Love’s Greatest Happiness

No one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. (Ephesians 5:29–30)

Don’t miss that last phrase: “because we are members of his body.” And don’t forget what Paul said two verses earlier, namely, that Christ gave himself for us “so that he might present the church to himself in splendor.” So in two different ways, Paul makes plain that Christ pursued his joy in pursuing the holiness and beauty and happiness of his people.

The union between Christ and his bride is so close (“one flesh”) that any good done to her is a good done to himself. Which means that the clear assertion of this text is that the Lord is moved to nourish, cherish, sanctify, and cleanse his bride because in this he finds his joy.

By some definitions, this cannot be love. Love, they say, must be free of self-interest — especially Christlike love, especially Calvary love. I have never seen such a view of love made to square with this passage of Scripture.

Yet what Christ does for his bride, this text plainly calls love: “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church . . . ” (Ephesians 5:25). Why not let the text define love for us, instead of bringing our definition from ethics or philosophy? According to this text, love is the pursuit of Christ’s joy in the holy joy of the beloved.

There is no way to exclude self-interest from love, for self-interest is not the same as selfishness. Selfishness seeks its own private happiness at the expense of others.

Christlike love seeks its happiness in the happiness of others — not at their expense. It will even suffer and die for the beloved in order that its joy might be made full in the life and purity of the beloved.

This is how Christ loved us, and this is how he calls us to love one another.

John Piper

What's Really Guiding Your Mind Today?

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” HEBREWS 4:12

 
PONDER THIS

Not only did we need to be saved in the past, but we also need to be saved in the present from the power of sin, and we will be saved in the future from the possibility of sin. But that day is not here yet. Only the truths found in the Word of God can save our souls. The Greek word for soul is psyche. That’s what the soul is, the psyche—your mind, your emotions, and your will. When your mind, your emotions, and your will are guided by the Word of God, then you’re living in the victory of Christ’s salvation.

The thing that keeps me going is not primarily how I feel. It is what I know from the Word of God. I’ve been on the trail long enough to look back and analyze and consider, “What is it that keeps me? What is it that holds me?” It is the Word of God. His sanctifies us through His Word. His Word is truth.

How has the Word of God changed your life?
What is your rhythm for staying in the Word of God? How might this improve?

PRACTICE THIS

Share with another person today the ways God’s Word has impacted your life.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

October 19

John 6:16-24

[16] When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, [17] got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. [18] The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. [19] When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. [20] But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” [21] Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.

[22] On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. [23] Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. [24] So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.

1 Peter 3:1-7

[1] Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, [2] when they see your respectful and pure conduct. [3] Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—[4] but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. [5] For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, [6] as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.

[7] Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

Song of Solomon 4:1-7

    [1] Behold, you are beautiful, my love,

        behold, you are beautiful!

    Your eyes are doves

        behind your veil.

    Your hair is like a flock of goats

        leaping down the slopes of Gilead. 

    [2] Your teeth are like a flock of shorn ewes

        that have come up from the washing,

    all of which bear twins,

        and not one among them has lost its young. 

    [3] Your lips are like a scarlet thread,

        and your mouth is lovely.

    Your cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate

        behind your veil. 

    [4] Your neck is like the tower of David,

        built in rows of stone;

    on it hang a thousand shields,

        all of them shields of warriors. 

    [5] Your two breasts are like two fawns,

        twins of a gazelle,

        that graze among the lilies. 

    [6] Until the day breathes

        and the shadows flee,

    I will go away to the mountain of myrrh

        and the hill of frankincense. 

    [7] You are altogether beautiful, my love;

        there is no flaw in you.

Jeremiah 50

[1] The word that the LORD spoke concerning Babylon, concerning the land of the Chaldeans, by Jeremiah the prophet:

    [2] “Declare among the nations and proclaim,

        set up a banner and proclaim,

        conceal it not, and say:

    ‘Babylon is taken,

        Bel is put to shame,

        Merodach is dismayed.

    Her images are put to shame,

        her idols are dismayed.’

    [3] “For out of the north a nation has come up against her, which shall make her land a desolation, and none shall dwell in it; both man and beast shall flee away.

[4] “In those days and in that time, declares the LORD, the people of Israel and the people of Judah shall come together, weeping as they come, and they shall seek the LORD their God. [5] They shall ask the way to Zion, with faces turned toward it, saying, ‘Come, let us join ourselves to the LORD in an everlasting covenant that will never be forgotten.’

