Planned Giving

by | Jul 14, 2014 | Giving

Giving of ourselves and what we have is a fundamental part of the Christian walk, though one we may not always think about as much as we perhaps could.  Examples in God’s word are certainly there for us to follow, but sometimes it’s easy to read over them without due thought. John 3:16 is  a case in point. We read “God so loved the world…” and that’s where our focus often stays – God’s love – but the very next words: “…that he gave his only begotten son…”  show, of course, the expression of that love in giving. Because God loved, He gave.

Another thing we  can keep in mind is that God’s purpose in giving is not only to bless us, but also that we should then be able to bless others.   It’s a principle at least as old as God’s promises to Abraham who was “blessed to be a blessing”:  “… I will bless you … and you will be a blessing … all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:2-3).

David  spoke of this same reciprocal giving:  “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand” (1 Chronicles 29:14).

So the principle of giving is clear, but do we just give when we encounter need or when we are asked – or do we plan our giving actively?  I have known a number of individuals who not only decided to follow the Old Testament principle of giving ten percent of their income, but also, ten percent of their time – freeing up approximately an hour and a half of their waking lives to serve others in some way each day.  Or they served in some career that aided others ten percent of an approximate lifespan.  All these people were greatly blessed in their lives and brought blessings to others. 

We may feel we are not able to fully follow such a principle in our own circumstances,  but if the love of the God who gave and continues to richly give is within us, we too will be giving.  If we plan to give, and look for ways we can share our time and resources rather than waiting till the needs of others look us in the face, we can probably all  give more. The “planned giving” some people are able to arrange as a way to give through will and estate distribution may be good, but perhaps the best planned giving we can all engage in is planning what we can do to give of what we have, and of ourselves, now.

Note: TacticalChristianity.org and its sister site LivingWithFaith.org do not accept gifts or contributions, but we teach the responsibility and opportunity of giving.
Built to Last

Built to Last

by | Jul 11, 2014 | Character

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We don’t hear the expression “built to last” very often any more.  It’s used of old castles and some classic and vintage cars, but not much else.   In fact, with modern “planned obsolescence” being as widespread as it is, we don’t hear the term used very often at all. 


Why is this?  Doubtless because “built to last” requires both planning and hard work on the part of the builder, and neither of those concepts is popular in a world that increasingly promotes instant consumer gratification and fast producer profits wherever possible.   The result, of course, is that most things aren’t built to last any more, and that’s a principle and an attitude that all too easily affects other areas of our lives. 

The apostle Paul has something to say about how we build things in relation to our spiritual lives. Notice what he told the Corinthians:

“… no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames” (1 Corinthians 3:11-15).

First, Paul presumes that we will be building on the foundation God has provided.  When we look at the differences between the various building materials that Paul lists, most noticeable is the diminishing value of the materials themselves:  “gold, silver, stone, wood, hay, straw.” But these construction materials are also different in their permanence.  In both cases they are listed in decreasing order.  Paul makes the point that value is tied to lastingness in his analogy – value is limited when things we produce do not last.

In stressing this, Paul is looking at things from God’s perspective – and clearly, God has a better perspective on time than we have.   He knows that nothing physical that is human built is really lasting – the only thing we can build that will ultimately survive is His character in us and what we accomplish for Him.  It is our service to God and to others that cannot be destroyed through wear, rust or the destructive elements.  This is clearly what Paul had in mind when he urges us to consider the works we are doing  –  what are we making that is truly “built to last?”

Fire Your Inner Lawyer!

by | Jul 9, 2014 | Growth, Warriors of the Way

There is a very cynical saying that you can get through life with just two things – a good memory and a good lawyer.  The fallacy of that saying is evident in every life made miserable by divorce, lost friendship and broken business arrangements – to name only three examples – where both a  good memory and a good lawyer were involved.

The truth is, although there is a place for right legal counsel and representation, it doesn’t always work – and a “legal” opinion can sometimes hurt you. This applies on the personal psychological level, also.  Everyone grows up with what we might call an “inner lawyer” – and it’s a defense attorney.  We all have such a lawyer – an unscrupulous one – deep within ourselves, no matter how good our overall intentions may be. You may not remember hiring the lawyer within you, or paying him or her, but that “lawyer” is certainly there and is always on call at a moment’s notice. 

