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Dietrich Bonhoeffer was an amazing young man.
His writings have become widely influential, especially his book The Cost of Discipleship. Let me briefly share with you some of the information about his life (you can read a more complete account here at Wikipedia) before providing you with my “daily quote” thought for the day.

Bonhoeffer was an outstanding student and theologian. He completed his studies, which included two doctorate degrees, by the age of 24. He then began a promising career in ministry, but it was dramatically altered by the Nazi regime’s rise to power.

He was a determined opponent of Hitler and the Nazis from the beginning. In April 1933, Bonhoeffer was one of the first to state that the church must resist Hitler’s persecution of Jews, declaring that the church must not simply “bandage the victims under the wheel, but jam the spoke in the wheel itself.”

Due to persecution, Dietrich left Germany for the United States, but soon regretted his decision and returned to Germany writing: “I have come to the conclusion that I made a mistake in coming to America. I must live through this difficult period in our national history with the people of Germany. I will have no right to participate in the reconstruction of Christian life in Germany after the war if I do not share the trials of this time with my people… Christians in Germany will have to face the terrible alternative of either willing the defeat of their nation in order that Christian civilization may survive or willing the victory of their nation and thereby destroying civilization. I know which of these alternatives I must choose but I cannot make that choice from security.” He returned to Germany on the last scheduled steamer to cross the Atlantic, and was soon imprisoned for his opposition to the leadership of Nazi Germany.

For a year and a half, Bonhoeffer was imprisoned at Tegel military prison, where he followed Paul’s example from prison, continuing in ministry among both his fellow prisoners and the prison guards. In fact, sympathetic guards helped smuggle his letters out of prison, which have now been published in a book titled Letters and Papers from Prison. After the 1.5 years at Tegel, he was transferred to a Nazi concentration camp, and was executed by hanging in April 1945.

Bonhoeffer died at age 39.

This man had such strong convictions and deep theology for his young age, and many of the things he wrote are so very challenging, including this statement that I want to share today, which flies in the face of much of what we practice here in America:

Earthly goods are given to be used, not to be collected.
     In the wilderness, God gave Israel the manna every day, and they had no need to worry about food and drink. Indeed, if they kept any of the manna over until the next day, it went bad. In the same way, the disciple must receive his portion from God every day. If he stores it up as a permanent possession, he spoils not only the gift, but himself as well, for he sets his heart on his accumulated wealth, and makes it a barrier between himself and God. Where our treasure is, there is our trust, our security, our consolation and our God.
     Hoarding is idolatry.
–Dietrich Bonhoeffer

When I read the first and last sentences of this quote, they shock me, and my mind fights against them, because I have been taught that I should save up for a rainy day. And though there may be nothing wrong with having some savings to help carry us through to the end of life, I wonder how many of us (myself included) are going beyond simple savings into hoarding, collecting up more earthly goods than we could ever use in this life?

Honestly, my conservative American sensibilities are offended by his statement as it attacks some of the underpinnings of my own beliefs. But as I think about his statement and how it stacks us biblically, instead of Americanly, I believe that he is right on track. Our money and possessions have been given to us by God to be used for HIS kingdom – to expand His kingdom and continue to share the truths of the gospel with this lost and dying world. But instead of obeying Him by using my goods to advance His kingdom, I may be using my money and possessions to hoard for the possibility of my own use and my own security, hedging my bets that God cannot take care of me, so I better take care of myself. Therefore, I save up more money than I could possibly use in my lifetime and trust in my wealth more than in God, who has asked me to spend myself and the blessings He has given me on making Him known.
And that is why Bonhoeffer says that hoarding is idolatry – it is trusting in that which I have stored up (the gifts) more than in the Giver.

God, help me to continue to wrestle with this statement.
Help me to be willing to spend myself and all the gifts You have given to me on making You known to this world.
Help me to trust that when I spend all that I have on You, that You will take care of me.
Help me to have a bold faith like Dietrich Bonhoeffer (and the widow who offered You all that she had to live on).

What do you think about Bonhoeffer’s statement?
Is it difficult for you?
Does it offend you?
More importantly… Is it biblical?

There may come times in our lives when God seems so far away. When that happens it sets us to wondering such questions as:

Why do some persons “find” God in a way that others do not?
   Why does God manifest His presence to some and let multitudes of others struggle along in the half-light of imperfect Christian experience?
   Of course, the will of God is the same for all. He has no favorites within His household. All He has ever done for any of His children He will do for all of His children.
   The difference lies not with God but with us.
–A. W. Tozer

These words from Tozer remind me of a story and a Bible passage.
The story requires you to go back to the time when many cars had bench seats instead of the individual bucket seats that most all vehicles seem to have now.
   A farmer and his wife are driving down the road at a leisurely pace in their old pickup truck when they are passed by another truck. As the other vehicle pulls ahead, they both notice that it is a young couple, and the girl isn’t on her side of the truck but is in the middle of the bench seat, sitting right beside her guy, and he has his arm slung over her shoulder, pulling her in close to him.
   The wife then looks over at her farmer husband and says, “That is so sweet. I remember when I used to sit in the middle and you used to put your arm around me like that. Honey, I wonder why don’t we sit like that anymore when we go out for a drive?”
To which the farmer replies, “Dear, I haven’t moved.”

