thoughts by Caran Jantzen Archives - Page 2 of 2

Published January 14, 2019

Joyful Generosity

Do you feel led to give?

“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”
2 Corinthians 9:7-8

Christmas is over; those shoe boxes full of toys and school supplies for needy children got sent out months ago. The receipts for your tithing at church, and the donations you made to the local charity have been filed. The season of giving has finally come to an end.

Or has it?

The Apostle Paul challenged the first century Church to give financially as they felt led to give, and his words challenge the Church today as well.

Do you struggle with giving?

God does not want you to give as if you were simply following a rule book, or checking something off of a list. God desires that you give as an act of worship, responding to receiving the grace that he has given you through his son, Jesus Christ.

Do you feel led to give?

Give generously, as you feel led! Whether you have an abundance or are living paycheck to paycheck, you can give joyfully and generously. And Paul’s words are an assurance that God can provide for all of your needs, as you continue to do the works he calls you to do.

Most importantly, remember that Jesus gave up his glory and “became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). As you give of your finances, remember what Jesus gave up for you. Rejoice that God can use your giving to help others come to know Jesus as their savior as well.

Father, thank you for providing us with all that we have. Thank you for sending your son, Jesus Christ, to be our savior. Help us to have generous hearts; and help us to trust that you will provide for our needs as we give of our finances. Amen.

Thought: Where is your heart when you think about giving of your finances? If you struggle to give of your money, confess this to the Lord, and ask him to give you a generous, giving heart. Pray that God will give you an opportunity to give, and that he will give you joy as you give to him.

By Caran Jantzen
Used by Permission

Is It Worth It?

“If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing… And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:3, 13

The headlines are full of stories about violence, tragedy, and suffering. Storms, cancer rates, mass shootings — it might feel impossible to believe that God can work in the midst of these tragedies. How can anything good come from something so horrible, we ask. As followers of Christ, these are the dark places into which we are called.

We are called to go to our neighbor who just lost her husband and is now a single mom; we are called to go to the marginalized groups who feel vulnerable, targeted and afraid; we are called to go to our estranged brother who just got diagnosed with cancer; we are called to go to the homeless camp on the edge of town.

But we aren’t called to go into the darkness alone; we are to carry Christ’s love with us, and lavish it on those who are suffering and in need. Good can come out of a community’s pain, out of a family’s grief, out of a person’s despair when the love of God moves His people to love and to serve them.

Without God’s love, we question whether it is worth it to go to the unsavory side of town; we wonder if new immigrants really care if we make the effort to visit them; we second guess whether we should bother picking up the phone to call our elderly neighbor.
With God’s love, we don’t ask, “Is it worth it?” but rather proclaim, “He is worth it!”

God, please fill me with faith to trust that You are good, hope to believe that You are working all things out for the good of those who love You, and the love of Christ, which moves me to be Your hands and feet to serve those in need. Amen.

By Caran Jantzen

Used by permission
www.thelife.com/dailydevotions

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Making Sense of God’s Wisdom

Published November 2, 2015

Making Sense of God’s Wisdom

“Who may worship in Your sanctuary, Lord? Who may enter Your presence on Your holy hill? Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking the truth from sincere hearts. Those who refuse to gossip or harm their neighbors or speak evil of their friends. Those who despise flagrant sinners, and honor the faithful followers of the Lord, and keep their promises even when it hurts. Those who lend money without charging interest, and who cannot be bribed to lie about the innocent. Such people will stand firm forever.” Psalm 15:1-5 (NLT)

There is a dear lady at the Bible study I attend. Her clothes look old, and they often don’t match. She doesn’t wear make-up, and she keeps her hair plain.

As I have gotten to know her, I have seen her deep desire to grow in her knowledge of God, and to serve Him whole-heartedly. She comes early to help set up, and she stays late to help put things away. She never seeks attention for herself, and always gives glory to God.

In the secular world, she would be considered a nobody. But to God, she is beautiful, valuable, treasured. She is one of the faithful Christ followers we are called to honor.

The Bible gives us many lists of attributes that describe genuine Christ followers. Those in our culture, and even Christians who are distracted by the world around them, see these lists as nothing but a bunch of rules; they might describe them as backwards, old-fashioned, or only for legalists.

However, Scripture describes the life of a believer in this way because living this way brings glory to God, and joy to those who serve Him.

The Apostle Paul reminds us

“the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom” (1 Corinthians 1:25a).

What doesn’t make sense to the world around us makes perfect sense to God; and what strikes the world as incredibly wise doesn’t even compare to the foolishness of God.

Lord God, You are infinitely wise. Help me to trust Your Word, even when it is difficult and makes no sense to me. I believe that it makes sense to You, and You are trustworthy. Amen.

Thought: Read the list of attributes in Psalm 15 again. Is there something from this list that you are struggling to accept? Pray that the Lord would convict you of your sin and change your heart so that you would desire His wisdom and not the wisdom of the world.

By Caran Jantzen

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A Most Important Work

Published September 24, 2015

A Most Important Work

“I am the vine and you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

How do you define spiritual success? Feeding the poor? Defending the weak? Sacrificing your own needs for others?

Earlier in my Christian walk I struggled to feel spiritually successful. I had sponsored children overseas, filled shoe boxes for kids at Christmas, and set aside time to spend with my ailing grandparents. Yet it appeared that believers and unbelievers alike were serving, helping, and sacrificing more than I was. I felt discouraged.

Then one day, a wise friend helped me understand this verse more fully by saying, “Apart from me you can do nothing of spiritual significance, nothing of eternal value.”

At that moment, it was as if God yanked the rug out from under my feet. All of the spiritual accomplishments I had been stacking up around me crashed to the ground. I hadn’t been as concerned with the spiritual significance of the work I was doing as I was with the tangible work I could see.

I knew my focus needed to shift from doing the work to remaining in Him.

Jesus set the example of remaining in His Father through prayer in order to accomplish the work the Father had sent Him to do. As one of the Sisters who worked alongside Mother Teresa in Calcutta simply stated, “prayer is our first work.”

Lord, help me to desire to commune with You. Teach me to pray unceasingly as I work through Your strength, and remind me to place value in the eternal significance of the work You have called me to do. Amen.

Thought: Read Philippians 3:1-14. The apostle Paul, who had many reasons to boast in the flesh — that is, his spiritual accomplishments — considered them nothing compared to knowing Christ. Consider the ways you are serving. Ask God to help you remain in Him to accomplish what He has called you to. Ask Him to search your heart and reveal to you if you need to confess the sin of wrong motives for your service.

By Caran Jantzen
used by permission

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Do you feel led to give?

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“I am the vine and you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5