Invest

“The Spirituality of Margin”

When there’s a disparity between what we want to do for others and what we actually can, we’re looking at an issue of margin. We know that there’s need in our church, in our community and in our world. However, if we’re tapped out on our resources – our time, money and talents because we’ve been pushing the needle to the red, it might be time to re-evaluate and re-prioritize. 

Dr Richard Swenson, author of “Margin,” defines margin as “the space between our load and our limits. It is something held in reserve for contingencies or unanticipated situations. Margin is the gap between rest and exhaustion, the space between breathing freely and suffocating.” 

In Christian terms, margin is the space where God has wiggle room to work in and through us. We’ve discussed what a blessing it is to be invited into the process as agents of God’s Kingdom. We get to carry the message and be the hands and feet of God! But if our hands are already full, and our schedules crammed to capacity, what can we do when we are shown an opportunity? It’s not enough to simply see the need. We are called to be a people of action, a people of change. We are called to be heroes, living distinctly different from those tied up with their own distractions and ambitions.  

In my favorite Pink Floyd song, David Gilmore writes: 

“On the turning away
From the pale and downtrodden
And the words they say
Which we won’t understand

“Don’t accept that what’s happening
Is just a case of others’ suffering
Or you’ll find that you’re joining in
The turning away”

It’s a sin that somehow
Light is changing to shadow
And casting it’s shroud
Over all we have known…
 
No more turning away
From the weak and the weary
No more turning away
From the coldness inside

Just a world that we all must share
It’s not enough just to stand and stare
Is it only a dream that there’ll be
No more turning away?” “On The Turning Away”

This season, let’s think of ways we can create margin in our lives, space to move when God shows us an opportunity. Let’s free up some of our resources so we can invest in others, and in the eternal. 

Jon Price

 

 

“The Spirituality of Margin” Read More »

“A Recipe for Thanksgiving” – 2 Corinthians 9:11

2 Corinthians 9:11

“You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.”
 
I enjoy cooking at home. In fact, most of the time I prefer it to eating out. So I’m always looking up recipes to dishes I’m interested in making. And when I’m eating at a restaurant and try something that I’d like to make at home, it’s usually not long before I’m online comparing recipes for the perfect replication. Not all recipes are created equal so I typically look at reviews and compare ingredients. And just as in cuisine, there are recipes we can gather and implement to yield a full and savory life. So, what is the best recipe for thanksgiving?  
 
Let’s admit it. 2020 has been a dumpster fire of a year in many ways. How are we supposed to be thankful during a time of fear, sickness, isolation, and political and cultural polarization? According to Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth, the best recipe for thanksgiving is generosity – generosity that reflects God’s generosity towards us. When we recognize how much God has blessed us, and use that to bless others, we receive the added blessing of being part of His transforming grace. 
 
When we were down in Guatemala last week, each time we shared and prayed with families in their homes, our translators would hand us the bags of food to present to the families. They gave us the honor of blessing them. It was a tangible reminder that I was a part of something bigger than myself, a part of something that was giving others hope and joy and sustenance. I was being included in a generous process, that ultimately I had little to do with. And I was so grateful for the opportunity. 
 
While using the HEAR method (see below) consider the following question:  
  • What are some ways that you can pass along the generosity that you’ve received? 

Highlight – what words or phrases jump out at you? 
Explain – what does the passage mean? 
Apply – how does the passage intersect with your life today? 
Respond – how is God leading you to respond?

Jon Price
 
Photo by Dan Gold on Unsplash

 

 

“A Recipe for Thanksgiving” – 2 Corinthians 9:11 Read More »

“Cornucopia” – 2 Corinthians 9:8

2 Corinthians 9:8

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.”
 
One of the most popular symbols of Thanksgiving is the cornucopia, the woven horn filled with food and flowers. The word translated from the latin, “horn of plenty” represents abundance, and from our earliest roots as a nation we have celebrated the plenty that we’ve been given by a great and generous God. It’s a holiday that brings people together and a time of pausing to appreciate all that we have.  
 
We know that everything we have is from God, and one the names we have for Him is “Jehovah Jireh” meaning “the Lord who provides.” As we see in the scripture above, God’s providence is described as abounding and sufficient. “Abound” means in excess, more than enough. And “sufficient” means that we have all that we need to accomplish what we’ve been called to do. And we are called to be God’s two-legged distribution centers for love and grace. 
 
As believers, we aren’t to worry about scarcity, but to give with peace and confidence knowing that like a magician with a never-ending scarf, God has the resources to take care of us as we take care of others. Consider these two quotes: 
 
“One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.” Solomon (Proverbs 11:24)
 
“God is able to provide for his people whatever it is they need in order to provide for others. Giving to others is simply what trusting in God’s promises looks like in a different dress.” S. J. Hafemann
 
We wish you and our entire Belmont community a Happy Thanksgiving. May you celebrate the bounty that God has blessed you with and in return, bless others as you live and love like Jesus. 
 
While using the HEAR method (see below) consider the following questions:  
  • What are some ways that God has been abundant in your life? Take a moment to list several. 
  • Has someone impacted your life because of their generosity? Share in the comments below how you were impacted. 
  • Would you be willing to take a one-month generosity experiment? Shift some things around in your time and finances to be more generous to others and to the Kingdom of God. Journal through the experience, noting the results of your willingness to be abundant in your abundance. 

Highlight – what words or phrases jump out at you? 
Explain – what does the passage mean? 
Apply – how does the passage intersect with your life today? 
Respond – how is God leading you to respond?

