When it comes to the end of your life,
what would you want to be remembered for? One of the defining characteristics I
hope you and I will be remembered for is generosity. My hope is that people
would say of us, “He was defined by generosity,” or “She lived what Jesus
taught: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts. 20:35) My hope is
that we would learn the truth of Winston Churchill’s famous words: “We make a
living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”
When
God created humankind, God designed us to be generous. But there is another
voice that is at war against God. It is the voice of fear, which tells us, “If
you give there may not be enough left over for you.” We are afraid to be
generous because we are afraid of what might happen to us. What if we don’t have enough to fill the gas
tank or buy groceries or pay the bills? Fear, along with a misplaced idea about
the true source of our security, keeps us from being generous and leads us to
hoard what we have. There is a second voice of self-gratification, which tells
us, “If you give, you won’t have enough money to buy the stuff you need to make
you happy.” Our culture tells us that our lives consist in the abundance of our
possessions and pleasurable experiences. So we find ourselves thinking, “If I
give, there won’t be enough left for me.” So how do we defeat the voices of
fear and self-gratification? They are defeated the moment we put our faith in
Jesus Christ. As the Holy Spirit continues to work in our lives, we begin to
think less about ourselves and more about others. We begin to see the needs of
others and wonder, “If I don’t do something, who will?” We discover that we
find more joy in doing things for other people and for God than we ever did in
doing things for ourselves. This is what Jesus meant when he said, “It is more
blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts. 20:35)
Lord of Life Vacation Bible School
The
central theological foundation for generosity is this: “Life is a gift, and
everything belongs to God.” Even your
capacity to acquire wealth is a gift from God. You didn’t bring any of it with
you when you came into this world, and you won’t take any of it with you when
you leave. From the early days of the Old Testament, God’s people observed the
practice of giving some portion of the best of what they had to God. A gift
offered to God was called the first fruits or the tithe, and it equaled
one-tenth of one’s flocks or crops or income. That practice continues for
people of God to this day. Most Christians agree that the tithe is still a good
guideline for our lives and one that is pleasing to God. Tithing is a
challenging idea for many. It can be a stretch, especially for those who are
wrestling with the voices of fear and self-gratification. Sandi and I have been
tithers for most of our marriage and are blessed to move beyond that in our
giving. It simply might not be possible for you to begin giving 10% to God, but
I encourage you to take a step in that direction. Perhaps you can give 2% or 5%
or 7%.
Lord of Life Stephen Ministers
Here
is an interesting fact: Our generosity to God and others not only touches God
and other people, it also changes us. Malachi is right when he says, “Bring
your full tithes. Put me to the test, and see if I won’t throw upon the gates
of heaven and pour down for you an overflowing blessing.” (Malachi 3:10) Sometimes
you hear people say that the church is always asking for money. That statement
is untrue. It is the world that is always asking for money. When did you last
go to the grocery store and have a checkout clerk not ask for money? Your
mortgage company/bank regularly asks you for money. Most of us see a collection
of bills coming through the mail or online every month. Are any of them from
the church? Who withholds a percentage of every dollar you earn? Uncle Sam does,
your Heavenly Father does not. There is no free lunch except at the church. You
can attend and worship every week with no admission charge. If you are sick or
in the hospital, our pastors come to pray with you. Where else can you get free
counseling when you need it? Where will your children be married? Our building
is well maintained so that whenever we are here it is comfortable, clean, cool
and inviting. No one knows whether you contribute money or not. You have to pay
taxes to provide your children “free public education.” Our church operates a
Sunday school for no cost to you. The church requires no membership fee, no
annual dues, and it never sends you a bill. Is there any other organization in
the world that functions this way? So you can see the church asks for money far
less that some say. Yet the church needs money to conduct the ministry. Christ
calls us to provide. Our money goes to share Christ’s love. Isn’t that
something you want to be part of? So pray and consider what you share now and
see if you could increase that amount. But we will serve folks whether they
contribute or not.
A
man was on vacation with his family at a rented cottage on the New England
seashore. On the first day of his vacation, he was out in the yard digging a
hole. He was putting out a small plant. As his son observed this strenuous
work, he asked his Dad why he was going to such effort to put out a plant when
this was not even their cottage. They would not even be returning the next
year. The father replied, “Somebody will be here.” “What kind of plant is it?”
the son asked. “A century plant” his father replied. “A century plant, you mean
it won’t bloom for a hundred years? The son asked. “Not that long,” the father
explained, “Maybe twenty or thirty years.” The boy was astonished. “Why in the
world would you come out on this hot morning on your vacation in a rented
cottage to put out a plant that won’t even bloom for twenty years?” The father
paused and looked up at his son. “I saw one the other day, and realized that
someone twenty or thirty years ago wanted to share it with me. And so he
planted it for my enjoyment. Some day, I said to myself, I’m going to plant one
so that people will enjoy it after I’m gone. And that’s what I’m doing this
morning.”
What
will you do to have a lasting significance? May you have a tenacious grip on
faith, cultivated contentment, and be defined by your generosity.
May you live a life well lived,
Pastor
Qualley
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