October 25th

The Sucking Sound of Greed

But this I say: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 2 Corinthians 9:6

What do you talk about the most? Chances are good that it's something very important to you.

Well, quite interestingly, what Jesus talked about more than anything else was money. Money! The reason Jesus talked so much about money is because it's a good measurement of how fully our hearts are given to Him.

Our attitude toward money and giving is a lot like baseball-there's a blessing that we can win, a scoring of points for the glory of God, but we've got to get all the way around the bases. So, to do this, we need to know what the bases are.

First base is a willing heart. This means more than the minimum. Just doing the minimum looks like giving based on the need instead of on God's Word. Listen, Bill Gates' tithe could pay the entire budget for a whole bunch of churches, but that's not the point. If giving goes beyond budget, praise God! We don't give based on need, grudgingly or out of obligation, but generously out of whatever we have.

You can't score from first base, so we go to second base, which is a readiness. What you need to know is that there is no age limit to readiness. It's not like, Well, I'm still in high school, so I'm don't tithe yet, or, Well, I'm in college, so I have debt, so I don't tithe. Whether you have an allowance, debt, or high-paying executive job, God's Word still applies to you. Readiness means that you understand this and give generously no matter where you are in life.

Third base is an eagerness to give. Eagerness goes beyond readiness. Readiness means you're ready to give, but eagerness means that you want to. Why would you want to? Aside from simply pleasing God, you'd want to because you know God's promise to bless you and give back to you when you do.

Finally, home base is earnestness in your giving. This means you don't quit or give up. You don't let distraction come in and get you off your game, forgetting to give or losing your discipline in generosity.

When we put all four of these together, it brings home the blessings of God and glorifies Him in our hearts.

Prayer Lord Jesus,

Thank You for caring so much about my heart! Thank You also for showing me how I can demonstrate the all my heart belongs to You-by giving as Your Word says to give!

Amen