[6] “My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray, turning them away on the mountains. From mountain to hill they have gone. They have forgotten their fold. [7] All who found them have devoured them, and their enemies have said, ‘We are not guilty, for they have sinned against the LORD, their habitation of righteousness, the LORD, the hope of their fathers.’

[8] “Flee from the midst of Babylon, and go out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as male goats before the flock. [9] For behold, I am stirring up and bringing against Babylon a gathering of great nations, from the north country. And they shall array themselves against her. From there she shall be taken. Their arrows are like a skilled warrior who does not return empty-handed. [10] Chaldea shall be plundered; all who plunder her shall be sated, declares the LORD.

    [11] “Though you rejoice, though you exult,

        O plunderers of my heritage,

    though you frolic like a heifer in the pasture,

        and neigh like stallions, 

    [12] your mother shall be utterly shamed,

        and she who bore you shall be disgraced.

    Behold, she shall be the last of the nations,

        a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert. 

    [13] Because of the wrath of the LORD she shall not be inhabited

        but shall be an utter desolation;

    everyone who passes by Babylon shall be appalled,

        and hiss because of all her wounds. 

    [14] Set yourselves in array against Babylon all around,

        all you who bend the bow;

    shoot at her, spare no arrows,

        for she has sinned against the LORD. 

    [15] Raise a shout against her all around;

        she has surrendered;

    her bulwarks have fallen;

        her walls are thrown down.

    For this is the vengeance of the LORD:

        take vengeance on her;

        do to her as she has done. 

    [16] Cut off from Babylon the sower,

        and the one who handles the sickle in time of harvest;

    because of the sword of the oppressor,

        every one shall turn to his own people,

        and every one shall flee to his own land.

    [17] “Israel is a hunted sheep driven away by lions. First the king of Assyria devoured him, and now at last Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has gnawed his bones. [18] Therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing punishment on the king of Babylon and his land, as I punished the king of Assyria. [19] I will restore Israel to his pasture, and he shall feed on Carmel and in Bashan, and his desire shall be satisfied on the hills of Ephraim and in Gilead. [20] In those days and in that time, declares the LORD, iniquity shall be sought in Israel, and there shall be none, and sin in Judah, and none shall be found, for I will pardon those whom I leave as a remnant.

    [21] “Go up against the land of Merathaim,

        and against the inhabitants of Pekod.

    Kill, and devote them to destruction,

    declares the LORD,

        and do all that I have commanded you. 

    [22] The noise of battle is in the land,

        and great destruction! 

    [23] How the hammer of the whole earth

        is cut down and broken!

    How Babylon has become

        a horror among the nations! 

    [24] I set a snare for you and you were taken, O Babylon,

        and you did not know it;

    you were found and caught,

        because you opposed the LORD. 

    [25] The LORD has opened his armory

        and brought out the weapons of his wrath,

    for the Lord GOD of hosts has a work to do

        in the land of the Chaldeans. 

    [26] Come against her from every quarter;

        open her granaries;

    pile her up like heaps of grain, and devote her to destruction;

        let nothing be left of her. 

    [27] Kill all her bulls;

        let them go down to the slaughter.

    Woe to them, for their day has come,

        the time of their punishment.

    [28] “A voice! They flee and escape from the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of the LORD our God, vengeance for his temple.

[29] “Summon archers against Babylon, all those who bend the bow. Encamp around her; let no one escape. Repay her according to her deeds; do to her according to all that she has done. For she has proudly defied the LORD, the Holy One of Israel. [30] Therefore her young men shall fall in her squares, and all her soldiers shall be destroyed on that day, declares the LORD.

    [31] “Behold, I am against you, O proud one,

        declares the Lord GOD of hosts,

    for your day has come,

        the time when I will punish you. 

    [32] The proud one shall stumble and fall,

        with none to raise him up,

    and I will kindle a fire in his cities,

        and it will devour all that is around him.

    [33] “Thus says the LORD of hosts: The people of Israel are oppressed, and the people of Judah with them. All who took them captive have held them fast; they refuse to let them go. [34] Their Redeemer is strong; the LORD of hosts is his name. He will surely plead their cause, that he may give rest to the earth, but unrest to the inhabitants of Babylon.

    [35] “A sword against the Chaldeans, declares the LORD,

        and against the inhabitants of Babylon,

        and against her officials and her wise men! 

