Where is your line drawn in the sand?

Albert Schweitzer said, "Sometimes our light goes out but is blown again into flame by an encounter with another human being. Each of us owes the deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this inner light."
Don't you love those stories of people who rekindle your faith in mankind? I consider myself blessed to have such people in my life! I hope to inspire you and show you how you can build this quality into your life to a greater measure.

I confess to you that for many years, I looked at giving all backwards. I thought that my weekly paycheck was mine to do with as I wished, and if there was anything left over after I paid bills and bought whatever I wanted, then I would give to my church. But there never seemed to be enough money to make it through to the next pay day, and there was certainly not enough to give to my church. Every Sunday, for some reason, I felt guilty when the basket was passed around, and I had a sinking feeling in my gut that somehow I was doing something wrong but I didn’t understand what that was. I felt a bit perturbed that God didn’t seem to be meeting my needs very well, so he certainly shouldn’t be mad at me for not having very much to give.

I invite you to think about how and why you give. Not because this is a desparate plea to get money for the church, because we are doing well. This goes back to what we believe about God and how much we really trust him to do what He promises He will do. If this is an area of your life that is dormant or not at a high octane level yet you are missing out on a source of real joy.

In Malachi 3:10 God invites people to, “test Him” in the matter of giving. I hope that you will try a 30-day test and see what your results are at the end of that time. Record what you are giving each week to your church in one column; and in the second column record any savings or gifts that come your way (an unexpected dinner with friends and they pick up the tab, what you saved at the grocery store, a pair of shoes on clearance, an amount higher in your tax return than what you expected). In most cases, the amount in the second column is going to be more than in the first column.

Step one in giving is this- for four weeks, begin giving 10% of your income to your church or this church. Give off the top before you spend a dime of your income, then watch to see if God does not begin working in your life in ways you haven’t previously experienced. If you are already giving that,amount increase it. If after 30 days you regret that decision OR if you feel you didn’t experience God’s divine help in your finances during this time period- we will give back the extra that you have given here, then you can discontinue giving above what you had been giving. How many times do you hear of a church willing to give your donation back to you if you aren't satisfied? However, if you experience God’s help in a variety of ways then joyfully continue giving 10% or more back to God with gratitude. I guarantee you - you cannot out give God!

A number of years ago, I discovered I Corinthians 16:2, “Every Sunday each of you make an offering and put it in safekeeping. Be as generous as you can. In doing this you are storing up so you may prosper.”

God had drawn a line in the sand for me to cross over- setting aside something for him on Sunday beyond my normal giving.

At first, I didn’t understand how the verse could apply to my life. At the time I thought it was simply a method for building prosperity for the church. I began a practice of looking back and keeping a list of how God had provided for me. Each week, I discovered many ways that God provided outside of my normal income. I started to see so many blessings that God creatively brought into my life as the weeks passed. This may not have been in cash- but it was like finding unexpected surprises and gifts.

Slowly a light bulb went on in my understanding and I realized how I had had it all backwards. I couldn’t receive from God, use it solely for my own purposes, and then say, God I need more if you want me to give anything back to you. If I was going to live a joyous and generous life and have what I needed, I had to be willing to release my possessiveness over a small portion of what I had as the first step.

Here are some of the lessons I learned in practicing joyful giving that helped me move from what I used to believe about giving to the present day:

1. Step one will be to give 10% to church. Plan a time each week where you will begin to write down God’s provisions from the previous week in a “Blessings Notebook.” It is critically important to do this if you want to begin to see the pattern and level to which God sends abundance into your life and it will help you release your previous view of giving. Record any surprise, increase or savings you saw to your finances. Cigarettes on sale, gas for the car dropped 2 cents- don't miss anything!
Write down the amount you WOULD HAVE BEEN WILLING TO SPEND for an item that came to you unexpectedly. For example: When my parents moved, I was able to keep things that I could use that would no longer be useable in their new home. One item I kept was a $250 marble top table. I would have never spent that, but I might have “been willing to spend” $50 on a used table at a garage sale. So, in this example, I put down the value of the blessing at $50 (not $250).

Step 2-WHAT TO DO WITH THIS INFORMATION: Add up the value of the items you have been blessed with for the week (let’s say $100 in savings) and take 10% of the total ($10) and set that aside in a special place and consider this your “BLESSING FUND”. God will then give you ample opportunity to pull that out and give generously to another person.

This is the 4-Week Challenge: Give to the church, and then set aside an amount to begin your generosity to others in your life.

I am confident that the LORD has been blessing most people’s lives week by week but most people don’t “see” these blessings because they don’t take time to look for them.” Because of this, I encourage you to try this for at least four weeks to see what God is quietly doing for you! I believe seeing will truly lead you to a more joyful and generous life!

Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.”

If we belong to God, it’s logical to think that everything attached to us also belongs to Him. When we give to God, we are just taking our hands off what already belongs to Him. And the benefits and answers we will receive are often truly astounding. Pray and ask God to lead you to His provisions to meet your needs, whatever they are. I have often found insight into a problem I was having after I gave. I have seen that He often “transfers the ownership” of specifically needed items without cost or at significant savings to faithful givers.
Many people think that their needs are met through their paycheck, and not directly through God. While God may use our wages to provide for many of our needs, God is so much bigger than a paycheck! A company may be your employer, but God is your true provider. And as we shift our focus away from anyone other than God providing for us, it removes our dependence on our employer and puts it squarely on the One who can provide for our every need.

I have discovered that the Lord will draw a new line in the sand for us to cross over in order to live more generously and to experience Him more fully. My giving here at the church is at a higher level than I have ever given before. Every step of the way, we are being asked to consider the resources placed in our hands and to use them for the highest good. God invites us to release our ownership of just some of what we have for His work and to trust Him to be our provider. You may think that living this way would cause you to be fearful but I can tell you just the opposite is true.

We have envied people who seem to live extravagant lifestyles- spending lavish amounts on their entertainment and having every luxury available. Let me give you another version of an extravagant lifestyle:

When you are making more than you need, this may be a time of crossing over God’s new line in the sand. One couple limited their lifestyle spending so they could increase their giving. They decided that they would limit lifestyle spending to a specific annual amount and that ALL funds received over this amount, after essential bills were paid, would be given 100% to the Lord. To do this, they opened up two different checking accounts. The first check book was for their living expenses (a set amount each month) and the other check book was for their increased giving. That is living extravagantly!

The important point is this- when we live with a positive attitude toward giving, we not only find joy in helping someone else, but we ourselves are open to receive the abundance that God plans to send our way. He is our loving, generous Father and He wants to shower us with surprises and gifts. Once our hands are opened to receive, it will be given!

Ephesians 1:3-4 says “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” What kinds of things fit into the ‘every spiritual blessing’? The scriptures speak of God affirming that “wisdom and knowledge will be given you, unending riches, honor, justice, and righteousness are mine to distribute”.

Certainly the joy of giving far outweighs the momentary cost to us. I ask, “What ‘line in the sand’ is God calling you to cross in order for you to live a more joyful life and excel in the grace of giving?”