they go together…

to live a life of adventure you need to give generously even when i don’t have it.

because giving and faith go together.  and GOD uses finances to test us.  have you ever had to decide between paying a bill and tithing?  sure you have.  welcome to the human race!  every one of us have.  that’s a test.  and GOD uses finances to test us. 

it’s interesting that in GOD’s hall of fame the first guy who gets mentioned, the first guy, got listed in GOD’s hall of fame because he gave an offering.  it wasn’t what he gave, it’s how he gave it.  his name was abel.  he was the son of adam and eve.  remember when they left the garden of eden they raised cain (just seeing if you were awake!) then they had abel.  and abel offered an offering and that got them into GOD’s hall of fame.  why?  because he gave it in faith.

hebrews 11 verse 4 (gnt), it was faith that made abel offer to GOD a better sacrifice than cain’s.  through his faith he won GOD’s approval as a righteous man because GOD approved of his gift.  notice it wasn’t what he gave that pleased GOD.  it was how he gave.  it wasn’t the amount, it was the attitude. 

there are two ways to give money, time, resources, talent.  you can give motivated by faith or you can give motivated by fear.  there are really only two ways that you can give in life.  everybody’s either a giver or a taker.  but even there are two kinds of givers.  i can give by reason or i can give by revelation. 

when i give by reason it’s real simple, i simply look at what i already have and i kind of figure out a reasonable amount to give and then i figure what i can afford and i give what i think i can afford.  when i give by reason it doesn’t require any faith at all.  in fact, even an atheist can give by reason.  they do it all the time.  a pagan, an unbeliever can give by reason.  they just say, this is what i’ve got, GOD.  i think this would be a reasonable amount to give and you give what you think you can afford.  as i said, you don’t have to be a believer.  even an atheist can give that way. 

the second way to give and this makes it an act of worship, an act of adventure is to give by revelation.  when i give by revelation i simply say this.  i pray and say, “GOD, YOU’ve got more resources than anybody and YOU want to give something to the world through me.  what do YOU want to give through me?  how much do YOU want me to trust YOU for?”  that’s giving by revelation.  not based on what can i afford but what do YOU want me to give and i’ll trust YOU to provide it and i’ll give it. 

just a thought from the front porch…