Thursday

God Doesn't Need My Money

"God doesn't need my money," he said to me, "but I need to give it."

This is possibly the wisest piece of biblical financial counsel I have ever heard.

God owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He can pull enough money from the mouth of a fish to pay two men's taxes. He can make limited resources unlimited, and call into being that which is not. God and his work here on earth do not need my money.

But I need to give it.

I need to give to remind myself that everything I have comes from him. The breath in my lungs, the strength in my body, the brain in my skull, and whatever abilities or creativity I possess are all gifts freely given to me by God.

I need to give to remind myself to seek first the kingdom of God, and all the other parts of my life, including my finances, will fall into their proper order.

I need to give to remind myself it's not all about me, and that there are people who are less fortunate than I who can use my help.

I need to give to personally experience the miracle of the loaves and fishes.

I need to give because where my treasure is, there will my heart be also. If I am only marginally invested in our church and its missionaries, food pantry, and benevolence fund, then I will also be marginally involved in its work. If I have invested much, I will pray for the mnistries, work with, promote, and love them.

I need to give because I am naturally selfish. If left to my own inclinations, I'll usually invest my best time, energy, and resources in bettering myself, not promoting God's kingdom.

I need to give because God's work is the only work that lasts for eternity. When I give to God, I'm investing in someone else's eternal destiny. I can't think of a better return for my money.

I need to give because I want more faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God. When I give instead of hoard, I exercise faith. Like a muscle, faith grows when exercised, so if I exercise faith by giving, my faith muscle grows bigger and stronger.

 I need to give to acknowledge that my job is not my provider; God is.

I need to give to remind myself that I serve God, not the other way around.

And finally, I need to give because I owe a debt I can never repay. "For God so loved the world that He GAVE His only Son."

Lord Jesus, if you never did another thing for me after you saved me, I would still be forever in your debt. When I give you my money, time, and talents, it is my humble way of saying 'Thank you.' Thank you for loving me, providing for me, and for every 'good and perfect gift' that comes down from above. I did not earn Your kindness, nor will I ever deserve it, but I am humbly grateful. I love you, Lord.

 "There is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing; And one who makes himself poor, yet has great riches"  (Proverbs 13:7-8). 




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6 comments:

  1. Lori,
    I think this is one of the best lists of reasons to give of any I have ever seen. Amen to everything you said. I will bookmark this and maybe link it to a WOW or BLN devotion in the future. I really like the thoroughness with which you covered the subject!
    Thanks. And thanks for linking up with Bless a Blogger!
    Gail

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous12:38 AM

    Just beautiful. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous9:33 PM

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  4. Anonymous1:20 AM

    Lori, found this at Encourage One Another, so happy that I did :) Have a blessed day. Tara.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Love this post, I linked to it on my blog :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Lori! This is my first visit to your blog.

    I really liked your post, and it's not easy to talk about donating money these days. Seems like money is such a 'hot button' issue. But money is a gift from God, and we should return to him.

    Of course, I am naturally selfish. Aren't we all? It's good to get the reminder that we can overcome that too.

    Peace in Christ,
    Ceil

    ReplyDelete

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