July 8-Purposeful Living
Edited by Gary G. Hoag and Tim MacReady
Learn to receive first to grow in the grace of giving. by Daryl Heald
“Freely you have received; freely give.” Matthew 10:8b.
How could I have missed it? Looking back on my journey, it’s tough to admit this. For years, I aimed at helping people grasp the value proposition that it is more blessed to give than receive (see Acts 20:35).
I thought people needed to hear the “give” message, not the “receive” message. So, like only God can do, He set me on a path to help me see the depth and breadth of this truth. Little did I know the impact it would have on my family, the battle I would have with pride, fear, and anxiety, and eventually, the peace that I would find.
Get the sequence right! Jesus doesn’t say first to give. He tells us first to receive. Looking back, now I know why I missed it. I didn’t like the implication. I didn’t want to be a receiver. I played that role in my childhood years, when my parents, as new believers, sold their large veterinary practice and went into ministry with Navigators. I was only nine.
Often, I felt the downward economic trajectory of that decision. Smaller house, different vacations, hand-me-down clothes, and used, unreliable cars. My view of dependency didn’t feel or look good. If that was the receiving end of giving, I resolved that if I had anything to do about it, things would change. God’s sense of humor. In my youth, I worked in many jobs and was driven to succeed in pure economic terms, so I would not have to rely on others, or…God. I worked my way through University and got into commercial real estate. God was preparing my heart and giving me skills for future work He had for me.
A few key people and circumstances really impacted me. The first of which, were my wife’s parents. How they talked in conversation and how they lived their lives moved me. Along the way, I attended a Bible study on money, read books on biblical stewardship and Christian generosity, listened to speakers talk on the topic, and processed what I heard with trusted friends. God was working on me and in me.
July 9-Purposeful Living
Edited by Gary G. Hoag and Tim MacReady
Learn to receive first to grow in the grace of giving. by Daryl Heald
After ten years in Atlanta, my world got larger, and my wife’s father asked me to join him at the family philanthropic foundation. How ironic that God would put me in the position of a professional giver! While it seemed like I would serve in a grant- making role, God had another plan. He wanted me to see His heart, to learn His intentions, and ultimately change mine. He had me on a journey this whole time, I just hadn’t connected all the dots.
While working at the foundation I was exposed to God’s kingdom work all over the world. I even had the opportunity to start taking my two oldest children, Frances and Hallie, with me on some trips. While I met with ministry leaders, at ages ten and nine, all they wanted to do was “go hold babies” at an orphanage.
It didn’t matter where in the world we were. Soon they asked, “Can’t we take a couple of them home?” We already had five biological kids, so I felt very content. Frankly, the thought of adoption scared me. I remember where we were sitting when they said they thought God was asking our family to adopt. I replied like any other man. “You’re going to have to ask your mom.” She was a pushover; I was the holdout.
As I emotionally processed the possibility, and all it meant, I was locked into a cycle of fear, afraid even to pray about it, because I didn’t want to hear an answer that didn’t sync with mine. Simultaneously, my wife, Cathy, began exploring the options and quickly found out that we couldn’t be approved to adopt because of how many children we already had. I breathed a sigh of relief! Maybe this was just a test. A few days later, a phone call came out of the blue.
July 10-Purposeful Living
Edited by Gary G. Hoag and Tim MacReady
Learn to receive first to grow in the grace of giving. by Daryl Heald
An agency informed Cathy that they could probably get us approved for a special needs adoption. Cathy told me about this conversation. All my fears escalated. None of this made sense. I told her that it was not an option. So much for thinking that it was just a test.
Later, around the dinner table, my daughters asked for an update on the process, I told them that because we had five kids no one would approve us (I wasn’t going to share about the phone call). While they were disappointed; knowing all the information, Cathy stared at me in disbelief. I wasn’t being truthful.
After an awkward silence, I relented and told them about the call. If we would consider a special needs adoption, then we could probably get matched with a child. Immediately, when I said “special needs” child, Frances and Hallie looked at each other and back at me. I saw it. “What was that look between you?” They said, “Dad, there was one part of what we believe God wants our family to do that we didn’t tell you. He asked us to adopt one that no one else wanted.”
I was stunned and ashamed. What I thought was bad news they heard as a confirmation. I was undone. We all agreed that night to move forward. It had taken me time to get there. I was stuck. “Who chooses brokenness?” I thought. God, in patience and love, answered me, “I do, I choose brokenness, because I chose you.”