I wonder if we aren’t often asking questions like that to God. We wonder why we aren’t as close to Him as we felt we were in the past? If we ever feel like that, we can be assured that it is not God who has moved away. It is our fault for sliding further from Him, just like the farmer’s wife.

The Bible verse that it makes me think of is Deuteronomy 30:11-14 (NASB)
   “For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’ Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will cross the sea for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’ But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it.”

God isn’t far from us. He isn’t way up in heaven unconcerned about our lives. He is not out of reach. He is very near to us. And God “has no favorites within His household. All He has ever done for any of His children He will do for all of His children.”

“The difference lies not with God but with us.”

If you feel far from Him, it is time for you to move back toward Him – with Bible reading, prayer, involvement with a church family.

I hope that you will never feel far from God, but if you do, know that He is waiting on you to turn and begin moving toward Him again. The moment you do, you will find what the Prodigal Son discovered, that God has been watching for you and is running toward you with open arms to receive you to Himself again.

Every year, millions and millions of snowflakes fall from the sky to cover the ground and make the landscape beautiful. Of course, within a short period of time they will melt and fade from memory. And even though their “lifespan” is so very short, every snowflake is remarkably unique and therefore valuable…

     …the snowflake couldn’t have done anything to contribute to its value. We know that each of the gazillions of snowflakes is significant because a master Designer took time to make each one absolutely unique. “Experts” say that no two snowflakes have ever been exactly the same. Ever. Incredible, isn’t it? The fact that God took pains to give each one a unique crystal structure all its own gives that snowflake intrinsic value. Again, there is nothing any snowflake can do to add or detract from that value. It comes from a source completely outside itself.
     Likewise, we are valuable because of the intrinsic worth that comes from being designed by, enjoyed by, and given purpose by the Creator.
–Anonymous, Embracing Obscurity

When life gets difficult or people treat you nasty or you make a mistake that sticks with you, it is easy to forget your value. But when that happens, remember that God created you remarkable unique – and you have intrinsic worth that comes from a source completely outside of yourself.

You are loved by the Creator who shaped and fashioned you, and therefore, you are so very valuable.
Always remember that.

We desperately crave to be significant. We want to feel significant. We want others to think of us as significant. But God isn’t interested in us feeling significant. He wants us to realize that HE is the only one truly significant. He wants us to become completely obedient to Him so that others see just how glorious and significant He is.

…we want our lives to count, to have great results, to focus on the end instead of the means.
But we need to move:
from the pursuit of significance in our lives
    to the pursuit of simple obedience to the things of God.

The means are more important than the end.
The journey more important than the destination.
–David Goetz

We must be careful about pursuing significance, because it leads to selfishness and arrogance, whereas obedience to God which shows how significant He is will actually help us to find the fulfillment in life we all desire!

     The most common objection I hear when I am training churches in evangelism is this: “All my friends are Christians! With work, parental responsibilities, church activities, there‘s no time left to form a friendship with a seeker.”
     Life does get more complicated with greater responsibilities as we get older. Yet to have no time to be “the aroma of Christ” to an unbelieving neighbor, friend, or colleague means we aren’t taking seriously God’s command to “go and make disciples.”
     What an insidious reversal of the biblical command to be salt and light to the world! The rabbit-hole Christian remains insulated and isolated from the world when she is commanded to penetrate it. How can we be the salt of the earth if we never get out of the saltshaker?
–Rebecca Pippert

We are all busy.
We all have many responsibilities… at home, at work, with family, with recreation.
But shouldn’t I take the responsibility given to me by God – the One who sent His Son; the One who died for me – shouldn’t I take what He says as being of the utmost importance?

How many of us live more for ourselves than for His kingdom?
He tells us to “love your neighbor as yourself”…. Have I even gone across the street to meet my neighbor?
He tells be to be on mission for Him…. With all the vacations that I take as being my prerogative or privilege for all my hard work, have I ever chosen to use that time to take a mission trip?

Too many of us have bought into the lie that we are too busy to get out of the saltshaker. But I wonder if maybe it is just that my selfishness keeps getting in my way and keeping me from being willing to obey Christ in the ways I know I should. He tells us to lay down our lives, our wants, our desires, our plans to minister to others in His Name. Why am I so unwilling?

He tells us that the Christian life means serious business… And that may mean that we have to get rid of some of our busy-ness so that we can prioritize His business.

We make times for the things that we want to do.
Let us want to do His will.
Let’s get out of that saltshaker!