    [36] A sword against the diviners,

        that they may become fools!

    A sword against her warriors,

        that they may be destroyed! 

    [37] A sword against her horses and against her chariots,

        and against all the foreign troops in her midst,

        that they may become women!

    A sword against all her treasures,

        that they may be plundered! 

    [38] A drought against her waters,

        that they may be dried up!

    For it is a land of images,

        and they are mad over idols.

    [39] “Therefore wild beasts shall dwell with hyenas in Babylon, and ostriches shall dwell in her. She shall never again have people, nor be inhabited for all generations. [40] As when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring cities, declares the LORD, so no man shall dwell there, and no son of man shall sojourn in her.

    [41] “Behold, a people comes from the north;

        a mighty nation and many kings

        are stirring from the farthest parts of the earth. 

    [42] They lay hold of bow and spear;

        they are cruel and have no mercy.

    The sound of them is like the roaring of the sea;

        they ride on horses,

    arrayed as a man for battle

        against you, O daughter of Babylon!

    [43] “The king of Babylon heard the report of them,

        and his hands fell helpless;

    anguish seized him,

        pain as of a woman in labor.

    [44] “Behold, like a lion coming up from the thicket of the Jordan against a perennial pasture, I will suddenly make them run away from her, and I will appoint over her whomever I choose. For who is like me? Who will summon me? What shepherd can stand before me? [45] Therefore hear the plan that the LORD has made against Babylon, and the purposes that he has formed against the land of the Chaldeans: Surely the little ones of their flock shall be dragged away; surely their fold shall be appalled at their fate. [46] At the sound of the capture of Babylon the earth shall tremble, and her cry shall be heard among the nations.”

Jesus’s Joy in Marriage

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor. 

(Ephesians 5:25–27)

The reason there is so much misery in marriage is not that husbands and wives seek their own pleasure, but that they do not seek it in the pleasure of their spouses. The biblical mandate to husbands and wives is to seek your own joy in the joy of your spouse.

There is scarcely a more hedonistic passage in the Bible than the one on marriage in Ephesians 5:25–30. Husbands are told to love their wives the way Christ loved the church.

How did he love the church? Verse 25 says he “gave himself up for her.” But why? Verse 26 says, “that he might sanctify her” and cleanse her. But why did he want to do that? Verse 27 answers, “that he might present the church to himself in splendor!”

Ah! There it is! “For the joy that was set before him [he] endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:2). What joy? The joy of marriage to his bride, the church. The joy of presenting the church to himself in blood-bought splendor.

Jesus does not intend to have a dirty and unholy wife. Therefore, he was willing to die to sanctify and cleanse his betrothed so he could present to himself a wife “in splendor.” He gained the desire of his heart by giving himself up in suffering for the good of his bride.

Then Paul applies this to husbands in verses 28–30: “In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body.”

Jesus had said to husbands and wives — and everyone else — “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). Marriage is an extraordinary place of application. It is not merely “as” you love yourself. But you are loving yourself. When you love the person with whom God has made you one flesh, you are loving yourself. That is, your greatest joy is found in seeking the greatest joy of your spouse.

John Piper 

 

You Can Trust God With What You're Carrying

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” PROVERBS 3:5-6

 

PONDER THIS

There was a river that had frozen over, and there was a man who decided he would walk across the ice. He didn’t see anyone else out there but decided to move forward. As he got farther out, he became more nervous. Out of caution, he decided to crawl and then squirm across the river. Growing more anxious still, he began to cry and then he heard a cracking sound. He thought he was a goner, but as the noise got closer, the ice didn’t seem to be breaking. He looked up and saw a man with a team of horses with a wagon loaded with logs driving across that river. When he realized that was the noise he had heard, he brushed the ice off and strolled across the rest of the river with confidence.

What was the difference between these two men? One knew the ice and the other did not. Where does faith come from? It comes from a knowledge of God. Those who believe in God will not be ashamed. Do you want to have a strong faith? Don’t try to make yourself believe. Get to know God.

How has knowing someone well helped you trust him more?

What are some things you are carrying because you’ve had a hard time trusting God to carry them for you?

