Over Give Under Spend

For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will – 2 Corinthians 8:3

When it comes to spending and budgeting the vast majority of people in the western world go beyond their means. They use their credit card, store card or buy that car or house which they know that they can not really afford. However, when it comes to ones spiritual life this mentality is soon forgotten.

For the believers at the church at Macedonia they realized that a life devoted onto Jesus Christ was a life where they would have to give more than they would be ever able to afford. It didn’t mean a life where they were writing checks which they knew were going to bounce, it didn’t mean racking up an out of control balance on their credit card, but it did mean giving of their life to the point that they couldn’t give anymore. In fact it meant just as Jesus said that anyone who wants to follow Him, they must first take up their cross, these Macedonian believers got it. They realized that they would have to give and keep giving unto God because their life was not their own. They realized that through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ they had been bought with a price, this meant they would give what was expected, and then give more in gratitude and thanksgiving unto God.

This world has it so wrong! We overspend on ourselves what we can’t afford and under give to God what we can afford. Instead, God is looking for people who will over give even though it will cost them what they can’t afford and under spend on themselves out of what they can afford. Copy the Macedonians and don’t withhold from giving unto the Lord.

Highs & Lows of 2010 – Part 4

As we continue in this weeks blog looking at the life lessons I discover through the highs and low of 2010, here is part 4:

4. Loving & Giving is so much better than Taking and Receiving

For me 2010 was the year where I found the gift of giving to others. From stretching my own personal finances, to giving to families in need, to giving my time and energy, to loving my spouse at a whole new level to also finding a depth of love for my creator, 2010 was a great year.

I remember the day I said to one of our team members Jill that I wanted her to put together some food baskets for families in need, but I wanted them to be extravagant. Her resposne was great, and the feeling of hearing her plan to extravagantly give brought me goose dimples.

The weekend I planned for my wife in New York to celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary made me feel like I was a kid going to Disney world was my impatience to surprise her. That will go down as one of the top five weekends of my life!

The feeling of giving up TV time to go through a book study with one of my friends gave me so much joy.

Putting my tithe check into the Generation Church basket each week flooded my heart with such contentment knowing that I was not a financial burden on the church (trust me I have felt like that on staff at churches before) but I could contribute to it’s stability.

Looking at the people of Generation Church knowing that I have a love for them that goes far beyond and sense of empathy or compassion I have experienced before.

The incredible thing I have experienced in 2010 is that while I have really discovered the joy of loving and giving, I have now realized that there is so much more in me, and the more I extend my loving and giving the more I receive back!

2010 taught me that it really is better to give than receive!

A Meal or A Boy’s Tuition?

There are moments in our lives when it is hard not to realize we can be so selfish.

 Yesterday, my wife and I along with a few friends went out to a semi high class restaurant for a friend’s birthday. The bill between all seven of us was not pretty! Even though my wife and I didn’t spend too much, it was a little more than a visit to Ruby Tuesdays (I think what we spend together others pay for just drinks!)

As we were eating, Raquel (my wife) got talking to one of the employees who cleared tables. He was from Ecuador and lives with his brother. He has a family who lives back in Ecuador and explained to Raquel about his son who was 11 years old. In Ecuador in order to take English or computer classes it costs extra money. In fact it costs $40 per hour for children to take these classes. That’s a lot of money anywhere, but in Ecuador it is a phenomenal amount.

This man works from 9am till after 11pm each day with only one day off each week. All his money is sent back to Ecuador for his family, and any extra he makes goes towards his son’s English and Computer classes. This is a man who daily makes a sacrifice so that his family can have an opportunity at a better life and here were we spending more money on a meal (that has no significance on our lives) than a child’s tuition in Ecuador. I wonder what kind of impact we could have made if we had given our money towards a boy’s tuition instead of feasting on ourselves.

In 2 Corinthians 8:13 Paul tells us to give generously to others, not so that we might become poor, but so that others may not have to suffer as much. Yesterday was a great example to me of how we constantly have opportunities to help others, but so often in our own selfish ways, we take the needy and hurting out of line of sight and just see our own needs and desires.

What can you do today to give generously to others to relieve their pain?