Second Thoughts: Joy Takes Generosity

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Author: Thomas White | Editorial Dept., Living Church of God

“But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? For everything comes from You, and we have given You only what comes from Your own hand.”

– 1 Chronicles 29:14, Holman Christian Standard Bible

Assembly by Dexter Wakefield

Sometimes I wonder how Christ and the Father can always be happy.

We read throughout Scripture of Their various emotions—anger, sorrow, hatred for sin, even jealousy over those who give their lives to idols. I can sometimes forget that all of these emotions are secondary at best for members of the God Family, because joy, being a fruit of the Spirit, is always first and foremost. Why? What makes God consistently, wholeheartedly happy?

A lot of things, probably, but Mr. Dexter Wakefield wrapped up this week’s assembly by reminding me of one. Spending only a few minutes on it, he offered the quick, powerful analogy that God is running a family business we in His Church are training to inherit, and His business revolves around giving.

It’s God’s Pleasure

Some say you don’t need to enjoy your job, but apparently, God does. His job is giving, He’s never off the clock, and He loves it. Every millisecond of every day, He’s giving us something. He is not obligated to give anything, but He gives everything, and like the ultimate Chick-Fil-A employee, it’s His pleasure.

So, is it ours?

“Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have.”

– 2 Corinthians 8:12, New Living Translation

Non-stop Giving?

As Mr. Wakefield pointed out, if we don’t enjoy giving, we’d better, because as Kings and Priests in God’s Kingdom, we’ll be giving on a pretty much everlasting basis. And sure, you think, “But in the Kingdom it’ll be easy. We’ll be God—if we want to give something, we can just poof it into existence like a magician at a soup kitchen.”

And maybe that’s true, but we’ll be spending all of our time giving of ourselves—giving of our wisdom, energy, encouragement, help, and peace. As humans, we can’t give 24/7—we physically need our own sleep, food, mental rest, etc. But if we’re supposed to one day give non-stop for eternity, shouldn’t we be taking every feasible opportunity to give now?

I have to admit that too often, I don’t. A major weakness of mine is time-hoarding. I’ll give twenty bucks to a stranger with a sad face, but I get fidgety listening for twenty minutes to a sad story. That’s something I need to work on, because God endlessly gives time—all of the time we have. We need patience to truly give, and we need to truly give to have real joy.

“The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.”

– Proverbs 11:25, New Living Translation

God’s Business is Giving

God promises that we’ll have abundance if we give to others, but I don’t think that means He’ll make us find replacement cash in our jean pockets after we give someone on the street ten dollars, or that He’ll find a way to give us two hours of free time after we spend an hour unexpectedly helping someone out. No, those who refresh others are refreshed just by having done so. Knowing you’ve been a good part of someone’s life, even for just a few minutes, can fill your entire day with a sense of prosperity.

If we’re having trouble with joy, we may need to grow in generosity—God is never unhappy, and in part, that’s because He’s never not giving.

He has a business to run, after all.

Thomas White headshot

Thomas White was one of the onsite Living Education students for the 2018-2019 semesters. He also has a Bachelor’s Degree in English. Thomas currently works as an Editorial Assistant for the Living Church of God. According to his wife, he eats pizza in entirely the wrong way.

Children’s Bible Program – Level 3: Lesson 36 “Solomon’s Prosperous Reign”

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Featured Passage: 1 Kings 4 – 7 

During the reign of Solomon the kingdom of Israel had peace, productivity, and prosperity during the reign of Solomon. It was said that gold was so abundant, silver was considered practically worthless. Solomon’s friends respected him and his enemies feared him. God had given Solomon the responsibility to build the temple, a task which Solomon took very seriously. It became clear that God was blessing him and the nation of Israel. Solomon’s fame began to spread far and wide, and many important people including kings and queens came to see for themselves. They could hardly believe what their eyes had seen. The nation of Israel underKing Solomon came to surpass all the kingdoms of the earth in wisdom and riches. Yet, who was really responsible for the prosperity and blessings that the kingdom of Israel enjoyed? 