PRACTICE THIS

Take some extra time in the Word to learn more about God and His promises today.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

October 18

John 6:1-15

[1] After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. [2] And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. [3] Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. [4] Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. [5] Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” [6] He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. [7] Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.” [8] One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, [9] “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” [10] Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. [11] Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. [12] And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” [13] So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. [14] When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”

[15] Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

1 Peter 2:18-25

[18] Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. [19] For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. [20] For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. [21] For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. [22] He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. [23] When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. [24] He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. [25] For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Song of Solomon 3

    [1] On my bed by night

    I sought him whom my soul loves;

        I sought him, but found him not. 

    [2] I will rise now and go about the city,

        in the streets and in the squares;

    I will seek him whom my soul loves.

        I sought him, but found him not. 

    [3] The watchmen found me

        as they went about in the city.

    “Have you seen him whom my soul loves?” 

    [4] Scarcely had I passed them

        when I found him whom my soul loves.

    I held him, and would not let him go

        until I had brought him into my mother’s house,

        and into the chamber of her who conceived me. 

    [5] I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,

        by the gazelles or the does of the field,

    that you not stir up or awaken love

        until it pleases.

    [6] What is that coming up from the wilderness

        like columns of smoke,

    perfumed with myrrh and frankincense,

        with all the fragrant powders of a merchant? 

    [7] Behold, it is the litter of Solomon!

    Around it are sixty mighty men,

        some of the mighty men of Israel, 

    [8] all of them wearing swords

        and expert in war,

    each with his sword at his thigh,

        against terror by night. 

    [9] King Solomon made himself a carriage

        from the wood of Lebanon. 

    [10] He made its posts of silver,

        its back of gold, its seat of purple;

    its interior was inlaid with love

        by the daughters of Jerusalem. 

    [11] Go out, O daughters of Zion,

        and look upon King Solomon,

    with the crown with which his mother crowned him

        on the day of his wedding,

        on the day of the gladness of his heart.

Jeremiah 49

[1] Concerning the Ammonites. 

Thus says the LORD: 

    “Has Israel no sons?

        Has he no heir?

    Why then has Milcom dispossessed Gad,

        and his people settled in its cities? 

    [2] Therefore, behold, the days are coming,

        declares the LORD,

    when I will cause the battle cry to be heard

        against Rabbah of the Ammonites;

    it shall become a desolate mound,

        and its villages shall be burned with fire;

    then Israel shall dispossess those who dispossessed him,

        says the LORD.

    [3] “Wail, O Heshbon, for Ai is laid waste!

        Cry out, O daughters of Rabbah!

    Put on sackcloth,

        lament, and run to and fro among the hedges!

    For Milcom shall go into exile,

        with his priests and his officials. 

    [4] Why do you boast of your valleys,

        O faithless daughter,

    who trusted in her treasures, saying,

        ‘Who will come against me?’ 

    [5] Behold, I will bring terror upon you,

        declares the Lord GOD of hosts,

        from all who are around you,

    and you shall be driven out, every man straight before him,

        with none to gather the fugitives.

    [6] “But afterward I will restore the fortunes of the Ammonites, declares the LORD.”

[7] Concerning Edom. 

Thus says the LORD of hosts: 

    “Is wisdom no more in Teman?

        Has counsel perished from the prudent?

        Has their wisdom vanished? 

    [8] Flee, turn back, dwell in the depths,

        O inhabitants of Dedan!

    For I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him,

        the time when I punish him. 

    [9] If grape gatherers came to you,

        would they not leave gleanings?

    If thieves came by night,

        would they not destroy only enough for themselves? 

    [10] But I have stripped Esau bare;

        I have uncovered his hiding places,

        and he is not able to conceal himself.

    His children are destroyed, and his brothers,

        and his neighbors; and he is no more. 

    [11] Leave your fatherless children; I will keep them alive;

        and let your widows trust in me.”

    [12] For thus says the LORD: “If those who did not deserve to drink the cup must drink it, will you go unpunished? You shall not go unpunished, but you must drink. [13] For I have sworn by myself, declares the LORD, that Bozrah shall become a horror, a taunt, a waste, and a curse, and all her cities shall be perpetual wastes.”

    [14] I have heard a message from the LORD,

        and an envoy has been sent among the nations:

    “Gather yourselves together and come against her,

        and rise up for battle! 

    [15] For behold, I will make you small among the nations,

        despised among mankind. 

    [16] The horror you inspire has deceived you,

        and the pride of your heart,

    you who live in the clefts of the rock,

        who hold the height of the hill.

    Though you make your nest as high as the eagle’s,

        I will bring you down from there,

    declares the LORD.

