of mallard and tufted ducks would try to get into the action, but because of their bigger size, the swans would get most of the bread. As the sun shone on the water and we heard the giggles and laughter of our girls, life felt so good.

I wonder what bird-less waters that the writer of Ecclesiastes wrote about. Whenever we threw the bread on the Swan Pond waters, everything was soon eaten. If we went back there in three hours time, we would find nothing left, so this verse puzzles me.

I’ve heard people use this verse, including some preachers, to encourage others to give their money to God because it would be returned to them. I also know that some people claim this to be true, but I wonder about their motive for giving in the first place. If we give to God because we want to get something in return, is that an offering or bargaining? Isn’t it more Christian to give without expecting anything in return, in order to live by Christ’s teaching that “it is far better to give than to receive,” as the Apostle Paul pointed out? (Acts 20:35)

So, by all means, let’s cast our resources upon the living waters of Christ and His Church, but let’s also not look for anything in return. After all, aren’t the complete forgiveness of our sins and the promise of everlasting life more than enough?

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, thank You for giving everything of Yourself so that we may be restored to God’s eternal love. Help us to give what we can of our time, talents, and money to those needful opportunities that will come our way this week. Enable us to do this selflessly so that You will receive all the glory and honor for the good deeds and charitable giving that we do in Your Name. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment or ask questions about today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s drawing is one of John’s wildlife drawings called “Swan Pond.” If you would like to see a larger version of it, then please click on the following link: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4031/4373092333_3d5cd56d51_b.jpg

Church Meeting Devotions: Better Things

Hebrews 6: 9   Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are confident of better things in your case-things that accompany salvation.

For the first time in its history, our church at Erin is undergoing a $1 million Capital Campaign. It’s a high bar to reach and has shaken us up from the cozy culture that we have embraced over the years. We want to be more effective and influential for God’s Kingdom in our community. We want to reach out to more people and families in our surrounding neighborhood. We want to update our facilities and offer our members, worshippers, and visitors an attractive building and a welcoming experience. These are the better things that the writer of Hebrews expresses in his letter – the better things that accompany salvation.

These changes are not easy to accomplish. We all have grown used to our church and treat it like a comfy spiritual sofa. We tend not to see the building’s wear and tear. We tend to put up with an old sound system. We tend to ignore the state of our classrooms because we only use them once per week. But what if the state of the building actually reflects the neglect of our spirits? Don’t we just tend to put up with things spiritually and rely on God to ‘understand’?

The more that I get involved with this campaign, the more that I understand that it’s not about the money. It’s about who we are as Christians and how we practice our faith. It’s both a cultural revolution and a spiritual rebirth, which makes us honestly review our personal commitment to God and how we seek to serve Him. The better things that accompany salvation means that the old way of thinking “that will do” just will not do, and that “that’s enough” just isn’t enough.

This campaign will change our church for the better. It’s also changed me. My prayer is that our whole congregation will embrace those changes too.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, keep us alive and in tune to Your Spirit moving among us. Remind us that we belong to You and that our purpose is to faithfully serve God’s Kingdom. Help us to work for the better things that accompany salvation, so that we may attract and welcome others to Your Church. In Your Holy Name, we expectantly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Church Meeting Devotions: Fundraising

Luke 10:20 (Jesus said,) “However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."

Our not-so-wee church made a brave decision last Sunday morning. We agreed to ask the bank for a $500,000 line of credit so that we can begin the much needed renovation and construction work in our building. It was an almighty leap of faith for our congregation, but through the presentations of our campaign and construction teams, we now all share the belief that this is what we are meant to be doing.

It’s the biggest decision and commitment that our church has made since the present building was opened in 1955. Over the next three years, we are going to raise over $1,000,000 so that we can upgrade the church campus and have an attractive site that will bring in more people for Christ.

Sunday was also a beautiful moment in the life of our church because of two important things. Firstly, we were making a commitment to the future well being of our congregation. Most of us will not be around to see the fruits of our endeavors, so this is an almighty act of faith by this present generation. And secondly, we were gratefully showing God that we have been truly blessed by His Son’s work and ministry amongst us.

In years to come, our church will become stronger and more influential in our resident community. Hopefully, we will look back and understand that this was the moment when didn’t glorify ourselves but chose instead to rejoice in the goodness of the Lord. This is a special calling, and I believe that we are both humbled and honored to be given such a privilege from Christ.

When the disciples came back to Jesus from their own winter ministries, they were full of stories about how God’s authority had been channeled through them to overcome evil spirits. They were amazed at the powers they had been given and wanted to boast about their victories. Jesus, however, reminded them to rejoice in being saved and of the fact that God had given them a place in heaven. This was infinitely worth more than any power to subdue earthly devils.

I believe that Christ is telling Erin church to do the same. We can express and boast about how much we have done and of what we are going to do, but the real rejoicing and glory belong to God. This Capital Campaign is not just a commitment, it’s a celebration of the fact that our not-so-wee church called Erin is also known in heaven and blessed by God.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for the calling that You have given to all of our churches. Help us to celebrate this blessing and to glorify You through what we give from our resources, as well as expressing our faith by what we do each day. In Your Holy Name, we humbly and cheerfully pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the Scottish pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Church meeting Devotions: Where Best to Invest

Now is not the time to invest in stocks; now is the time to invest in church.

John 4:34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”

In these uncertain times, we are all faced with financial worries and concerns about money. For some, it seems to be that saving for the future is futile because the financial market is on a catastrophic roller coaster. For others, the worry about losing their jobs and busting their career goals seems imminent. Hardship and recession, anxiety and depression are lurking everywhere. There just doesn’t seem to be any end to the uncertainty and, across the country, millions of families are trying to make ends meet.

How long this economic downturn will last, no one knows. So where can we invest our resources, time, and talents in something that will have a lasting effect and will endure for the rest of our lives? I think that the answer is simply this: our churches.

Now I know what you’re thinking: just because I’m a pastor, I’m bound to say this to make sure that the church survives this crisis. But that’s not the case. What I’m saying is this: in these uncertain times we should draw closer to God, to let the broken world see that our faith can overcome the worst of times. If we are just fair-weathered Christians who believe in God when things are going well, then our faith is shallow. However, if we continue to praise God and support Christ’s ministry during tough times, then our faith will be tested, tried, and turn out to be deeper than we have ever known.

During different crises in the past, the Church continued to flourish because it was needed to help heal and support those who were broken in the world. At the time of the Black Plague, many churches became hospitals in Europe. After the Reformation, the Church combated ignorance and poverty by setting up parish schools for young people, to make something better of themselves through the power of knowledge and education. And during the last Great Depression, churches ran soup kitchens, clothing centers, and support groups that enabled small communities and many families to overcome the hardship of the times.

In these uncertain times, we need to invest in the Church, because the Church ultimately brings out the best in humanity through faith, hope, and love to the many people who are struggling.

The Christ we serve is the Lord of all Compassion. So let’s use these times as an opportunity to show the world who Jesus is, by investing in our churches and applying our faith in meaningful and supportive ways.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, the world is hurting and our economy is struggling. People that we know have lost their jobs, whilst others are losing their hard-earned savings. In the midst of all this uncertainty, let Your Church become a constant haven of salvation and support, kindness and compassion, charity and love. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.