Dear Friend,

I have four kids whom I love dearly. My love for them is secure. None of them have to ever worry about losing it. And none of them ever have to worry about no longer being my child. They will forever, and always, be my child.

However, when the kids were growing up, we had certain standards in our home. These were behavioral expectations of how they were to treat us as their parents and their siblings as well. When they broke these standards, they didn’t stop being our children. But they did experience the consequences.

This wasn’t because we loved them any less. It was because it was our job as parents to not only train them, but also enforce relational expectations within our home.

God is a loving Father, and He loves each of us passionately. Just as any parent’s heart is hurt when one of their children hurts another one of their children, God’s heart is burdened as well when that happens in the body of Christ. Beyond that, when He bestows on each of us different elements of His favor - whether that be good health, blessed finances, skills, or even relational acumen - He doesn’t do that simply for us. He does that so we are then a conduit of His blessing to others. Yet when it stops with us and does not flow through us to others, do you think He’s going to continue pouring out His favor upon us? What would you do with your child?

What if you were in a candy store with two of your kids, and you thought to make things easier you would buy one bag full of candy that they could share. So you gave it to your oldest child and asked him to pass it on as requested to your youngest child. Your oldest was the steward of the candy, but not the owner. It belonged to both of them. However, in time you saw your oldest child hoarding all of the candy and refusing to give any to your youngest child when she asked. What would you do? When the candy ran out, would you fill it back up and give it to your oldest again? Or would you make other arrangements this time?

Your love for your child hadn’t changed. But your child’s experience of your blessing and provision in his or her life would have changed after that.

Similarly, none of us are owners of what we have, whether that’s our time, talents, or treasures. They all belong to God. And they are given to us to be used in a way that advances His kingdom on earth, benefits one another, and glorifies Him. When we fail to function in a manner that aligns with God’s teaching on how we are to be with “one another” - we are NOT removing ourselves from God’s family. We are NOT cutting ourselves off from Him. But we are limiting the full expression and experience of His presence and goodness in our lives. Not because He is mean, but rather because He is good. He has established the principles of the “one anothers” as a way of meeting the needs amongst us all.

I’m so excited about the potential impact of this series, that we’ve put together two ways you can request it and thus apply it in your life and in your church. I look forward to hearing from you and reading the testimonies of how God used you to help someone else, and in return - how He brought that blessing right back to you!

For the King and His kingdom,

More from The Alternative View:  

Testimony Time

“God bless you, Dr. Tony Evans, for demonstrating God's unconditional love, mercy, and grace. I found your The Alternative program in the early '90s when traveling to school and work and have been a fan since then. Thank you for the healing and enlightenment that WILL be harvested from the seeds you are sowing in Oklahoma.”   

“Dr. Evans: I really enjoy listening to you every chance I get! I'm an over the road trucker and try to listen as much as possible, but I'm not always where I can hear you. However, the messages I've heard have really touched me. Thank you for being such a straight talker and tellin' it like it is!”   

“I love Tony Evans! He is awesome! I love listening to him in the car. We need people like him!”