Receive First. I’m still on my journey. James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
I’ve learned to freely receive every good gift from the Father first, then enjoy, and share! Which, as I think back, is precisely what my parents were doing back in my childhood. What a godly heritage!
July 11-Purposeful Living
Edited by Gary G. Hoag and Tim MacReady
How can we help people develop a biblical mindset that shapes their generosity? by Gary G. Hoag, President of Global Trust Partners
We can’t guide others to a place we ourselves have not been, so helping people develop a biblical mindset that shapes their generosity starts with you and me. Consider three words of wisdom that we’ve learned as a family for helping people.
1. Hear and Do
The Bible tells us repeatedly to not just hear what God desires for us, but do what He says. James 1:22, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” That’s easier said than done when it comes to passages about money.
For example, when we hear Jesus say things like “give to everyone who asks you” (Luke 6:30), we pause. We reason, “I can’t do that because if I do, I will end up empty.” What happens? We hear and don’t do, rather than hear and do. Yet, if we ponder further, this thought emerges. “What if Jesus is trying to teach us something?”
We’ve learned as a family that we can’t try to figure it out and then live it out. When we do, we overthink it. Obedience requires faith. We have learned that when we hear and do, we learn new things. God works in unexpected ways. We figure it out as we live it out!
In the case of Luke 6:30, we have learned that when we obey, we don’t end up empty but rather enriched. In hearing and doing, we realize, God supplies the resources for our generosity.
2 Corinthians 9:10-11, Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.11 You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
We discover that it’s possible to obey Him and be generous on all occasions not because we are loaded with wealth but because God, our Supplier, is!
July 12-Purposeful Living
Edited by Gary G. Hoag and Tim MacReady
How can we help people develop a biblical mindset that shapes their generosity? by Gary G. Hoag, President of Global Trust Partners
2. Learn to Follow
We don’t just hear and do what Jesus says once. We must make it a way of life. We learn best by listening and following over and over.
In Colorado, my son, Sammy, and I enjoy fly fishing. We’ve even been blessed to collect a few master angler awards for catching trophy fish over hundreds of days of angling. We fish to enjoy God’s creation and to spend time together. Through his licensed outfitting business, Sammy’s Fly Shop, he guides for clients each summer, and I assist him with larger groups. Basically, we get to teach people from all over the world to catch and release trout using fly rods in the cool waters of the Rocky Mountains.
I say this to tell you that the clients who tend to catch the most fish are those who set aside everything they think they know and follow our instructions with childlike faith. This relates to helping others develop a biblical mindset for generosity because to do so, we must set aside all we think we know about money in the economy of this world and follow Jesus in order to grasp life in God’s economy.
When Jesus says things like “go, sell everything you have and give to the poor” to people with more than enough money (Mark 10:21), my family has learned that He says this not to make us destitute, but to teach us to distribute His money. Our “extra” supplies someone else’s “not enough”, and we get the joy of delivering it.
July 13-Purposeful Living
Edited by Gary G. Hoag and Tim MacReady
How can we help people develop a biblical mindset that shapes their generosity? by Gary G. Hoag, President of Global Trust Partners
3. Lead the Way
Back when our children were growing up (they are out of the house now), a wise friend said, “Your children will do what you do, not what you say.” So, we must not tell our kids what to do when it comes to generosity, but rather, show them. We lead the way.
For us leading the way meant reading the “red letters”, the words of Jesus in the Bible, and resolving to obey. This would help us and our children learn values like contentment, enjoyment, and sharing. But some texts are tough. For example, Jesus says, “do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth” but store them up in heaven (Matthew 6:19-20).
Only after we released our financial wealth for God’s purposes, transferring it from earthly to eternal accounts through giving, did we realize that the gracious aim of Jesus was our maturity. Our hearts and affections started to follow where we put His money. My wife, Jenni, and I have found that in leading the way for our son and daughter, Sammy and Sophie, our love for God has grown together. We don’t have it all figured out, but we have learned that as we live it out, we grasp our role in God’s economy.
If you want to help others develop a biblical mindset that shapes their generosity, we have learned that it starts with hearing the Word and doing what it says. We have found that, like fly fishing, it’s not easy, so we must learn to follow with childlike faith. Trust Jesus as your Guide. We start to figure it out as we live it out. And we must lead the way, using the road map in the Bible. We promise, you won’t lose your life in the process, you will take hold of life in abundance on the journey.
