Fear or Joy: Wealth, Prosperity, and Giving, Part 5
Fear or Joy: Wealth, Prosperity, and Giving, Part 5
Dear friends, I’ve been reflecting lately on the blessings of my life. This is the final post on my reflections of wealth and prosperity under the scrutiny of I Timothy 6:17-19 and 2 Corinthians 9. Click here to read Part 4.
2 Corinthians 9: 7-8
“Now I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
I feel compelled to reflect further on the motivation and results of giving. I was reminded again yesterday of the grip upon many of us regarding the ‘tithe’ requirements demanded by some churches. One of my readers emailed me about the lack of freedom she feels to give freely and with joy. Her church insists that 10% must be fully given to the church she attends before she can give to other ministries. I do not believe this is a sound biblical view of New Testament giving.
Do it or else…
It’s not easy to shed ourselves of the concept of a tithe. For further discussions on tithing, you can review my posts Don’t Tithe, Heart-Felt Giving, and Get Back To It.
Unfortunately, in many cases, leaders often resort to “primal” motivation to influence those they lead. Primal motivation simply means ‘do this or else.‘ Christian giving has nothing to do with the tithe or with set, defined amounts. It is all about giving (sowing) according to your heart’s desire, with joy, happiness, peace and contentment. It’s all about Spirit-led giving. The result will be reaping the blessings of God, both now and in eternity, so that your joy is enriched even further and you are able to give even more, compounding your joy even further.
Biblical giving isn’t about primal motivation (appealing to our fear and guilt); it is spiritual motivation. Motivation that reaches to the depth of our inner spirit. It means being enriched by God’s Spirit resulting in JOY, PEACE AND CONTENTMENT.
“…God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.”
To those of us who “purpose” in our heart to give (give thoughtfully, prayerfully and wisely); give without regret or compulsion (without external coercion); and give with JOY; God promises to provide us a return of abundant grace.
Now in the context, make sure to catch this; ‘grace’ includes financial and material means. If you doubt it, read verse 8-11 carefully. Now I detest the “gospel of wealth” movement that perverts the Word and teaches a spiritual formula to be rich (which isn’t spiritual at all). So, don’t let this false teaching rob you of what Paul is teaching here. Sow bountifully and you will reap bountifully.
The result of joyful giving is:
1) all sufficiency in everything
2) abundance to give more and more for every good deed.
Just like the natural financial miracle of “compounding interest”, God’s pattern of giving compounds as we give joyfully, receive back more to give, we give more, receive more joy and blessings, then we give more, then we receive more, then we give more and we receive more and so on. The blessings of grace are both material as well as eternal.
How then should we live?
Let’s engage in the pursuit of joyful giving. Where should you give? When should you give? How much should you give? Pray, reflect, discuss it with your loved ones. Let joy be your guide.
Consider being sacrificial; consider stretching yourself; but pray and reflect and then let joy in the Spirit be your guide. If you lack joy and instead have fear, then seek God in prayer. Ask Him to replace your fear with joy and faith. Then by faith, give a little and let God do a work in your heart. Then give more and then more.
Lord, may we grow in our love for You and then may we give as you have given to us…. grace upon grace upon grace. Amen.
Sowing and Reaping: Wealth, Prosperity, and Giving, Part 4
Sowing and Reaping: Wealth, Prosperity, and Giving, Part 4
Dear friends, I’ve been reflecting lately on the blessings of my life. This is the fourth post of 5 on my reflections of wealth and prosperity under the scrutiny of I Timothy 6:17-19 and 2 Corinthians 9. Click here to read Part 3.
2 Corinthians 9: 6-7
“Now I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
The topic of giving for us Christians carries with it a measure of guilt. We just can’t help it. I struggle with it from time to time as you probably do as well. Am I giving enough and am I giving to the right people, the right ministries or causes? Do I need to give to my church fully first before other ministries or needs? Am I giving too much to one cause and not enough to another? Is this person really in ‘need’ and will they use the funds for what they say they will use it? Am I spending too much on my own pleasures and comfort?
Maybe I give a significant amount (relatively speaking) but am I really sacrificing? Am I using money for myself that God actually wants me to give? Does God consider me a faithful steward or a poor steward? Where do I rank?
