Give it up.
It has always been interesting to me to look at the trends of cash flow in churches. I just heard a sermon about how a church was close to half-a-million in the hole (their a very large church). The pastor gave a state of the church address and the giving increased and they ended the year with a surplus (Where the heck was all that money before?).
Now a lot of people would think of this as a wonderful story in God’s provision. Which it is. But I also see it as a sad state of the people’s hearts. I’ve seen this in our own church. The church is having trouble making the budget (which is based off peoples giving from the previous year), the pastor gives a hint at the joy of giving (which it is), and the giving goes back up.
Why does it always take and emergency for the church to give? Why do we have to be reminded to give? Why does it always take a drastic event in our lives in order for us to be generous? Why are we so stingy with our money and possessions?
This is something that is always at the front of my mind. I know what it is like to be in ministry and to know that you could spread the cause of Jesus in great ways….but….you don’t have the finances. I would say that this is sometimes one of the biggest stumbling blocks in ministry. You know God is calling you to do something, but you can’t see how you would be able to finance it.
And you and me being the good Christians we are (or not) say, “If God is calling you to do something, don’t worry because He will provide.” But what we really mean behind those words are, “If God is calling you to do something, don’t worry because He will provide…through someone other than me.”
I had a moment of enlightenment when I was in college. I was a poor college student (which for some is a load of crap statement…but that is another blog), and I went out to eat with a group guys. At the end of the meal, an older gentleman in the group payed for the meal. I remember telling him how I wish I could do the same. And he responded in the kindest of words, “If you aren’t generous when you have nothing, then you won’t be generous when you have everything.”
It’s stuck with me to this day. That was a changing point in my life. Before then, I was only generous and giving when I had extra money (which was like never). From that point on, I have tried my best to give at every opportunity I had. My generosity comes before my excess.
I think this is what Jesus is calling us to do as Christians. He tells us in Matthew that He will take care of us. Therefore, we should invest in the things that are of His heart. As we invest in Him, we grow closer to Jesus, “for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
We shouldn’t be generous only when we have money or see a need. We should be generous all the time. Churches should never have to worry about money. It should be the only non-profit organization in the world that should never have to worry about their cash flow. The word Christian should be synonymous with generous.
The funny thing is that once I started being more generous…the more I enjoyed it. I just hope that you would give it a chance.
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Comments
I think it’s ok to do both…give to your church and individuals. I just think the reality is that people don’t really do either.
[...] it a priority You’re not going to do it until you make it a priority. As I said in another post, I learned this from a wise friend when I was in college. I had a moment of enlightenment when I [...]
I wonder if the problem lies in a lack of communication to the congregation. I’ve seen a few church bodies rise to occasion when needs are put out there. It may not be that people are being stingy (although that is a problem) but rather they are using their money to pay for students’ lunch every now and then. For me, I would rather give my money to things I can see the benefit. Many church activities we’re not involved in. So giving almost feels like paying my monthly church bill. I understand the need for it, and I support that. I would be more likely to give to a ministry that supported my bestest friend, because I could easily see how it supports his newly expanded family. Good post. Now you got me thinkin’ …