Centered, Day 3 By Jason Brown, from the book Centered: Trading Your Plans for a Life That Matters Ever since First Fruits Farm began, anyone with any financial sense would look at our plans—plans we believe come straight from God—and then look at our bank accounts and say, “This doesn’t add up. How do you expect to [fill in the blank] with what you have?” My wife and I look at each other and say, “By God’s grace.” Our resources may be paltry, but we’re tied to a kingdom with un­limited wealth and to a generous Father. That doesn’t mean we squander what we have. We need to be good stewards of our resources. And yet those resources, no matter how well we manage them, seem never enough to do what God has asked us to do. But you know what? Everything we feel He’s asked us to do, and everything for which we’ve gone to Him in prayer, has come to pass. Everything. When we needed two roosters, I offered up a simple prayer: “God, please help me find a couple of good roosters. Amen.” Not long after, on a trip into town, we found two roosters wandering along the side of the road. We’ve seen plenty of wildlife on our way to and from town: dogs, cats, raccoons, deer, even snakes. But never, ever, had I seen a stray rooster, much less two. “God blesses you in some strange ways,” a friend said of those roosters. “You shouldn’t be surprised, seeing miracle after miracle.” Set foot on First Fruits Farm and you set foot on a miracle. Every rock, tree, and ripple of water, every squirrel and fish and bird, is a testament to God’s holy power. The nature around us is a declaration of God’s design. The fact that my family is able to enjoy that miracle—to walk through the fields, to gather chicken eggs, to pick fruit, to fish in the lake—is a witness of God’s generosity. We’re God’s children. And like any good fa­ther, our heavenly Father wants the best for us. He wants to shower us with love and blessings that fit in His greater pur­pose. What evidence in your circumstances are proof of God’s generosity in your life? How might those blessings reveal God’s purposes for you? “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! Matthew 7:9‭-‬11 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6

Money The world is full of things competing for our attention. Everywhere we look, we see things that seem to call out to us saying, “Buy me!” or, “You need me!” Material possessions can lure us in so strongly that we start purchasing things that may not have been on our financial radar. And before we know it, we’re in a toxic relationship with money and possessions, and we don’t know how to get out of it. This is “normal” living for many people. This normal way of spending and managing our money doesn’t leave us in a good place. For example, it’s normal to spend every bit of our income and not save any money for emergencies. It’s also common to go into debt and never pay things off. It’s “normal” to think that as long as we can afford the payment, we’re good. The Bible actually has a lot to say on the topic of money. In fact, it’s one of the most talked about subjects in the entire book! A couple of things the Bible tells us about money is that it won’t satisfy us (Ecclesiastes 5:10), and that when wealth is gained quickly, it’ll dwindle quickly (Proverbs 13:11). In Matthew 6:19-24, Jesus teaches about money and warns us against accumulating worldly “treasures.” Instead, He challenges us to acquire “heavenly” treasures, because they never end and can never be destroyed. Jesus tells us that our heart will follow where we’ve placed our treasure. His final and most powerful exhortation to us is that we “can’t serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:24 NLT). We can keep doing what we see displayed in most of the world, or we can make changes and live better than normal. Normal focuses on accumulating, while better than normal gives to others. Normal allows money to lead, while better than normal seeks to be led by God. Normal keeps 100% of our income, while better than normal trusts God with 90%. Normal doesn’t think ahead, while better than normal lives by a plan. Normal is enslaved to debt, while better than normal saves to pay in full. Normal thinks of today, while better than normal invests for the future. Money isn’t a bad thing by itself, but when we allow it to be our god, it can wreak havoc in our lives. The money we earn should be something we use and not something that uses or controls us. What if we adjusted our normal mindset to have a better than normal one? Spend some time thinking through your relationship with money and see what needs to be changed.