Edited by Gary G. Hoag and Tim MacReady
Learn to receive first to grow in the grace of giving. by Daryl Heald
“Freely you have received; freely give.” Matthew 10:8b.
How could I have missed it? Looking back on my journey, it’s tough to admit this. For years, I aimed at helping people grasp the value proposition that it is more blessed to give than receive (see Acts 20:35).
I thought people needed to hear the “give” message, not the “receive” message. So, like only God can do, He set me on a path to help me see the depth and breadth of this truth. Little did I know the impact it would have on my family, the battle I would have with pride, fear, and anxiety, and eventually, the peace that I would find.
Get the sequence right! Jesus doesn’t say first to give. He tells us first to receive. Looking back, now I know why I missed it. I didn’t like the implication. I didn’t want to be a receiver. I played that role in my childhood years, when my parents, as new believers, sold their large veterinary practice and went into ministry with Navigators. I was only nine.
Often, I felt the downward economic trajectory of that decision. Smaller house, different vacations, hand-me-down clothes, and used, unreliable cars. My view of dependency didn’t feel or look good. If that was the receiving end of giving, I resolved that if I had anything to do about it, things would change. God’s sense of humor. In my youth, I worked in many jobs and was driven to succeed in pure economic terms, so I would not have to rely on others, or…God. I worked my way through University and got into commercial real estate. God was preparing my heart and giving me skills for future work He had for me.
A few key people and circumstances really impacted me. The first of which, were my wife’s parents. How they talked in conversation and how they lived their lives moved me. Along the way, I attended a Bible study on money, read books on biblical stewardship and Christian generosity, listened to speakers talk on the topic, and processed what I heard with trusted friends. God was working on me and in me.
July 9-Purposeful Living
Edited by Gary G. Hoag and Tim MacReady
Learn to receive first to grow in the grace of giving. by Daryl Heald
After ten years in Atlanta, my world got larger, and my wife’s father asked me to join him at the family philanthropic foundation. How ironic that God would put me in the position of a professional giver! While it seemed like I would serve in a grant- making role, God had another plan. He wanted me to see His heart, to learn His intentions, and ultimately change mine. He had me on a journey this whole time, I just hadn’t connected all the dots.
While working at the foundation I was exposed to God’s kingdom work all over the world. I even had the opportunity to start taking my two oldest children, Frances and Hallie, with me on some trips. While I met with ministry leaders, at ages ten and nine, all they wanted to do was “go hold babies” at an orphanage.
It didn’t matter where in the world we were. Soon they asked, “Can’t we take a couple of them home?” We already had five biological kids, so I felt very content. Frankly, the thought of adoption scared me. I remember where we were sitting when they said they thought God was asking our family to adopt. I replied like any other man. “You’re going to have to ask your mom.” She was a pushover; I was the holdout.
As I emotionally processed the possibility, and all it meant, I was locked into a cycle of fear, afraid even to pray about it, because I didn’t want to hear an answer that didn’t sync with mine. Simultaneously, my wife, Cathy, began exploring the options and quickly found out that we couldn’t be approved to adopt because of how many children we already had. I breathed a sigh of relief! Maybe this was just a test. A few days later, a phone call came out of the blue.
July 10-Purposeful Living
Edited by Gary G. Hoag and Tim MacReady
Learn to receive first to grow in the grace of giving. by Daryl Heald
An agency informed Cathy that they could probably get us approved for a special needs adoption. Cathy told me about this conversation. All my fears escalated. None of this made sense. I told her that it was not an option. So much for thinking that it was just a test.
Later, around the dinner table, my daughters asked for an update on the process, I told them that because we had five kids no one would approve us (I wasn’t going to share about the phone call). While they were disappointed; knowing all the information, Cathy stared at me in disbelief. I wasn’t being truthful.
After an awkward silence, I relented and told them about the call. If we would consider a special needs adoption, then we could probably get matched with a child. Immediately, when I said “special needs” child, Frances and Hallie looked at each other and back at me. I saw it. “What was that look between you?” They said, “Dad, there was one part of what we believe God wants our family to do that we didn’t tell you. He asked us to adopt one that no one else wanted.”
I was stunned and ashamed. What I thought was bad news they heard as a confirmation. I was undone. We all agreed that night to move forward. It had taken me time to get there. I was stuck. “Who chooses brokenness?” I thought. God, in patience and love, answered me, “I do, I choose brokenness, because I chose you.”
