GIVING TO MAKE A LIVING
In the Bible there is a lot of talk about giving.
There is one sure way if you want to get some
people upset, just start to talk about giving – you don’t even have to talk
about it, just start to talk about it, and they will get up and walk away – the
attitude comes up, the hackles come upon the back of the neck and you can hear
them screaming inside their head “Oh
No! – here we go badgering us about money” – that may well be true in some
churches – I hear reports of some churches talking about almost nothing but
money.
While I’ll
probably talk mainly about giving money, that’s because there are so many
illustrations about giving money, but I am really talking about giving in all
areas of life, living a giving lifestyle – giving to make a living, so in
everything I say don’t just relate it to financial generosity – and just giving
to the church – but to spiritual, love, and friendship.
Money is
necessary to run a church – like it or not – Paul had to have a shot at the
Corinthian church about their attitude to giving, in 2 Corinthians 8 – He even
had to send Titus back to them to encourage them – they had excelled in many
different ways they had great faith, gifted speakers, knowledge, enthusiasm & love for Paul
& his ministry but they had started a support project with other
churches to give to the Christians in Jerusalem who were struggling.
The
Corinthians had actually initiated the project, but it appears the Corinthians
had got side tracked doing other things and had lost their focus on helping the
struggling church at Jerusalem, the Corinthians appear to have been quite well
off by what Paul had to say to them, while the church at Macedonia was having
hard times and were in deep poverty yet in 2 Cor 8:4 we read the Macedonians
begged Paul again & again for the
gracious PRIVILEGE of
sharing in the gift for the Christians in Jerusalem.
The
Macedonians had a God given attitude to giving, it wasn’t a chore or a necessity,
it was a privilege.
Some
people say I can’t afford to give tithes or offerings because it would be too
much to give, or I don’t earn enough – a tithe is a tenth of whatever you earn
whether it’s a dollar or a million dollars – the ratio is the same 1 in 10.
The Bible
tells us to give out of what we earn
Mark
That was
equal to about $1.00 AUD.
What place does God have in your budget? Do you give Him priority over
everything else, or does He get just the leftovers -- the few dollars you can
easily spare?
An African convert who loved the Lord earned money by making and selling
a special kind of bean cake. She had always been conscientious in her giving,
but after suffering a severe foot injury in an accident her income ceased. It
was many long months before she could resume her work.
Eagerly she awaited the day she could sell her tasty cakes again. She
promised the missionary that she would give one-third of her earnings to the
Lord instead of just 10 percent. She said her goal for the first week of business
was to make a profit of 3 shillings. The missionary was surprised, therefore,
when the woman returned after only 2 days with one shilling as an offering for
the Lord. "You surely haven't earned 3 shillings already!" he
exclaimed. The woman was perplexed by his response. "Do you think I would
give my Lord the last of the three?" she asked. "This is the first
one and it belongs to Him -- the other two I make, will be for me."
She had
taken a lesson from: Prov 3:9 10 Honor the Lord by giving him the
first part of all your income, and he will fill your barns with wheat and
barley and overflow your wine vats with the finest wines.[2]
Giving is
about more than just tithes and offerings, and projects though.
Giving is
about attitude – it is about a state of the heart, a way of life.
To be a
giver you don’t have to be financially wealthy, but you do need to be
spiritually wealthy, and the more you give the more you will get out of it, not
necessarily in cash but in joy & laying up treasures in heaven.
It can be
in a simple act like Christ washing the Disciple’s feet, there was a great
lesson there in the master serving the servants, teaching the disciples to
minister to each other as Jesus had ministered to them.
When we
give – As the giver our lives are enriched – also when we receive our lives are
enriched.
I have
been at both ends of the giving/receiving continuum. And believe me when I have
been really stuck for cash – and God has placed it on someone’s heart to give
us a gift, it has been such a blessing.
Also when
I have been able to be the giver, it has been an even bigger blessing to me
because I have had the means to give.
We have a
bit of a wonderful culture at
Over the years when God places someone on our hearts
who is in need, and we feel lead to give them cash or some other gift, we often
do it through a third party who is sworn to secrecy, so the person receiving
the gift never knows who it has come from, and if it is cash we often put it in
an envelope so the person passing it on for us hasn’t got a clue what’s in it
either.
Why on
earth would you do that you may ask, - well?
Number one it’s a fun way to do
it, you know the person receiving it is going to wrack their brains trying to
work out who on earth it could have come from,
Number
two it eliminates all chance of a payback gift – (remember this is often
giving because of the leading of the Holy Spirit), and often the gift will pass
through a number of hands before it arrives at the final receiver – We normally
follow it’s progress until the person it’s intended for receives it, and your
busting for them to open it so you can see their reaction – it’s fantastic to
watch the shock and amazement on peoples faces when they receive a gift that
way.
