Kids Today

Many surveys and studies have documented the way so many kids graduate from high school and then let their faith slide or dissolve altogether after graduation – whether they go on to college or university or simply find a job and work. A recent survey by America’s Research Group revealed that 95% of born again Christians aged twenty to twenty-nine attended church regularly during their elementary school years. However, 55% attended while in high school, and only 11% were still attending in college.

We have a problem. Our young people are not experiencing God. They know the information but are not being transformed. Their heads are receiving what we are saying but their hearts are not being impacted. Thus more and more of them are fading away as they get older. They are not holding to the “faith of their fathers.”

The problem is not that they are leaving home and having the freedom to o what they want to do and thus skip church. It seems more likely that kids are not experiencing the relevancy of church or seeing the significance of their faith in light of what they experience at school and at home. And these are Christian kids. We are not equipping them well, it seems.

So how do we do better? Not by pretending to be perfect and have all the answers. Instead, we must let them see our struggles as well as our strengths. We must not only try to mirror God’s character on a daily basis but also show our humanity – our questions, doubts, and weaknesses – in the mix. We must share answered prayers as well as the unanswered ones. We can lose our tempers and then we must be humble enough to ask for forgiveness. Being a good parent is impossible unless we rely on God for strength, patience, wisdom, guidance, and discernment – and teach our kids how to do the same.

But above all, to be good parents and to reverse the trends noted about we need to fall madly in love with Jesus and simply, every day, become more and more like Him. This will have the strongest impact of all upon our children no matter what their age.

The levels of giving – Part Two

The third level of giving is the IMAX experience. These are the SACRIFICIAL GIVERS. Spontaneous givers and strategic givers are the norm in the church along with a number of non-givers. Sacrificial givers are viewed as straight-up, wild-eyed fanatics. They are crazy. They are scary. They don’t just believe that the things of the world don’t matter; they completely live that way. More than simply acknowledging with their words that material things are not what it is all about, they actually see possessions as merely tools that God provides for us to advance His Kingdom on earth.

Sacrificial giving does not mean you toss everything to the wind and have nothing. In fact, many sacrificial givers are quite wealthy – they just don’t live like it’s their goal. They have so much and know they are merely God’s stewards (managers) of it, and they delight in sharing it – spontaneously, strategically, and sacrificially. They love and trust God so much that they have no problem with letting go of what He has temporarily given them to take care of.

When you hear regular people in our culture say, “I don’t really have enough to give,” what they are actually saying is that they don’t feel like they have enough extra, enough left over, that they can give without adjusting their lifestyle. This is normal, of course. However, the truth is that you always have SOMETHING you can give. And the less you have, the more your sacrifice means. Jesus observed the widow who gave all she had as an offering at the temple and considered it so amazing that he shared its significance with His disciples (Mark 12:41-44).

The more we have, the greater the responsibility and opportunity – to be a blessing. “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; ad for the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” (Luke 12:48) The more we cultivate a generous life style the more clearly we can see ourselves, others, and God in the light of reality.

But don’t stop there. Start saving. Start cutting back so you will have more that you can give. Watch for opportunities. Pray, plan, and start giving strategically. Just as you now think about how to get the things you want (not need), consider how to look ahead so you can give in even more dramatic, life-impacting ways.

The levels of giving – Part One

God states in His Word that we are to tithe and then give some as a freewill offering to Him and to the work of the Kingdom through the local church. We have been looking at this briefly in the last few days.  Today, let’s briefly look at the three levels of giving…

The first level of giving is spontaneous. There is nothing wrong with a spontaneous giver. When you see a need, you immediately want to pounce on it and fill it. Notice a homeless man at the busy intersection with a sign asking for food money? Then slip him a bill before the light changes. Hear about a family that doesn’t have transportation? Loan them your car for a week. All good impulses. However, if spontaneous giving is your only exercise, then it limits the impact that you can have – and the impact God’s blessing can have on you.

This first-level giving is not a deliberate lifestyle commitment, only a reaction, and often an emotional one at that – compassion for the homeless person, guilt over the unused car in the garage. Again, not  bad thing – but simply not enough to cultivate a consistent generous vision. The goal is to transform spontaneous giving into what is called strategic giving.

Strategic givers plan ahead so they can be really generous. They are intentional. They think it through. Isaiah 32:8 describes this kind of giver: “Generous people plan to do what is generous, and they stand firm in their generosity.” Strategic givers actually contemplate questions like, “How can we be more generous?  How can we maximize the blessings we have so we can be a blessing to others?

Strategic givers are also tithers. They understand the biblical principle: I will give God my first and best, and He will bless the rest. They acknowledge that the first part of everything they make belongs to God and that they are only returning to Him (through His church and for His work) what is already His, and doing so out of obedience and love.

More on strategic givers tomorrow…

Give God the first and best

When, as disciples, we are looking at finances as we have been doing the topic of tithing is inevitable. Why? Because it is a major part of being blessed so that we can be a blessing (see yesterday’s blog).

Years ago when I was first born again I heard a wonderful slogan or phrase – “I will give God my first and best, and He will bless the rest.” This means I will give Him 10% right off the top – 10% of everything I earn before taxes. This is the basic amount true disciples are to give to the Lord and forms the base for all other giving. Other giving includes what is called an “offering” and any finding going to “missions” or to help the poor (called “alms”). If you do not tithe then when you do give it immediately goes towards the tithe and is never an offering. If you don’t tithe and think you are giving an offering you are wrong – you are simply giving towards the basic tithe. Only after the 10% is reached are you then making an offering or giving to missions and alms.

