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October 3, 2007
Short Stories on Stewardship: God is a giver
Jerry Mixon, State Stewardship Director for the Mississippi Baptist Convention, is sharing this week what he has learned as a pastor and denominational leader on the subjects of stewardship and giving through story.
Today's short story reminds us that no matter how much we give no one has ever lost everything because they gave too much.
God is a giver
The first truth I learned about God was that He is a giver. God gave his only Son to die for me. After that I realize that you can never outgive God. God will not become a debtor to us. The Bible teaches if we are to receive, we have to first give. The economy of man is that you get to keep what you keep. The country boy said it like this, “Get what you can, can what you get, sit on the can, and try to steal what is in every other can.” These folks live by the Golden Rule, which is “He who has the gold makes the rules.” God’s economy is different. The writer of Ecclesiastes 11:1 said, “Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.” In God’s economy you get to keep what you give away. Luke in his gospel said it this way, “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, running over, shall men give into your bosom” (Luke 6:38 a).
What a wonderful plan God has about giving. It works different from the world. You get to keep not what you keep but what you give. Notice how God will cause men to give to you. They will shake it down and press it together to make sure you have abundance. God will cause men to never shortchange you or cut a deal. Instead, others will be generous toward you.
So, my friends, never be afraid to trust God with the tithe. That is only the beginning. That is where you start, but not where you stay. We all need to become generous givers. I tell you, this truth changed my life. Instead of looking each day how I could behave so others would give to me, I started looking to see opportunities where God wanted me to give to others. This attitude of giving started with the tithe and moved to offerings. We are told to bring not only the tithes, but also the offerings (Malachi 3:8).
I have never met a person who said they were bankrupt because they gave too much to the church. I have met many that were destitute financially because they gambled it away, smoked it away, or drank it away. Why is that? A simple truth says it all, “You can never outgive God.”
Posted by bstroup at October 3, 2007 1:17 AM
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