Remember the last time you made a dumb mistake and when you were challenged by someone about it, you had an almost instant answer or excuse? That was your inner lawyer talking.  Remember the last time you debated whether you should do something that wasn’t really right, but you came up with some pretty good reasons why you should do it anyway? That may well have been counsel from your inner lawyer.  

Our human nature just naturally learns to defend itself in some of the ways a lawyer might defend us.  Human nature will  tell itself it’s not to blame for something, or even blame a situation on others.  It will tell us that a  thought, word or deed is not that bad – especially if it is OK in the letter of the law – because no one can keep the law perfectly, right? (You may have noticed that inner lawyers can quote scripture.)  But just as the Gospel of Luke tells us:  “… the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves …” (Luke 7:30 ESV),  although our inner lawyer’s arguments may sound good, they really are at odds with what  God is trying to accomplish in and for us.

Unfortunately, as a result, we will never grow spiritually or find real transformation as a Christian as long as we retain that inner lawyer.  Psychologists may call what we are talking about  “self-justification,” but it helps to think of the process as an inner lawyer because this makes it easier to spot the manner in which it works.   Whenever possible we need to take time to think before we let that inner lawyer speak – and what’s more, when  the inner lawyer does start to wrongfully justify us, we need to be willing to fire him or her on the spot. It’s a kind of representation we really don’t need and are better off without.  This is easier said than done, because we can fire the inner lawyer today and still have him or her show up again tomorrow – or even later today.    It may take time to make this a habit, but if  we want to really make progress in our Christian lives, to misquote Shakespeare, perhaps the first thing we need to do is fire all our inner lawyers.
Ultimate Liberty

Ultimate Liberty

by | Jul 3, 2014 | Service

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The concept of liberty, like independence and freedom, lies at the heart of every democratic society and is enshrined in the 4th of July holiday we celebrate every year in the United States.  It’s a concept we all applaud and agree with, but not one we necessarily think about as deeply as we might.

Interestingly, the Bible shows two types of liberty: one the one hand, liberty from anything that enslaves us, and on the other, liberty to serve God.  The latter type of liberty may seem counter intuitive, and that’s where thinking a little more about the concept of liberty comes in.

Liberty from anything that enslaves us is easy enough to understand. That is the liberty to which the Children of Israel were called as they were brought out of Egypt.  It is the liberty from sin that Jesus stressed as He began his ministry: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because…He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives…to set at liberty those who are oppressed” (Luke 4:18).

The apostle Paul speaks of this freedom: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1).  Yet Paul and the other apostles constantly speak of themselves as the servants or slaves of God (Romans 1:1, James 1:1, Jude 1:1, etc.). Being a servant is clearly part of the calling of every Christian (Mark 9:45, 10:44),  so how can the two be reconciled?

The truth is, beneath the political and social liberty we rightly praise and strive to protect, at the ultimate foundational level we are all individually servants of someone or something.  We can only choose who or what.  This is a basic biblical truth and is clearly seen in Paul’s statement: “Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin…or to obedience…?” (Romans 6:16).  

The person who insists that he or she is individually free and serves no one is, at the very least, the servant of his or her own desires, moods and decisions.  In giving up individual liberty in submission to God, the Christian is really switching to a new way of life where desires, moods and decisions are brought into alignment with what God has revealed is best for us.

Paul summarized this situation as he continued in Romans 6:  “But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness” (Romans 6:17-18).  James agrees – pointing out that the law of God is the “perfect law of liberty” (James 1:25, 2:12); and Peter himself wrote “Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God” (1 Peter 2:16).

So, counter intuitive as it might seem, no matter how much we cherish and protect our wider liberty, we should remember that ultimately as individuals we all serve something.  In choosing to serve God, we free ourselves not only from the penalty of sin, but also from the results of following our own nature. It is in doing this that we find ultimate liberty.