As
I pondered how to conclude our reflections on Chapter Two, The Blessedness
of Possessing Nothing, my thoughts were drawn to 2 Corinthians chapters 8
and 9. I have never heard these chapters fairly preached or taught, and I don’t
expect to in my lifetime. Yes, I have heard preachers cherry pick them when
speaking on “stewardship,” for “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7) is too
good to pass up – but this is really crass manipulation of the passage for it
rips it out of context and spares us the challenge of obedience.
These
two chapters have the potential to expose our hearts regarding possessions,
regarding what Tozer terms, “my and mine,” more than any other
passage in the Bible. They have the potential not only to do this to us as
individuals, but also as marriages, as families, as congregations, as denominations,
and as various institutions (such as parachurch ministries and seminaries).
In
this passage the Holy Spirit, through the apostle Paul, calls us not just to a
single act of obedience, but to a way of life – and it is in confronting this way
of life that our attitude toward possessions is especially revealed.
Saturday,
July 5: I intended to complete this post today in order to conclude Chapter Two,
however, we have a tropical storm moving into our area and it is uncertain what
to expect. This means that I’ve spent a couple of hours already (it’s 7:32 AM
right now) preparing for the storm – bringing umbrellas inside, making room in
the garage for the car (ha!), and otherwise preparing for what will hopefully
be a couple of days of uneventful weather. We have learned over the years, whether
with New England blizzards or Virginia and South Carolina tropical storms and hurricanes,
that it is wise to prepare for the worst and pray for the best.
So
I am going to post what I’ve written above and ask you to read and ponder 2 Corinthians
chapters 8 and 9. What is Paul saying about how we should live in Christ toward
one another? What should our attitude toward possessions be – as seen in these
chapters? What are the challenges in these chapters? That is, what are the
barriers in thinking and living like they portray?
I’ll
circle back to this passage in my next post and complete what I began in this
post, the Lord willing.
Right
now I still have other things to do regarding the storm.
Much
love,
Bob
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