Number
three it’s scriptural – the Bible says in Matt 6:3-4 “3 When you do a charitable deed do not let your left hand know
what your right hand is doing 4 that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your
Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.” In other
words don’t do something so people will look at you and say what a great person
you are – God Himself knows what you have done & why you have done it.
Number
four it gives God the glory instead of you, for providing for the person He
has laid on your heart.
If you
want a thrill give someone a gift for no reason – other than the reason that you
can.
There are
times when it is good to give gifts to someone to let them know you love
them and care for them and that’s good too, as long as you are not doing it to
score points with them – because if that’s why you are giving it’s best that
you don’t give at all.
At a church meeting a very wealthy man rose
to tell the rest of those present about his Christian faith. "I'm a
millionaire," he said, "and I attribute it all to the rich blessings
of God in my life. I remember that turning point in my faith. I had just earned
my first dollar and I went to a church meeting that night. The speaker was a
missionary who told about his work. I knew that I only had a dollar bill and
had to either give it all to God's work or nothing at all. So at that moment I
decided to give my whole dollar to God. I believe that God blessed that
decision, and that is why I am a rich man today."
He finished and there was an awed silence
at his testimony as he moved toward his seat. As he sat down a little old lady
sitting in the same pew leaned over and said to him: "I dare you to do it
again."
--James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited
(Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988), p. 458.
It’s a bit unfortunate that we have to work to make
a living, I must admit that if I had the chance not to have to work to earn
money I would love it, but then there is the other side to that, the more I
earn the more I can give.
It’s sad that we can get so tied up earning money
and trying to make a fortune, that we can very easily forget to live – and
forget about what our life is all about – BEING PEOPLE OF GOD, SERVING GOD
AND EACH OTHER – AND SPENDING TIME – SHOWING OUR LOVE FOR EACH OTHER IN
FELLOWSHIP.
We make a living by what we get out of life,
but we make a life by what we give.
--James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited
(Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988) p. 239.
Husbands, I don’t know if you know this, but your
wives like to receive gifts – special gifts that tell her that YOU LOVE HER,
not just birthday and Christmas presents, but gifts that are given just because
you can give – SURPRISE GIFTS, not irons, and frying pans but special
things, flowers, - even a card that just says – “no hidden agenda, no
purpose – just “I LOVE YOU”.
Wives – guess what no matter how big & tough
your husband may be, deep down, we crave the same thing – well maybe not the
flowers – unless you can eat them. But it’s not good enough to think – he knows
I love him – SHOW HIM !!
Unfortunately
the longer people are married, the chances of them doing things like that get
less & less, when they should be doing it more & more – why? Simple, because you can, & it’s nice to
show that you care – one of the things that people of all ages crave most is
INTIMACY.
Parents, don’t forget the children – don’t rush in
& out of the house so quickly that you don’t have time to give for your
children – they need your time & your love – even if they don’t seem to
think it’s cool they still need you.
Children – Give time to your parents – they don’t
owe you a living – but they do need your help around the house - & believe
it or not they need your love & affection.
You don’t have to listen to too many reports on
suicide, and drug and alcohol abuse before you start hearing the same cries of
anguish – time & time again the reason for the sense of hopelessness is the
lack of someone caring, and saying I love you, someone prepared to give of
themselves.
That is a full time job for every one of us,
wherever we are, that was Christ’s example to us.
What did He do? He went about showing people he
cared.
I have almost made it part of my mission in
ministry, to tell people to do it now, this life is so short, it’s so sad when
you sit beside the bedside of someone who is dying and listen to the regrets
they have – some of them have spent a life time hating someone, and now it’s
too late to put it right.
Business people who are dying with millions of
dollars in the bank, but they are so poor because they have cut everybody off
from their lives, and people are happy to see them die because at least now
they might get something from them – they couldn’t get love but now they might
get money – that’s sad.
And people saying I should have given more time and
love to my family and friends instead of being so busy just working and
surviving.
Folks I believe if that’s the lifestyle you are
leading now , and you know you are going to have these same regrets before you
die (if you live long enough to have time for regrets) – you are already dead –
it’s time NOW to do something about it – don’t wait until tomorrow.
If
there’s someone you haven’t been treating properly, someone you have been
neglecting, let them know that you care – say your sorry, you might say
“It’s all right for you to talk like
that but it’s not my fault, that relative or ex-friend was to blame – they
treated me bad” SO WHAT!!
IF YOU
ARE GOING TO REGRET IT ALL LATER – FIX IT NOW.
What a fantastic gift to give someone – tell them
that you love them and you forgive them.
