MY PERSONAL Test as a Jesus-Follower: Sacrificial Giving

A Jesus-follower practices righteousness.

• One area, we need to particularly practice is secret, sacrificial giving.
• This giving is not only generous, but joyful...it doesn't occur out of a sense of duty (if our attitude is that of compulsion, there will never be joy) or a complaining spirit.
• When we give, God opens the heavens and pours out blessings.
• When we don't give, we rob God of what's rightly his - he owns all we have, anyway - and he turns his eyes away from the devourer.

This is Jesus teaching on practicing righteousness, thus far.  As always, my journey through Scripture, is not for anyone else.  My walk-about-through-the-Word is regularly for me.  I journal, and blog, to put sense to the swirling thoughts and emotions that the truth inspires in me.  If it helps you, that's a side benefit.  It didn't start this way.  It started as something I did as part of my former position at Arizona Christian University.  My hope was to give the ladies on campus a little devotional thought to jumpstart their week.  Then it changed.  I couldn't throw out "just a thought" for their consideration.  It became my consideration.  So, for me, blogging has become a way of chronicling the lessons of life, and having access to it, no matter where I am - just in case I want to revisit an earlier teaching and preach it back to myself.  I have to do that often - preach to myself!  

Bay and I had that sit-down, re-visit-our-giving conversation.  It was good.  We saw the need to make some corrections, even prayerfully made some additions.  As I said, it was good.  However, being a Jesus-follower isn't always easy.  I know Jesus started with giving as a test of MY HEART.  I don't like what's in my heart.  Here's what I saw:

Because I have our tithes and offerings come out of our "bill pay" at the beginning of every month (the first fruit of what we receive), my attitude toward giving reflected the designation of funds.  My heart toward giving was more out of a sense of duty; less joy.  I didn't complain; it was just a matter of being what it was:  I was paying a "bill" - not giving with joy and trust.  

As we added some new ministries to support, I found myself questioning, "Can we really afford to do this?"  I realized how tight fisted I am.  I like the security of knowing there's a little extra in the account at the end of the month.  God showed me a heart of fear.  Giving is never about what we can afford; it's not about giving out of wealth, I remembered - it's giving out of a heart of worship.  

Deeply convicted, I went back to the Word to see how to make some heart corrections.  Scripture is, indeed, God-breathed!  It does have the power to teach, rebuke, correct, and TRAIN.  So, what WORD would God use to help in my heart correction?  As I read further in Matthew, I hit chapter 26 ( read it here, please - I know, I'm jumping around all over the place).  A woman came to Jesus, while he was staying at Simon the leper's house.  Matthew doesn't tell us who she is - Mary of Bethany, maybe; but it doesn't really matter.  Whoever she was, she brought an alabaster vial of very costly perfume and poured it on Jesus head (John recounts the story, saying it was his feet - again, head or feet, it doesn't matter - maybe it was both).  The point is that the disciples were furiously indignant, especially Judas.  This was costly!  Why, that perfume could have been sold and money given to help feed the poor!  Jesus tells them to let her alone, there would always be poor to feed, but he would not be with them long.  Her good actions would become a testimony for the whole world, wherever the gospel would be preached.  When Luke recounts the story, he adds a little detail, calling the woman "sinful." Out of deep gratitude and worship, the woman took her most prized possession, probably her only dowery, and lavished it on Jesus. After all, she had been a sinner, but Jesus' love for her, at some point in his ministry, had set her free.  This is the heart of the gospel.  Whoever has received of Jesus love, forgiveness, and grace, is compelled to give!

Putting it all together, this is my take away, my heart correction.  I, too, am sinful.  I, too, have received of his grace.  Sometimes, many times, I take it for granted.  When I do, my giving becomes less joyful, more dutiful.  At the beginning of every month, when our salary check is deposited, I plan to sit in reflection ("more pondering and storing" - thanks, Mary!) at the generosity of my Jesus in grace and provision, and give thanks through worship.  One of the best ways to show him worship, and offer my life back to him, is out of my checkbook.