The more questions one asks, the more guilt one may feel. Even though this chapter on giving does not focus on guilt, sometimes we just can’t help ourselves. So, now that I’ve introduced the topic of guilt, let’s try to focus, best we can, on what this passage really says about giving and NOT on our guilt.
Proportionate
The foremost principle is if you sow sparingly, you’ll reap sparingly; if bountifully, then you’ll reap bountifully. No judgement, just simply agricultural principles of planting seeds. Our harvest will be proportionate to the seeds we plant. We will sow and reap in like measure.
Interesting that there is no directive or command as to what is right or wrong. Just a simple principle of proportionate sowing and reaping. (Sometimes God’s Word is most powerful when we just take it at its face value).
But how do I know how much to give??? Well, in a sense, verse 7 gives us straightforward and simple guidelines. The answer is not an exact amount or percentage. Instead, Paul provides principles and guidelines.
1. First, give what you have PURPOSED in your HEART. Purposed means according to a thoughtful plan; with prayer, meditation and reflection. The principle of ‘give from the heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion’ goes to the source of the decision. Give what you want to give, not what you feel others want you to give.
2. Second, do not give grudgingly or under compulsion. Grudgingly means to give with regret. Under compulsion means giving because of an external force such as legalism, a set percentage or a guilty plea from someone. Plan and give what you peacefully and joyfully, without regret, want to give. If it’s a little, then so be it. You don’t have to feel guilty. You may not receive the level of blessings that you could but that doesn’t mean you have to pour guilt over yourself. Really!!! This may be counter to what you are used to but I’m just trying to be faithful to interpret this passage (within its context) before me in a simple and straightforward matter. It’s not about guilt in this passage. It’s all about sowing and reaping accordingly. It’s up to you. If you regret giving; who you give to or what amount, then don’t do it. Take a deep breath….and realize, it’s OK.
3. The corresponding emotion accompanying our giving should be JOY. Guilt and fear should not be the guiding emotion. Joy should be our response to giving. Seek God from your heart and pray about the amount(s) and the recipient(s) that would bring you joy and give accordingly. If you are lacking joy in your heart in giving then giving out of guilt isn’t going to solve anything. You have a heart issue that needs to be dealt with before God. The issue goes well beyond the issue of giving. Pray, seek His Word and be honest with God. As your heart is spiritually renewed by God, your giving will automatically be affected. Let us give with joy.
Our Journey
Giving for me and Leigh has been a journey. Fortunately, we have always wanted to give but didn’t always know how to do it in a Spirit-led manner. Leigh especially has a giving heart. But dealing with where to give and the amount to give has been a growth experience for us over the years. We talk about it often. We have certain churches, ministries and causes that we both want to give to (and have purposed to give to). Also, there are certain recipients that I’m more passionate about and certain ones that she is more passionate about. But we pray and talk about it and we each ‘give and take’ in submission to each other. But we never give when one of us is opposed to the other. Fortunately, that doesn’t happen very often. We are not perfect by any means but we do our best to follow the principles from this passage. We have pre-set ministries and churches we give to and we also watch for needs that arise daily and give if we are able.
I can tell you from experience, God’s promises are real. We have been blessed according to our measure of giving. It is true and God is faithful. Truthfully, we have been blessed beyond our measure of giving.
It seems every year as I prepare my tax return, I say to myself, ‘we should’ve given more.’ The following year, we give more; the blessings increase. Then as I do my taxes again the following year, I say to myself, ‘we should’ve given more.’ When will I learn?
God, may you deal with our hearts so that we give from a place of joy rather than under a cloud of guilt and compulsion. Your promises in this area of giving are amazing. Absolutely amazing. You promise to bless us more as we give more. It’s simple but so very powerful. You promise that we will reap what we sow. Lord, help us to balance our giving to be according to our ability yet with a measure of sacrifice. Grow our hearts to give with joy and then give more and then give more and give more. And may it be according to Your will and Your guidance. Amen!
Relax and Enjoy: Wealth, Prosperity, and Giving, Part 3
Relax and Enjoy: Wealth, Prosperity, and Giving, Part 3
Dear friends, I’ve been reflecting lately on the blessings of my life. This is the third post of 5 on my reflections of wealth and prosperity under the scrutiny of I Timothy 6:17-19 and 2 Corinthians 9. Click here to read Part 2.