Jon Price

 
Envato Elements

 

 
 

“Cornucopia” – 2 Corinthians 9:8 Read More »

“A Feast Fit for an Outcast” – Luke 14:13-14

Luke 14:13-14
 
“But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”
 
In this passage, Jesus continues his discussion on generosity, specifically in the area of hospitality. First among considerations when planning the perfect party needs to be the invite list. Normally when someone considers who to invite, the usual suspects immediately rise to the surface – friends, family or co-workers. The list might include those we feel obligated to invite, or those we’re trying to impress or ingratiate. As with many things, we tend to be motivated in our invite list to consider those who’s attendance might somehow benefit us – the old, “what’s in it for me?” factor. 
 
But according to Jesus, the perfect invite list includes the socially outcast, those in Jesus’ day who were considered suffering externally for the sin in their lives. These were the people that NO ONE wanted at their party. What would it benefit the host? Think of the scandal! 
 
Who would be on such a list?!!! 
 
Well, we would. We were on God’s invite list when He planned out His future feast. He thought of us even when we were at our worst – broken, crooked, selfish and cruel. We have no way to repay God for the invitation that He has sent us. We can only accept and anticipate the celebration. And in the meantime, as we live and love like Jesus, that is the very attitude we are to have. Consider a generous life of hospitality to those who could never pay you back, a reminder of what He’s done for you. Consider it a model to others of His love. Consider it a party gift for the Lord of Hosts when you one day walk into His presence.  
 

While using the HEAR method for the passage above, consider the following opportunities to invite the down and out to your party: 

  • This Sunday – Dollar on the Pew (bring a dollar or more for Good Samaritan’s annual gift to those in the community who need help this winter with their gas bill.)
  • December 25 – Christmas Lunch for the Community – Help the Fire Department and Belmont serve and deliver meals to those in need around Calhoun. (at Belmont)
Highlight – what words or phrases jump out at you? 
Explain – what does the passage mean? 
Apply – how does the passage intersect with your life today? 
Respond – how is God leading you to respond?
Jon Price
 
Photo by Tim Cooper on Unsplash

 

 
 

“A Feast Fit for an Outcast” – Luke 14:13-14 Read More »

“Investment Strategy” – Luke 12:33-34

Luke 12:33-34

“Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
 
Do a quick search on Youtube on “what to invest in” and the opinions and advice runs on page after page, from folks you’ve heard of (Warren Buffet, Dave Ramsey) and folks that no one has heard of, no pedigree or experience required. 
 
“Invest in the stock market”
“Hoard gold and silver”
“Start buying Bitcoin” 
“Real Estate is where it’s at”
 
The advice is endless and all over the map. We don’t want to miss out on the next great opportunity. FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) creates an anxiety in us in an already anxious time. And this FOMO typically drives the market – and on more than one occasion, it drives it right…into…the…ground. 
 
While most of us right now are tightening our belts and trying to figure out how to have a little more stability and security, the wise look to the scriptures. But the advice that Jesus gives goes in an entirely different direction. He explains that our portfolio should be heavy in eternal commodities. Like the Youtube gurus, Jesus tells us to sell all we have to invest in this wonderful new opportunity. But again He zigs when the others zag. His advice? “Sell all you have and give to the needy.” (insert record needle scratch here).
 
Now I have to be honest. I’ve sold things I’ve had (whether through garage sales, eBay or FB Marketplace) to pay off some debt or get something that I really, really wanted. But I can’t recall a time that I sold anything so I could give to the needy. The needy get my leftovers, the change in my pocket (if I don’t have need of it). But Jesus is calling us to the long game. And eternal investments call for a shift in perspective. This perspective is woven throughout the whole of Jesus’ teachings and it effects us in all areas of our life. You ready? You’ve heard it before. Here goes. 
 
It’s not about me. It’s not about you. It’s about Him. 
 
When we live with this understanding, we live in generosity. With live “others focused” to glorify our Heavenly Father. We look for ways to skimp and save so we can invest in the things that truly matter. And what better guarantee can we get than from the King of Kings that this investment will have a payout that we can’t imagine. 
 
While using the HEAR method (see below) consider the following questions:  
  • Have you ever experienced FOMO about an opportunity? How did you react? What was the result? 
  • Why would giving to the needy be an investment in the eternal? 
  • What are some reasons that some might hesitate at this advice?   
Highlight – what words or phrases jump out at you? 
Explain – what does the passage mean? 
Apply – how does the passage intersect with your life today? 
Respond – how is God leading you to respond?
Jon Price
Photo by Nick Chong on Unsplash

 

 

“Investment Strategy” – Luke 12:33-34 Read More »

“Talented” – Matthew 25:14-30

Matthew 25:14-30
“For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
This week we will be focusing on how we invest our resources. But as believers, the first step in this conversation is the understanding that all we have has been handed to us by God. We are simply His stewards. If you want to get people passionate, start talking about money. The argument, “the church just wants my money!” tips the hand of the one complaining. “Our money” is not ours. It’s His, and He is interested in How we steward it. As we look at several verses this week on the subject of stewardship and investing, pray that God opens you up to a new or renewed perspective on what you have been given and how God might bless you through it!
While using the HEAR method (see below) consider the following question:
  • What is your current view on money and the resources you have been given?
  • Talents and resources go beyond finances. What other ‘talents’ do you have that you might not be investing wisely, or simply burying in the ground?
Highlight – what words or phrases jump out at you?
Explain – what does the passage mean?
Apply – how does the passage intersect with your life today?
Respond – how is God leading you to respond?
 

“Talented” – Matthew 25:14-30 Read More »