    [17] “Edom shall become a horror. Everyone who passes by it will be horrified and will hiss because of all its disasters. [18] As when Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring cities were overthrown, says the LORD, no man shall dwell there, no man shall sojourn in her. [19] Behold, like a lion coming up from the jungle of the Jordan against a perennial pasture, I will suddenly make him run away from her. And I will appoint over her whomever I choose. For who is like me? Who will summon me? What shepherd can stand before me? [20] Therefore hear the plan that the LORD has made against Edom and the purposes that he has formed against the inhabitants of Teman: Even the little ones of the flock shall be dragged away. Surely their fold shall be appalled at their fate. [21] At the sound of their fall the earth shall tremble; the sound of their cry shall be heard at the Red Sea. [22] Behold, one shall mount up and fly swiftly like an eagle and spread his wings against Bozrah, and the heart of the warriors of Edom shall be in that day like the heart of a woman in her birth pains.”

[23] Concerning Damascus: 

    “Hamath and Arpad are confounded,

        for they have heard bad news;

    they melt in fear,

        they are troubled like the sea that cannot be quiet. 

    [24] Damascus has become feeble, she turned to flee,

        and panic seized her;

    anguish and sorrows have taken hold of her,

        as of a woman in labor. 

    [25] How is the famous city not forsaken,

        the city of my joy? 

    [26] Therefore her young men shall fall in her squares,

        and all her soldiers shall be destroyed in that day,

    declares the LORD of hosts. 

    [27] And I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus,

        and it shall devour the strongholds of Ben-hadad.”

    [28] Concerning Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon struck down. 

    Thus says the LORD:

    “Rise up, advance against Kedar!

        Destroy the people of the east! 

    [29] Their tents and their flocks shall be taken,

        their curtains and all their goods;

    their camels shall be led away from them,

        and men shall cry to them: ‘Terror on every side!’ 

    [30] Flee, wander far away, dwell in the depths,

        O inhabitants of Hazor!

    declares the LORD.

    For Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon

        has made a plan against you

        and formed a purpose against you.

    [31] “Rise up, advance against a nation at ease,

        that dwells securely,

    declares the LORD,

    that has no gates or bars,

        that dwells alone. 

    [32] Their camels shall become plunder,

        their herds of livestock a spoil.

    I will scatter to every wind

        those who cut the corners of their hair,

    and I will bring their calamity

        from every side of them,

    declares the LORD. 

    [33] Hazor shall become a haunt of jackals,

        an everlasting waste;

    no man shall dwell there;

        no man shall sojourn in her.”

    [34] The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah.

[35] Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the mainstay of their might. [36] And I will bring upon Elam the four winds from the four quarters of heaven. And I will scatter them to all those winds, and there shall be no nation to which those driven out of Elam shall not come. [37] I will terrify Elam before their enemies and before those who seek their life. I will bring disaster upon them, my fierce anger, declares the LORD. I will send the sword after them, until I have consumed them, [38] and I will set my throne in Elam and destroy their king and officials, declares the LORD.

[39] “But in the latter days I will restore the fortunes of Elam, declares the LORD.”

The Purpose of Prosperity

Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. (Ephesians 4:28)

There are three levels of how to live with material things: (1) you can steal to get them; (2) or you can work to get them; (3) or you can work to get in order to give.

Too many professing Christians live on level two. We glorify work over against stealing and mooching, and feel we have acted virtuously if we have spurned stealing and mooching, and given ourselves to an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay. That’s not a bad thing. Work is better than stealing and mooching. But that’s not what the apostle calls us to.

Almost all the forces of our culture urge us to live on level two: work to get. But the Bible pushes us relentlessly to level three: work to get to give. “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” (2 Corinthians 9:8).

Why does God bless us with abundance? So that we can have enough to live on, and then use the rest for all manner of good works that alleviate spiritual and physical misery — temporal and eternal suffering. Enough for us; abundance for others.

The issue is not how much a person makes. Big industry and big salaries are a fact of our times, and they are not necessarily evil. The evil is in being deceived into thinking that a large salary must be accompanied by a lavish lifestyle.

God has made us to be conduits of his grace. The danger is in thinking the conduit should be lined with gold. It shouldn’t. Copper will do. Copper can carry unbelievable riches to others. And in the very process of that giving we enjoy the greatest blessing (Acts 20:35).

John Piper