Discuss:

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Richard Gunther (www.lambsongs.co.nz) | FreeBibleImages.org
  • Marriage was often used to establish peace between countries. King Solomon married the daughter of the king of Egypt which achieved this purpose. 
  • Israel had trade agreements with the surrounding nations. Why do you think this would be helpful in having a peaceful kingdom? Though these types of agreements can be helpful, who do we look to as the true source of peace? . 
  • Solomon’s wealth and wisdom attracted many people; one of the more famous was the Queen of Sheba. What was her assessment of the facts when she visited Solomon?
  • The temple that Solomon built was magnificent! His father David had prepared much of the materials for its construction including gold, silver, precious stones, marble, and wood (1 Chronicles 29:1–5). It took seven years to build, but when it was finished it was very beautiful. What do you think it would have been like to visit Jerusalem after the temple has just been completed? 
  • Solomon worked hard, and God blessed his efforts (Ecclesiastes 2:4–9). God often blesses us by blessing the efforts we put forth. Hard work is a principle that applies to us (Proverbs 10:4).

Memory Challenge: 

1 Kings 4:29

And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore.

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Children’s Bible Program – Level 2: Lesson 36 “God Sends the Plagues”

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Featured Passage: Exodus 7–10

As God had commanded, Moses demanded that Pharaoh release the Israelite slaves. As you might expect, Pharaoh refused. The Egyptians had no respect for God, and to the Pharaoh, Moses’ order from God was just a ploy for the Israelites to abandon their work. Before long, however, God would strike the Egyptians with plagues that would show that believing in the Egyptian gods was utter nonsense. 

Discuss:

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Richard Gunther (www.lambsongs.co.nz) | FreeBibleImages.org
  • Pharaoh had sorcerers and magicians. What does God’s Word teach us about magic, fortune tellers, etc… (Deuteronomy 18:9–11)?
  • What plagues did God send on Egypt? Why did God send these particular plagues? What effect do you think each had on everyday life in Egypt? 
  • After the plagues, Egypt had no crops, no fruit trees nor any other trees, and very few livestock. There was only destruction everywhere (Exodus 10:7). Why did God allowed this to happen?
  • Why do you think Pharaoh continued to have a hard heart? 

Memory Challenge: 

Exodus 7:5 

And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them.

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Children’s Bible Program – Level 1: Lesson 36 “Joshua Becomes Israel’s Leader”

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Featured Passage: Deuteronomy 31 – Joshua 1

The children of Israel refused to go up to the Promised Land as God had told them. Because of their disobedience, God caused Israel to wander in the wilderness for 40 years. All the adults of that generation died in the wilderness except for Joshua and Caleb. After a long and productive life, it was time for Moses to die. God selected Joshua to be Israel’s next leader and gave him some very important instructions. 

Discuss:

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  • Why did God allow Joshua and Caleb to survive the 40 years in the wilderness?
  • Joshua had served Moses for more than 40 years, before assuming his role as the new leader of Israel. What are you learning today that will help you be a better leader in the future?
  • God always has a work for His people to do. Joshua’s mission was to lead the children of Israel into Israel, with God’s guidance. What is our mission today? 
  • God inspired Moses to challenge Joshua to be strong and courageous. In what ways do you show strength and courage?

Memory Challenge: 

Joshua 1:9 

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

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Children’s Bible Program – Level 3: Lesson 35 “Solomon’s Special Request”

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Featured Passage: 1 Kings 3

Solomon was a young man when he became king of Israel. It was a big job to oversee the whole nation, and Solomon knew he needed help. One night, God spoke to Solomon in a dream and asked him what was his heart’s desire. God told him that he could have anything he wanted! He could have asked for fame, riches, or a long life. Solomon’s response showed a maturity, humility and concern for his people. God gave him exactly what he needed to fulfill his role as king…and much more!

