VEHICLE No. 5 [GIVING]
Freedom Park in South Africa is home to thousands of homeless individuals, most of whom are born with and/or are currently dying of AIDS. Every day people die in Freedom Park and leave children behind to fend for themselves. In many cases, preteen children are raising their younger siblings in this field because both parents have already passed away.
It’s a very sad reality, but it also provides an excellent conversation point. If you weren’t born in Freedom Park with AIDS, you did nothing to warrant that. In fact, you had nothing to do with what country you were born in, who your parents are, or what sort of opportunities you might have in this life. Think of that—you could have just as easily been born in Freedom Park, but most of you reading this probably weren’t! And it wasn’t because you earned your lot in life in any way, shape, or form. God says it this way:
You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth. Deuteronomy 8:17-18 (NIV)
God says, “Don’t kid yourself.” Every opportunity you have to produce wealth, and every ability you have to take advantage of such opportunities comes from Him. In other words, everything we have; we have because God gave it to us. When we can see our possessions and finances in
this light, then giving God back a small percentage of what He already gave us isn’t that bad of a proposition. Again, it will be our choice to obey God or not, and we will be rewarded accordingly as Luke 16:10-12 reads:
Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own? Luke 16:10-12 (NIV)
God tells each one of us that if we will be obedient with our finances and bring Him back a portion of what He’s given us, He’ll blow us away with the blessings that follow.
Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. Proverbs 3:9-10 (NIV)
And to be clear, God says to bring Him the “firstfruits.” He’s not looking for leftovers. God says, “I gave it all to you, so you’re really just giving Me back a small portion of what I gave you. And it should come off the top, not the bottom of your finances.” Driving the GIVING vehicle may be difficult for some of us at first, but according to God’s Word, this mode of spiritual transportation will take us closer to God, faster than we ever imagined!
Movement Day 26
TO DO
- Ask God to begin giving you a spirit of generosity.
- Talk to God about your fears or excitements when it comes to giving His way. • Ask God to help you sense His presence today, as you are trying to trust Him in some seemingly risky ways.
TO READ
- MATTHEW 26
- PROVERBS 26
- Write down one thought.
TO REMEMBER
You can’t out-give God! He often follows up directives to give with promises of blessing for obedience. It may feel risky to start trusting God in this area but get ready for some huge blessings as a result. God wants to have a real and authentic connection with you today, and this vehicle will help make that a reality!
VEHICLE No. 5 [GIVING}
Today concludes our daily thoughts about Vehicle No. 5: GIVING
You might come up with a whole list of excuses why you can’t give God’s way at this point in your life. Stop it. It will never get easier. If you’re broke, you’ll say, “I can’t give now. I need everything I have. “If you make a lot of money, you’ll say, “I can’t give that much; 10 percent of what I make is an awful lot. That doesn’t make sense.”
Trusting God with your money gets harder as you have more. There’s no time like the present; start trusting God today with your finances and watch Him begin to do things in this area of your life that you never could have done on your own! This is a pivotal leg of your journey toward God. Don’t miss out on it!
Recent Comments