Remembering the life, work, and ministry of Howard E. Butt, Jr., who died Saturday, September 11, 2016.
A positive attitude begins with gratitude, as we remember God’s good gifts in the past and look forward to what he’ll do...
In writing these daily reflections, I am very fortunate to work with an excellent editor.
How long do I really have to figure it out? How long do I have to figure out how to live full...
Standing around the kitchen that night, we all knew that we weren't there together because of luck, and the food we were...
The more we allow God's Word to shape our relationship with him, the more we reflect upon the wonder of the cross...
You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise you with songs of joy. Psalm 63:5 Psalm 63:5 is one...
Jesus suggests that the path to generous living may be different from the one we assume.
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How does faith change work and leadership? Lessons on leadership beyond rank and power from Philemon.
When Abraham and his family reentered Canaan and came to the region around Bethel, the friction that erupted between the herders of...
The story of Abraham and Sarah’s generous hospitality to three visitors who came to them by the oaks of Mamre is told...
When Abraham and Sarah entered the country of King Abimelech, Abimelech inadvertently violated the rules of hospitality, and as restitution awarded Abraham...
An integrated understanding of work from a biblical perspective needs to include a clear sense of Christian vocation, or calling. As Christians...
Givers Take All: A Helping Culture Improves Performance The strongest factor for organizational performance may be a culture of helping. According to...
Ideally, market-rate finance is a blessing to both borrowers and lenders. This is similar to all kinds of commerce. Producing and selling...
How does our finance theology inform whether to make a loan to a particular customer and at what interest rate? Several of the foundations of biblical finance come to the fore here. First...
The action of the Book of Ruth centers around gleaning, which was one of the most important...
Boaz was inspired to go significantly beyond what the law required in providing for the poor and...
One of the more frequent words translated as “community” or “fellowship” in the New Testament is koinonia. This was a well-used word...
When we are genuinely aware of the presence of God’s grace in our lives, our grateful hearts inevitably overflow into generous giving. Jesus directs his disciples, “Freely you have received, freely give” (Matthew...
While giving is a fundamental way of using wealth to aid those caught in poverty, wise investment of wealth can also be very effective in helping the poor. There are many examples of...
It may seem odd to suggest that spending is potentially a way to aid those in poverty. We often associate spending with excessive consumption. Many Christians hold a frugality mentality that regards spending...
Nehemiah is one biblical character whose attitudes, lifestyle, strategies and priorities work together to change society for the betterment of poor people. As governor of the city of Jerusalem—working for a foreign power—he...
The final hope of Christians is not to be spared the suffering that all people experience in the fallen world. It is to participate in the abundant life promised when the world is...
Bob Walker on Looking to the Interests of Others at Walker Mowers (Click to Watch) .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height...
Proverbs claims that generosity and fiduciary duty do not conflict.
The proverbs do not stop with commending generosity but go further to claim that caring for the poor is a matter of...
Jesus’ final teaching in this section examines how we treat those in need. In this account, when Jesus returns in his glory...
When you're at work, who is your neighbor? How do you love them?
The Parable of the Shrewd Manager (Luke 16:1-13) The key to security about the things we need is not anxious earning and...
Jesus’ first problem with wealth is that it tends to displace God in the lives of wealthy people. “For where your treasure...
This suggests that God’s secret weapon is generosity. If by God’s power you can be generous, wealth...
There is continuing debate about whether or not these community summaries advocate a certain economic system, with some commentators describing the practice...
Two final points are important to note with regard to the use of resources in the early...
The next section of Acts moves the Christian community, by the power of the Spirit, across cultural barriers as the gospel of...
One ongoing project that Paul pursued throughout his missionary journeys was that of collecting money for congregations...
As we noted in the introduction, 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 form a separate section of Paul’s letter in which he addresses...
In urging the Corinthian believers to give generously, Paul is aware that he must address a very human concern in a world...
James takes up the topic of work in detail in the second part of chapter 2. When discussing work, he invariably uses the plural “works” (Greek erga) rather than the singular “work” (Greek...
To affirm is to endorse someone who needs consolidating or firm up what is crumbling.