Discuss:

Richard Gunther (www.lambsongs.co.nz) | FreeBibleImages.org
  • Solomon offered sacrifices to God at Gibeon. Ultimately, God led him to build a temple at another location, which would serve as a worship-house for God for generations to come. Where was that temple built?
  • What would you ask for if you could have anything want? What would be the wisest thing to request of God?
  • Why do you think God was so happy with Solomon’s request?
  • Why do you think it was important to Solomon to have wisdom?
  • We have Solomon’s wisdom with us today in the Bible. He wrote Ecclesiastes, the Song of Solomon, and most of the book of Proverbs. Find a passage in the book of Proverbs that tells us how important it is to find wisdom. 

Memory Challenge: 

1 Kings 3:9 

“…give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”

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Children’s Bible Program – Level 2: Lesson 35 “Moses and Aaron Meet Pharaoh”

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Featured Passage: Exodus 5-6

When God told Moses to go to Egypt, Moses was very reluctant. He complained that he was not able to speak well. God didn’t accept his excuse. Instead, God informed him that Aaron, his brother, would speak on his behalf. They had a very difficult assignment – to tell Pharaoh that the great God of heaven demanded the release of the Israelites! Imagine the courage that it took to approach the Pharaoh of Egypt and give him this message! Yet Moses obeyed God and went to Egypt, preparing himself to face one of the most powerful rulers on earth, with faith in the most powerful ruler in the universe!

Discuss:

Richard Gunther (www.lambsongs.co.nz) | FreeBibleImages.org
  • How did Pharaoh react when Moses told him to let the people go? 
  • Straw was an important ingredient for making bricks. The Egyptians provided the Israelite slaves this straw to mix with mud. When Moses demanded the release of the Israelites, Pharaoh angrily responded by making a decree that the Israelites would have to gather their own straw from then on. How do you think the people felt about Pharaoh’s order? How do you think they felt toward Moses? Why do you think God allowed this to happen?
  • What lessons did Moses and the Israelites learn from the way that God dealt with Pharoah? What lessons can we learn from reading this part of the Bible? 

Memory Challenge:

Exodus 6:7

I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.

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Children’s Bible Program – Level 1: Lesson 35 “Joshua’s Faithfulness in the Wilderness”

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Featured Passage: Numbers 13-14

Israel tested God over and over again while in the wilderness. They were constantly complaining and often refused to obey God. However, Joshua had a different attitude. When the Israelites reached the entrance to the promised land Moses selected one man from each tribe to secretly go into Canaan and spy out the land. Joshua was selected from the tribe of Ephraim. The twelve men were to report back on what they saw. Was the land truly flowing with milk and honey? Were there big walls around the cities? The Israelites waited expectantly to hear what the spies would say. 

Discuss:

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  • Why was Joshua selected to be one of the spies? 
  • Did the spies find a truly rich land just as God had said? How did they describe it?
  • Why did the spies demand that Moses take them back to Egypt?
  • Of the twelve men sent to spy out the land of Canaan, only Joshua and Caleb brought back a good report. Why was their report different from the other men?
  • Joshua and Caleb were faithful to God even when everyone else wanted to give up. How did God bless them for trusting in Him? 
  •  God always blesses and rewards those who are faithful to Him. How can we show faithfulness to God?

Memory Challenge:

Numbers 14:6–7

But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: “The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land.”

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Recommended Reads: Do Hard Things

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Second Thoughts: Editing in Love

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Author: Thomas White | Editorial Dept., Living Church of God

At the start of Living Education’s second academic year, Mr. Wallace Smith, the Living Church of God’s Executive Editor, spoke about… well, editing…

…and he probably could have spoken for far longer, because there’s a lot more to editing than most people think.

Only the good garbage

As he emphatically said, it’s more than fixing typos, just as getting ready for a formal event is more than slapping on deodorant. There’s copyediting, line editing, layout editing, editing for consistency, editing for style, editing for technical correctness—and all of this is done for written works that are already good. If they weren’t, they wouldn’t be getting published in the first place.

Working in the Editorial department I’ve noticed an encouraging thing—all the good stuff, even the great stuff, needed changes before it could be published. Quite a few changes, actually. Any experienced writer will tell you something along the lines of “The first draft of anything is garbage,” and while that’s not literally true, it’s certainly true in comparison to the final draft.