Receive First. I’m still on my journey. James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
I’ve learned to freely receive every good gift from the Father first, then enjoy, and share! Which, as I think back, is precisely what my parents were doing back in my childhood. What a godly heritage!
July 11-Purposeful Living
Edited by Gary G. Hoag and Tim MacReady
How can we help people develop a biblical mindset that shapes their generosity? by Gary G. Hoag, President of Global Trust Partners
We can’t guide others to a place we ourselves have not been, so helping people develop a biblical mindset that shapes their generosity starts with you and me. Consider three words of wisdom that we’ve learned as a family for helping people.
1. Hear and Do
The Bible tells us repeatedly to not just hear what God desires for us, but do what He says. James 1:22, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” That’s easier said than done when it comes to passages about money.
For example, when we hear Jesus say things like “give to everyone who asks you” (Luke 6:30), we pause. We reason, “I can’t do that because if I do, I will end up empty.” What happens? We hear and don’t do, rather than hear and do. Yet, if we ponder further, this thought emerges. “What if Jesus is trying to teach us something?”
We’ve learned as a family that we can’t try to figure it out and then live it out. When we do, we overthink it. Obedience requires faith. We have learned that when we hear and do, we learn new things. God works in unexpected ways. We figure it out as we live it out!
In the case of Luke 6:30, we have learned that when we obey, we don’t end up empty but rather enriched. In hearing and doing, we realize, God supplies the resources for our generosity.
2 Corinthians 9:10-11, Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.11 You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
We discover that it’s possible to obey Him and be generous on all occasions not because we are loaded with wealth but because God, our Supplier, is!
July 12-Purposeful Living
Edited by Gary G. Hoag and Tim MacReady
How can we help people develop a biblical mindset that shapes their generosity? by Gary G. Hoag, President of Global Trust Partners
2. Learn to Follow
We don’t just hear and do what Jesus says once. We must make it a way of life. We learn best by listening and following over and over.
In Colorado, my son, Sammy, and I enjoy fly fishing. We’ve even been blessed to collect a few master angler awards for catching trophy fish over hundreds of days of angling. We fish to enjoy God’s creation and to spend time together. Through his licensed outfitting business, Sammy’s Fly Shop, he guides for clients each summer, and I assist him with larger groups. Basically, we get to teach people from all over the world to catch and release trout using fly rods in the cool waters of the Rocky Mountains.
I say this to tell you that the clients who tend to catch the most fish are those who set aside everything they think they know and follow our instructions with childlike faith. This relates to helping others develop a biblical mindset for generosity because to do so, we must set aside all we think we know about money in the economy of this world and follow Jesus in order to grasp life in God’s economy.
When Jesus says things like “go, sell everything you have and give to the poor” to people with more than enough money (Mark 10:21), my family has learned that He says this not to make us destitute, but to teach us to distribute His money. Our “extra” supplies someone else’s “not enough”, and we get the joy of delivering it.
July 13-Purposeful Living
Edited by Gary G. Hoag and Tim MacReady
How can we help people develop a biblical mindset that shapes their generosity? by Gary G. Hoag, President of Global Trust Partners
3. Lead the Way
Back when our children were growing up (they are out of the house now), a wise friend said, “Your children will do what you do, not what you say.” So, we must not tell our kids what to do when it comes to generosity, but rather, show them. We lead the way.
For us leading the way meant reading the “red letters”, the words of Jesus in the Bible, and resolving to obey. This would help us and our children learn values like contentment, enjoyment, and sharing. But some texts are tough. For example, Jesus says, “do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth” but store them up in heaven (Matthew 6:19-20).
Only after we released our financial wealth for God’s purposes, transferring it from earthly to eternal accounts through giving, did we realize that the gracious aim of Jesus was our maturity. Our hearts and affections started to follow where we put His money. My wife, Jenni, and I have found that in leading the way for our son and daughter, Sammy and Sophie, our love for God has grown together. We don’t have it all figured out, but we have learned that as we live it out, we grasp our role in God’s economy.
If you want to help others develop a biblical mindset that shapes their generosity, we have learned that it starts with hearing the Word and doing what it says. We have found that, like fly fishing, it’s not easy, so we must learn to follow with childlike faith. Trust Jesus as your Guide. We start to figure it out as we live it out. And we must lead the way, using the road map in the Bible. We promise, you won’t lose your life in the process, you will take hold of life in abundance on the journey.
Posted in Daily Devotionals