“Watching Out for Greed” Scripture: Luke 12:13-21 The third enemy of the heart? Greed. It’s when we feel that we deserve more and more worldly wealth and goods. Greed says, “I owe me.” Jesus said, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed.” Why? Because of the four heart conditions we’re considering, greed is the most subtle of all. Greed can take up residence in the heart and live there for years undetected. The unguarded heart is highly susceptible to this debilitating disease. It’s difficult to diagnose—especially to self-diagnose. Jesus went on to uncover the lie that fuels all greed: “Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” But doesn’t everybody know that? Do people really believe that their lives are equivalent to what they own? The answer is no and yes. No, not everybody knows that. And yes, there are people who believe that your life is pretty much the sum total of what you own. And many of us today are more prone to this belief than we might imagine. After telling a parable, Jesus gave his definition of a greedy person: someone who stores up things for himself or herself but isn’t rich toward God. Being “rich toward God” is Jesus-talk for being generous toward those in need. A greedy person is the man or woman who saves carefully but gives sparingly. Generous giving will break the grip of greed on your life. So whether or not you think you have extra, give and give generously. You’ve got to give to the point that it forces you to adjust your lifestyle. If you’re not willing to give to the point that it impacts your lifestyle, then according to Jesus, you’re greedy. If you’re consuming to the point of having little or nothing left to give, you’re greedy. If you’re consuming and saving to the point that there’s little or nothing left to give, you’re greedy. I know that’s strong. Actually, it’s harsh. But it’s true. Break the power of greed through the habit of generous giving. It’s a habit that changes everything. Assess your generosity in giving over the last twelve months. What does your charitable giving say about your heart? Pray about what it would look like for you to launch into a new level of generosity in the next twelve months.

Flipping the Blessing Now, I know what you may be thinking. Am I promising health, wealth, and prosperity? The answer to that is an unequivocal no! God promises us something so much better than physical health or material wealth. Plus, some of God’s greatest blessings are blessings in disguise. The blessing of God is not an immunity card against pain and suffering. Jesus said point blank, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33, NIV). He Himself endured far more than His fair share of earthly troubles, including the cross! What makes us think we can become like Jesus without going through some of the same struggles He did? But take note—this promise doesn’t end with “trouble.” Don’t make the mistake of putting a period where God puts a comma! In the same breath, Jesus declared, “But take heart! I have overcome the world.” In fact, God has postured Himself to bless you from the very beginning. The Hebrew word for “blessing,” barak, is repeated 330 times in the Old Testament. It means to bless the one who blesses you. And in the New Testament, we get two flavors of blessing—makarios and eulogētos. The concept of blessing may be Greek to you, but I want you to understand that blessing is the central storyline of Scripture from start to finish. Some of God’s blessings are as simple and straightforward as the sunrise. Others are more difficult to discern, like the blessing of brokenness. But of this I’m certain: the blessing of God is the solution to your biggest problem, the answer to your boldest prayer, and the fulfillment of your bravest dream. Yet just as “trouble” doesn’t have the final word in our lives, the endgame of God’s blessing is not getting but giving! God doesn’t bless us to raise our standard of living. God blesses us to raise our standard of giving. That idea is as old as the Abrahamic covenant in Genesis 12:2–3. Even better, the old covenant has been updated and upgraded by what Christ accomplished on the cross. Simply put, we are blessed to bless. The way we turn a blessing into a double blessing is by flipping the blessing. In other words, we get a blessing by giving a blessing. That is counterintuitive and countercultural, but that is the miracle. And you will be a bigger blessing to more people because of it.

“Compassion for Those God Has Compassion Upon” Jesus told a story about a rich man who lived in luxury while he ignored a poor man, Lazarus, who sat outside his gate, covered with sores and surrounded by dogs, eating the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. Both men died. The rich man went to hell, and the poor man went to heaven. The rich man could see into heaven, and he cried out for relief from the agony of hell. The reply from heaven came, “Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony.” This story illustrates God’s response to the needs of the poor. Sick, crippled, and impoverished, Lazarus received compassion from God. Of course, just because someone is poor does not make him righteous before God and therefore fit for heaven. At the same time, though, a quick perusal through Scripture shows that God hears, satisfies, and secures justice for the poor who trust in him. But this story also illustrates God’s response to those who neglect the poor. He responds to them with condemnation. Again, the Bible does not teach that wealth alone implies unrighteousness or warrants condemnation. The rich man in this story is not in hell because he had money. Instead, he is in hell because he lacked faith in God, leading him to indulge in luxuries while ignoring the poor outside his gate. Now I have to ask: With whom do you and I identify more—Lazarus or the rich man? God has made it clear to me that I look a lot like the rich man in this story. I don’t always think of myself as rich, and I’m guessing you may not either. But the reality is, if you and I have running water, shelter over our heads, clothes to wear, food to eat, and some means of transportation, then we are in the top 15 percent of the world’s people for wealth. You and I both have a choice. We can stand with the starving or with the overfed. We can identify with poor Lazarus on his way to heaven or with the rich man on his way to hell. We can embrace Jesus while we give away our wealth, or we can walk away from Jesus while we hoard our wealth. Would it be fair to say that your plans for today involve indulging in pleasures while throwing scraps to the poor outside your gate? If so, what would a radically generous alternative look like?