And spiritually speaking, that’s us, when you think about it.

God’s people are being edited

As God’s people, we’re all—hopefully—undergoing some seriously extensive edits, because we are not even close to publishable at this point. Carrying the analogy perhaps a bit too far, our spiritual commas are everywhere they shouldn’t be, we can’t keep our moral tenses straight, we’re capitalizing priorities that should never be capitalized, and we keep using passive voice where God demands active voice. God’s Holy Spirit is our editor, and it has a lot of work to do, because by Editorial standards, every one of us is a hot mess.

But that doesn’t mean we’re worthless.

Mr. Smith brought out that it’s the editors’ job to serve the writers, because the content of a publishable article is going to be, at its core, good. The goal is to help the articles be the best versions of themselves, not make them completely different. In essence, if an article is good, it gets edited. Sort of like how “whom the Lord loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights” (Proverbs 3:12). If we’re genuinely trying to follow Him, God’s not trying to completely erase our every semblance of individuality or uniqueness; He’s just trying to revise us, because He knows that with some rewrites, with some tweaking and fact-checking and improved consistency, we’re going to eventually be publishable into His Family. He knows that the content is solid, the potential is there.

…there’s no shame in being edited, since every created work needs editing

Taking correction like an edit

Personally, I need to remember this in moments of both taking and giving correction. When someone points out something about me that should probably be altered—of which there are so many—do I take it as a personal attack, or as an edit?

“I think this could be worded more effectively.”

This sort of mindset removes pride from the equation; there’s no shame in being edited, since every created work needs editing. And when I give correction, do I give it in the form of an edit, or an insult? “This writing is bad and you should feel bad,” comes from a completely different source than “I think this could be worded more effectively,” and all too often, the correction we give one another can sound more like the former.

God thinks we’re publishable

In the end, God thinks you and I are publishable, and He thinks the people we really struggle to appreciate are publishable, too.  He’s editing us in love, not to remove all we currently are, but to improve it. Who are we to try to edit each other, or ourselves, in any other way?

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Thomas White was one of the onsite Living Education students for the 2018-2019 semesters. He also has a Bachelor’s Degree in English. Thomas currently works as an Editorial Assistant for the Living Church of God. According to his wife, he eats pizza in entirely the wrong way.

Children’s Bible Program – Level 3: Lesson 34 “Solomon Becomes King”

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Featured Passage: 1 Kings 1-2

Richard Gunther (www.lambsongs.co.nz) | FreeBibleImages.org

Solomon was the son of King David and Bathsheba. Though David had other sons, he promised Bathsheba that her son Solomon would be the next king of Israel. But as David lay on his death-bed, a different son, Adonijah, proclaimed himself king! Imagine the uproar this caused, as the followers of Adonijah celebrated his coronation. When David was told of of Adonijah’s take-over attempt, he acted quickly, announcing his choice of Solomon as king in his place. He commanded that Solomon should rule over Israel, not Adonijah. He gave instructions for his immediate coronation. David’s decisive action set the stage for a dramatic showdown between Adonijah and Solomon. 

Discuss: 

  • Bathsheba was the daughter of Eliam (one of David’s mighty men) and the granddaughter of Ahithophel (one of David’s advisors).
  • Adonijah was presumptuous to make himself king. What does it mean to be presumptuous, and how does God view this (Psalms 19:13, 1 Peter 2:10)? 
  • The people who supported Adonijah were directly rebelling against the instructions of King David, who had been guided by God to select Solomon as king. What can we learn from this example regarding who we support? 
  • Solomon’s name means rest or peace. Where do we read about the peace that the land of Israel enjoyed during his reign? (note that this introduces the child to the parallel account of the kings of Israel and Judah in 1 and 2 Chronicles)

Memory Challenge: 

1 Kings 1:37

As the Lord has been with my lord the king, even so may He be with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David.

L3.L34-Solomon-Becomes-KingDownload