We have been looking at the attainment of wealth and earthly prosperity through the lens of I Timothy 6. For those who set out and determined to be successful monetarily, I believe they go through three stages of wealth accumulation:
- The Striving Stage – characterized by diligence and sacrifice.
- The Acceleration Stage – characterized by growing confidence with the possibility of arrogance.
- The Momentum Stage – characterized by access to ease and luxury with the possibility of misplacing hope upon riches.
Today our focus is on living life in the momentum stage. I know, I know — few people seem to achieve the momentum stage. However, I would remind you that wealth is relative. I’m always reminded of this reality when I visit Malawi, Africa.
Me? Rich?
If you live in Orange County, California or Greenwich, Connecticut or even, The Woodlands, Texas, you may feel poor. But if you visit certain third-world countries and witness poverty first-hand, you will see that your regular paycheck puts you in this wealthy momentum stage. It’s all relative. If you just show up for work, stay out of trouble and do good work, it means you have developed a systematic cash flow machine.
Therefore, the principles of this stage apply to virtually ALL OF US!
For the true strivers of great wealth, the attainment of this stage is the ultimate success in life and business. It simply means that a cash-flow system and/or business is set for your benefit and the results are (almost) automatic. It’s the ultimate ‘flywheel’ effect I mentioned previously: massive effort initially with little movement, eventually reaches a tipping point that results in momentum. The initial grit and energy exerted in the early stages shows little effect. But eventually, it all pays off with a certain level of income momentum.
To Enjoy It or Not Enjoy It?
The natural tendency of our lives in this stage is to enjoy a certain level of ease and spend our money on what makes us happy. We tell ourselves to enjoy; we’ve earned it. This isn’t all bad. Depriving ourselves of the fruits of our labors is not really all that noble. Paul clearly stated that God is the source of this wealth and He gives it for our enjoyment. Fix their hope…on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy, I Timothy 6:17b.
Let that sink in for a moment: God richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.
Responsibilities
But our enjoyment and blessings come with certain responsibilities. The greater the wealth, the greater the responsibility. Our attitude and mindset about wealth is what is really important. When our passions and hopes are aligned with God’s Word, and set fully upon Him, then life is wonderful. Wonderful indeed.
Paul tells Timothy to give the rich of this world a reminder of their responsibility as stewards of the earthly wealth God has given them. Read carefully!
Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed. I Timothy 6:18, 19
Do Good! Be Generous!
When I reflect upon the imperative to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, I’m reminded that those in the momentum phase usually arrived because they mastered the concept of delegation. Giving generously is easier for me than doing the good works myself. Admittedly, I am spoiled. Because of my position, I am able to delegate often in my life. (Believe me, this is common in the momentum stage when wealth is more plentiful than time). I’m reminded here that I need to ‘do good’ and be rich in good works.
Giving generously is not an excuse to be absent from doing good works and physically serving. The wealthy are to serve the same as everyone else in the body of Christ — AND they are to give generously, just like everyone else.
The wealthy are to do good and give much! Do good! Give much! Not because God needs it. Because it is right; it is good; it is faithful stewardship; it is God’s will.
The Good Life, Indeed!
Do good! Give much! We do it because it honors Him. Period. But God is so kind that He also gives us many blessings when we do good and give much. The prescription for a happy life is to do good and give much. Read again what Paul said.
The result of doing good and giving much is that they are storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed, 6:19.
Father, where our treasure is, there will our heart be as well. It’s a matter of the heart. Plant within our hearts your love to give and to serve. May we never place our hope in any earthly thing or person; our hope is in You. Grant us grace that regardless of our state on earth; poor, wealthy or somewhere in between — may you give us hearts that are passionate to do much good and give generously! Amen!
The Allure of Delilah: Wealth, Prosperity, and Giving, Part 2
The Allure of Delilah: Wealth, Prosperity, and Giving, Part 2
Dear friends, I’ve been reflecting lately on the blessings of my life. This is the second post of 5 on my reflections of wealth and prosperity under the scrutiny of I Timothy 6:17-19 and 2 Corinthians 9. Click here to read Part 1.
It’s alright to be rich. It really is. Just be very careful; very, very, very careful.
Wealth is a relative term and perspective. I’ve been to the country of Malawi four times. Malawi has some of the sweetest people I have ever met but is one of the poorest countries in Africa. With that perspective, everyone reading this is rich.
I Timothy 6:17
Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.
