The Farmer Knows
Monday, October 28 2 Corinthians 9:6-11
“The Lord loves a cheerful giver”
The agricultural illustration is used by Paul to make a very importantspiritual point: the person who continues to be preoccupied with accumulatingmaterial things and does not develop a spirit of generosity will fall short ofrealizing any true joy related to their possessions. In contrast, equally successful people whoare generous will find joy both in what they give away and in what they retain- they are becoming the “cheerful giver” that the Lord loves. Further, Paul makes it clear that this principlewill only work when people are free to make their own purposeful and deliberatedecisions about giving.
Paul must have anticipated that someone might argue, “If I give to helpothers all it’s going to do is make me a poor person who will need to behelped.” Paul’s answer is simply thatthe God who gave you what you have right now is the God who will continue toprovide you with enough not only to meet your own needs, but also with enoughto help others. When we insist that weare not able to give cheerfully to the cause of Christ, we end up contradictingGod’s promises to us.
Create in me, Lord, a spirit of cheerfulgenerosity. Amen.
Tuesday, October 29 2 Chronicles 31:11-15
“They distributedthe gifts made to the Lord”
KingAhaz ruled Judah for sixteen years, from about 732 to 715BC. He was a king who “did evil in the eyes ofthe Lord” including idolatry, child sacrifice, and participation in the falseworship associated with the Canaanite high places. King Hezekiah followed Ahaz, reigning fromabout 715 to 687BC. He was a king who“did what was right in the eyes of the Lord” by restoring proper worship of Godin the Jerusalem temple. This includedreinstating the system of tithes and offerings designed to both worship God andfinancially support the ministry of the priests and Levites, a system that had beenabolished when Ahaz closed God’s temple.
The response to the king’s command to bring the tithes and offeringsinto God’s temple was overwhelming. Itnot only allowed for the restoration of the work of the priests and Levites,but was a sign of the people’s repentance. In our passage, the Chronicler carefully reports that the bounty ofgoods received was inventoried, properly stored and maintained, and distributedwith fairness.
May the gifts we give you, Lord, be wellcared for and used for your glory. Amen.
Wednesday, October 30 Malachi 3:6-12
“You have cheatedme of the tithes and offerings due to me”
TheGod who does not change is the God who loves Jacob and his descendants and,because of God’s love, they continue to exist. But is has been an existence of sin “ever since the days of yourancestors.” The specific charge againstthe descendants being addressed in Malachi is concerned with failure in thepayment of tithes; the “offering” in verse 8 is a technical term for theone-tenth of the tithe given to the Levites that they in turn were to give astheir offering to God (see Numbers 18:25-32). This failure is a direct offense against God and it brings them under acurse.
But, the passage does not end with the curse. Rather, it goes on to develop a richportrayal of the blessings promised upon the giving of the full tithe. Thus, the people have a choice to make. Will they continue in their sinful ways andlive under God’s curse, or will they confess their sin and repent of their waysby offering the tithe to God? If theyconfess and turn back to God, not only will they be blessed, but the nations ofthe world will be blessed through them.
Lord God, you bless me with good things soI can be a blessing to others. Amen.
Thursday, October 31 Luke 16:19-31
“There was a certain rich man . . .”
The Pharisees thought theywere entitled. They had the strange ideathat their money was deserved, a sign that they were blessed by God, whereaspoverty was the result of God’s curse. Jesus clearly disagrees and tells the parable to make his point. The larger context for the parable is thebiblical principle of stewardship which teaches that we are all stewards ofwhat we have, and we are to use it to bless others, to bring them health andhope and joy.
The parable suggests that ifyou have the resources to help and choose not to do so, you are judged. And the poor are judged as well. The poor are to be stewards of what they haveas much as the rich or middle class. Theparable also points to the fact that arrogance often accompanies wealth. The rich man seems to arrogantly assume thateven in hell he can still summon service. And, his seeming concern for his brothers is a form of self-justification:“If I had had more understanding, I would have acted differently.” Jesus makes it clear he had enough understandingand yet missed the obvious truth.
Thank you, Lord,for what I have. Help me to use it tobless others. Amen.
Friday, November 1 Luke 14:31-33
“No one can become my disciples without giving up everything for me”
Jesus warns us to count thecost of being his disciple. To give upeverything for him in order to follow him seems a strange message. What we need to realize is that if God andHis Kingdom are to be of ultimate importance in our lives, then all other lovesmust become far less by comparison. To“give up everything for me” does not mean getting rid of everything. It means considering “everything” to be ofsuch limited importance that we will gladly use it however God directs.
Jesus calls us the salt ofthe earth. Salt has two importantqualities. It flavors and itpreserves. When you and I live withoutattachments other than to our Lord, then we can use what God has blessed uswith to flavor others’ lives – at home, at work, in the church, everywhere! We become the preserving element, those whouse what they have been given by God to champion his love, justice and mercydespite the corrupting influences of the world.
Heavenly Father, maythe salt of my life “season” the lives of others. Amen.
Saturday, November 2 Mark 14:3-9
“She has done a beautiful thing to me”
Jesus is enjoying a mealwith a friend when a woman does something extravagant. By custom, she would show hospitality andhonor to a distinguished dinner guest by sprinkling his head with a drop or twoof nard, a pure and expensive perfume imported from India. Her gratitude to Jesus does not fit withinthese boundaries. Breaking the neck ofthe alabaster flash, she pours all the perfume over Jesus’ head.
Most of our love ischanneled through routines of duty and standard patterns of expression – andwell it should be. On rare and grandoccasions, however, the spontaneity of love breaks out of the everyday in aspectacular display. A little boy, forinstance, catches his mother by surprise with a clean room or a bouquet ofdandelions. Mother’s typical reactionis, “What have you done wrong?” The boyanswers, “Nothing, this time. I justwant to say I love you.” The womandidn’t have to break the flask and pour the perfume over Jesus. But, when ordinary acts do not suffice toexpress one’s feelings, an extraordinary show of love is in order.
Jesus, you havesaved me from my sin and I love you with all my heart. Amen.