Gospel Air*

A few years ago, I was in a boat on Lake Superior. The captain asked if anyone was from New York or another east coast city. As some raised their hands, he said, “If you begin to have breathing problems, that’s clean air you’re experiencing. Move to the back of the boat and the diesel fumes will soon make you feel normal again.”

 Sadly, too many of us who are Christian have breathed in sick air for so long that we think it’s normal, especially as it relates to stewardship and our financial lives. The clean air feels so foreign to us that we’ve nearly quit believing the gospel. The normal gospel now feels like:

·         The goal of life is more

·         There is never enough

·         I earned everything good I have myself

·         When I get enough, I will relax

·         I can never get enough to relax

·         I can’t be generous because there isn’t enough

·         When I give stuff (or time or money), I am losing it

·         Life is about holding, preserving, and protecting

·         God is a compartment in my life, not the source/center of my life

·         Because God is in a compartment, the gospel applies only occasionally to my life

Contrast that with the words of God, and particularly the stories and actions of Jesus:

·         The goal of life is to become as Christ

·         There is enough; there is more than enough when we all open our hands

·         We can find contentment with some stuff (or time or money) or a lot of stuff, but usually a lot of stuff can make it harder to see heaven

·         Every good gift comes from God

·         We aren’t the cause of all of our blessings, but we are responsible to steward all of them

·         There can be only one master: God or money

·         We can plan for tomorrow, but we can’t live in it nor should we be anxious about it

·         The love of money is the root of all evil

·         Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The way you treat your treasure shapes your heart.

·         When you give it away, you aren’t losing it

·         Giving brings surprising gain and surprising joy

·         Faith is more important than fear

Whenever you find yourself choking on the gospel air, it probably isn’t gospel air at all. It’s your spiritual lungs struggling to be born again. Don’t go to the back of the boat. Breathe in deeply the healing air of the Spirit. Give it enough time, and it will purify your soul and fortify your faith.

 *This column is borrowed with permission from the Rev. Glenn Howell, who serves as Director of Development for the United Methodist Foundation of Indiana, where I serve on the Board of Directors.