This distinction is important. If you are giving $100.00 towards missions and you do not tithe; you really have not given to missions but simply given a part of your tithe. You have no right to designate where your giving is going (such-and-such a mission) because you are really giving a part of your tithe and it must come into the local church to help pay for the ministry of that church. Only after your tithe has been totally paid – 10% of your gross income – are you then free to give to missions or alms or other designated things.

Yesterday we spoke about all that the Lord wants to bless us with. If you are not tithing then God cannot and will not bless you with an abundance of anything. You are robbing Him and He takes that very seriously. If He is not first in the financial area of your life – He is not first. If He is not Lord of your finances – He is not Lord at all. To be Lord in your life He must be Lord of all aspects of your life. And, let’s admit it money is a real key area of daily life. When He is not seen as Lord and treated as Lord the blessings simply don’t flow. (see Malachi 3:8-10).

Tithing is not just an Old Testament requirement. Even Jesus spoke of tithing. In fact, His only complement to the Pharisees was that they upheld the tithe. It is basic to life as a believer and a disciple. It is New Testament. It is powerful and is the start of freedom from bondage to material things. It releases the hand of God in and on your life.

Try it – if you give God your first and best He will take care of the rest. Stop deceiving yourself and get right with God. Try it – and receive forgiveness and fresh life in your spirit. Then make tithing a way of life.

Of course, this is just the basic level and you are encouraged to given much over and above the first 10%.

Blessings so we can be different

We have been discussing material things – finances, belongings, spending habits, and all things commercial and worldly. Let’s continue in that direction and think about why God blesses us. I believe God blesses us to change and reshape us and undo the damage we have done to ourselves as we live like the world. Regretfully when we think about blessings we only think “financial” and, of course, if He did bless us financially without changing us first we would simply spend the increased income on more material things. We need to be careful because to whom much is given much will be required the Bible states.

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 9:11, “You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” Notice that he did not say “rich in fiancé.” He said, “rich in every way.”

The Greek word of “every way” is pas (pronounced “pahss”), which means every, any, all, the whole, all things, or everything. Most people – even believers – seem to pursue only material or financial blessings. If this is our only definition of riches, however, we are missing out on 99.9 percent of what else God has to offer.

“Every way” includes relational, emotional, psychological, physical, and … well, all the ways that you can imagine. Financial and material are certainly included, but they are just two of the dozens of categories of riches. Don’t limit God by such a narrow focus.

The reason for blessing you in so many ways and in the different areas of your life is so that there will be “thanksgiving to God.” Your generosity with your money, your time, your emotions, your relationships, your family… as you give others will be blessed and give thanks to God because they will see God in you and in your generosity. This is the real reason you are going to be blessed. God wants people to be drawn to Him and come to know Him.

Get a Life

Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”

God says, “He who has a generous eye will be blessed.” Proverbs 22:9 NKJV

If you are a follower of Christ, consider for a moment the value of the incredible, undeserved gift He has given us. Mercy. Grace. Forgiveness. A new life. It is hard to fathom just how freely He has lavished us with all that He has. If we have received the heart riches and abundant life of a new life in Christ, we should be giving out of the deepest gratitude. And we should also realize that nothing else really matters if we have what God gives so freely. We can give away all that He entrusts to us in the same spirit of generosity.

We are to have a “generous eye.” It is not a special talent, skill or personality trait. And all of us can experience the consequence – being blessed – of such a generous attitude. What would you see if you looked at the world through generous eyes? Going through your daily life, you might notice needs that escape other people, or identify places where you alone are capable of giving what is needed. Seeing with generous eyes would color your thinking beyond yourself:

“God, who can I bless in this present situation?”

“What do I have that I could use to make a difference?”

“What is the need here – and what can I do to meet it?”

The more we give away the richer we become. That is what Jesus teaches and the Bible states. We are promised that a blessing when we have a generous eye. The blessing we receive in return may not be material at all. Jesus explains this promise another way: “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”  (Luke 6:38)

He too indicates that there is a cause-effect, reciprocal relationship between giving what we have and receiving God’s blessing. When you give, you will be blessed. When you give, it will be given back to you. And the blessings we receive are often more spiritual than physical or material; more a change in us than a change in our circumstances. Giving generously changes us. It frees us up, undermines the power that money and possessions can have over us, and makes us more like Him.

Out of debt

If you want to get out of debt forever, the secret is that there is no secret. It’s like losing weight – no matter how many fad diets or gimmicks people come up with, there’s no quick fix. You have to change your lifestyle- the way you eat. You need to consume less bad stuff and more good stuff – and you have to exercise. Overcoming debt is the same way. It’s basic math. Fortunately, it’s elementary math, not nuclear physics. The two options on the path to financial margin are simple:

1>     Earn more

2>     Spend less

That’s it. The secret of getting out of debt, right there in a nutshell. You knew that, of course! So, if we know the solution, what keeps us from implementing it? There has to be a deeper issue, a root problem. To get rid of a spiritual problem (and debt is a spiritual issue – see the last few blogs), we need to pull it up by its spiritual roots. To pull up roots, we are going to have to be willing to get our hands dirty, to make some sacrifices that provide long-term benefits instead of short=term, refinanced gains. God is willing to help us, to provide the tools we need to week out those areas where are desire for money is spoiling our fruit of the Spirit.

Proverbs 15:16 says, “Better to have little, with fear for the Lord, than to have great treasure and inner turmoil” (NLT). Better a little with God than a whole lot without Him. Better to have fewer houses, cars, appliances, clothes, toys, and bills than to have the whole world and lose your soul. Better something paid for that’s used and enjoyed and shared and worn out than something nice and shiny and new that won’t be paid for until 2019 and that you are too stressed to enjoy. Better a little with the fear of the Lord than more of what everyone else has.