Where would we be if God said you and I are separated because you
sinned so, until you come back to me I am not going to do anything to bring us
back together, Christ isn’t going to the cross until you’re nice to me again?
I’ll tell you where we’d be, we’d be getting ready for an eternity in hell
without God.
Sometimes the acquisition of the gift, and the
effort it takes to get or make the gift is what makes the gift valuable – not
just the gift itself – take a diamond for instance – in reality it is just a
lump of very old very stressed burnt out black coal – a bit like me I think –
but it is the time spent under stress and then the work of cutting and faceting
the otherwise useless lump of rock that makes it valuable.
Title: Long Walk, Much Love
The African boy listened carefully as the teacher explained why it is
that Christians give presents to each other on Christmas Day. "The gift is
an expression of our joy over the birth of Jesus and our friendship for each
other," she said.
When Christmas Day came, the boy brought the teacher a sea shell of
lustrous beauty. "Where did you ever find such a beautiful shell?"
the teacher asked.
The youth told her that there was only one spot where such extraordinary
shells could be found--a certain bay several miles away.
"Why--why, it's gorgeous," said the teacher. "But you
shouldn't have gone all that way to get a gift for me." His eyes
brightening, the boy answered, "Long walk part of gift."
--James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House
Publishers, Inc, 1988) pp. 233-234.
1 Cor 16:2
On every Lord’s Day each of you
should put aside something from what you have earned during the week, and use
it for this offering. The amount depends on how much the Lord has helped you
earn. Don’t wait until I get there and then try to collect it all at once[3]
We need to plan our giving – look
for opportunities to be generous.
1
Kings
10 When Elijah came near the town gate
of Zarephath, he saw a widow gathering sticks for a fire. “Would you please
bring me a cup of water?” he asked. 11 As she left to get it, he asked, “Would
you also please bring me a piece of bread?”
12 The widow answered, “In the name of
the living Lord your God, I swear
that I don’t have any bread. All I have is a handful of flour and a little
olive oil. I’m on my way home now with these few sticks to cook what I have for
my son and me. After that, we will starve to death.”
13 Elijah said, “Everything will be
fine. Do what you said. Go home and fix something for you and your son. But first,
please make a small piece of bread and bring it to me. 14 The Lord God of
15 The widow went home and did exactly
what Elijah had told her. She and Elijah and her family had enough food for a
long time. 16 The Lord kept the
promise that his prophet Elijah had made, and she did not run out of flour or
oil.
Elijah Brings a Boy Back to Life
17 Several days later, the son of the
woman who owned the house got sick, and he kept getting worse, until finally he
died.
18 The woman shouted at Elijah, “What
have I done to you? I thought you were God’s prophet. Did you come here to
cause the death of my son as a reminder that I’ve sinned against God?”
19 “Bring me your son,” Elijah said.
Then he took the boy from her arms and carried him upstairs to the room where
he was staying. Elijah laid the boy on his bed 20 and prayed, “Lord God, why did you do such a
terrible thing to this woman? She’s letting me stay here, and now you’ve let
her son die.” 21 Elijah stretched himself out over the boy three times, while
praying, “Lord God, bring this
boy back to life!”
22 The Lord answered Elijah’s prayer, and the boy started breathing
again. 23 Elijah picked him up and carried him downstairs. He gave the boy to
his mother and said, “Look, your son is alive.”
24 “You are God’s prophet!” the woman
replied. “Now I know that you really do speak for the Lord.”
Like the
widow of Zarephath we need to learn to trust God that when He promises to watch
over us – He will – He is Jehovah Jireh our provider.
Tithes
& offerings are our responsible worship to God, but we should give out of
love & worship not out of responsibility, and we need to give far more than
just material things.
Luke 6:38
38 For if
you give, you will get! Your gift will return to you in full and overflowing
measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over.
Whatever measure you use to give—large or small—will be used to measure what is
given back to you.”[5]
Baylor University is a fine institution in
Matt
6:19-20 “Do not lay up for yourselves
treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and
steal; 20“but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither
moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
IN CONCLUSION
I just want
to encourage you on a couple of levels:
1 – As a church be generous givers –
and increase your giving in every way possible – financially, spiritually and
physically to the community.
2 – As individuals – give to each
other
3 – Look for opportunities to help each other
4 - Look for opportunities to bless each other,
look for opportunities to bless the other churches on the island.
5 – If you know someone is in need, or someone
needs help to do something – don’t wait to be asked – be there to help however
you can.
Make your life count – we don’t want to just
exist, but to make a difference.
Be a person who’s giving to make a living
Let there be joy in the house of God Amen?
Ps Michael Pilkington
HisLand Ministries
Sun City Christian Church Townsville Inc
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