Scripture: Deuteronomy 15:10
Give liberally and be ungrudging when you do so, for on this account the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake.
Thought for the Day: More than 30 years after seeing it with my own eyes and hearing it with my own ears – I can still remember a TV evangelist telling his listeners to open up their wallets and their purses. To that TV audience, the evangelist then invited them to pull out all their cash, and if no cash, to write a check in whatever amount would push the limits of their checkbook. From there, people were to hold this money against the TV screen while the evangelist prayed. The prayer clearly indicated that if this money would be sent to the evangelist immediately, then God would return it to their checking account 2 fold, 5 fold or even 10 fold.
To this day, that approach turns my stomach, and I believe it stands as one of the more significant reasons that our culture has no respect for Christianity. Of course, that evangelist did not speak for a majority of Christians, but his atrocious reading of scripture and his manipulative and immoral suggestions, have become a caricature of Christianity.
So let’s think about this passage from Deuteronomy and others like it. When we are invited to give liberally and ungrudgingly, it is never to be understood as an investment strategy or a tactic for gaining something from God. Our relationship with God is entirely based in grace – the unconditional love of God – and by its very nature, grace does not assume more grace or a reduced return of that grace based upon our actions. Grace is grace! What generous giving teaches us is to relinquish and trust, to move ourselves from the center of the universe and to think more deeply and compassionately about others. The blessing that is received is a deeper appreciation of God which leads to a more faithful relationship with God.
There are some months when Donna and I give our offering to God through Cypress Creek Christian Church, when a voice inside of me says, “What could you have bought yourself with that money?” And my mind starts racing with the possibilities: A new suit – a new iPad – a new lawnmower – etc. But in that moment, my inner-voice has attempted to place me at the center of the universe, place my wants (not my true needs) above so many others. And when I can finally quiet that voice long enough, I begin to reflect on Jesus and the grace he displayed…I begin to reflect on Jesus, and in that reflecting, I find myself blessed because I feel a bit closer to the God revealed in Jesus.
Prayer: Let me do those things that help me appreciate and enjoy you more, my God and Savior. Amen.
THIS SUNDAY
“Pushing Back the Darkness”
Luke 11:29-30, 32-42