Paul acknowledges there are rich among them in the church. He doesn’t condemn them for being rich in this present world. However, he does warn them about conceit, mis-placed passions and the source of their hope. He warns them about placing their trust in the riches of this world and forgetting the true source of wealth; God.
Samson
When I think about misplaced passions, I’m reminded of Samson. Samson was greatly blessed of God. The Spirit of blessings were upon him. But he allowed arrogance, conceit and self-confidence to deceive him.
Then Samson went down to Timnah and saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines. So he came back and told his father and mother, ‘I saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore, get her for me as a wife.’
Then his father and his mother said to him, ‘Is there no woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people, that you go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines? But Samson said to his father, ‘Get her for me, for she looks good to me.’ Judges 14:1-4.
Yikes! This is not going to end well.
Last time I shared my thoughts on the stages of wealth accumulation. Wealth accumulation is systematic; there’s a predictable pattern that is duplicatable. Almost anyone (in America) that is willing to pay the price, can do it. The stages are:
- The Striving Stage – characterized by diligence and sacrifice.
- The Acceleration Stage – characterized by growing confidence with the possibility of arrogance.
- The Momentum Stage – characterized by access to ease and luxury with the possibility of misplacing hope upon riches.
Samson wasn’t known for great wealth but he was greatly blessed by God. In general, the abundant blessings of God can trick one into arrogance and overconfidence. In this lesson, we are discussing the temptation of arrogance from the blessings of wealth in the present world. We can learn from the (bad) example of Samson.
Both Sides
Samson married the beautiful yet evil and scheming Delilah. Her goal was to bring him down. He married her but he resisted giving her his whole heart. During this early stage of his marriage, he was straddling both sides of the fence: following God’s laws on one side and flirting with the world of Delilah on the other side. This is a dangerous place to reside.
Things turned ugly for Samson when he put his guard down and gave his heart to Delilah.
Delilah begged him and begged him to reveal his secret and bare his heart. He finally caved in and gave himself away to her, disclosing the secrets of his heart. Delilah immediately went to the men of Philistine. Read the words that Delilah spoke:
When Delilah saw that he had told her all that was in his heart, she sent and called the lords of the Philistines, saying, ‘Come up once more, for he has told me all that is in his heart.’ Judges 16:18.
Issues of the Heart
Paul warned us: don’t fix your hope on the uncertainty of riches rather than God. It’s about where you set your hope. It’s an issue of the heart.
That evening, Samson laid his head on the lap of Delilah and fell asleep. Laying his head on Delilah’s lap is a physical representation of his trust: his heart was surrendered to her. He placed himself in a vulnerable position, thus placing his trust and hope in her.
Metaphorically speaking, while he was in the position of vulnerability and trust, Delilah ripped his heart out and gave it to his enemies. Wealth will do the same thing, if given the chance. My friends, when it comes to the pursuit of wealth or any other worldly attainment, do not place your head in the lap of Delilah!
Longing For It!
Money is not the root of all sorts of evil. The love of money is the root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs, I Timothy 6:10.
The love of money has the allure of Delilah. It looks good to the eye but it will rip your heart out and give it to the enemy.
Father, every good and perfect gift comes from You. You are the source of all blessings and You are kind enough to give us much. In our receiving, let us keep our hearts and passions set upon You and You alone. Amen.
Wealth, Prosperity, and Giving
Wealth, Prosperity, and Giving
I Timothy 6:17-19
Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.
What does wealth and success do to a man’s soul?
Success and wealth can be a sinister influence when it comes to the soul of one not grounded with biblical values and ethical absolutes. Once success and wealth arrive, the soul tends to slow down the yearning to learn and grow. Values and absolutes become minimized in the mind of those who have reached a certain level of wealth and success. Why? Because, well, they don’t need to focus on values and absolutes. They’ve attained a certain level of momentum, and wealth just comes toward them. Almost without trying.
It’s the flywheel principle. The initial steps of the journey, of one seeking success and wealth, is like pushing a heavy, metal flywheel up a hill. It’s extremely difficult, and progress is virtually invisible. After many years, the ground levels out. Progress becomes evident. The effort is still very necessary but becomes a little easier. Further on, the hill crests, and the downhill journey begins. The momentum and progress shifts from difficult to easy, and results become almost effortless.
This is why Paul warned: Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches.
The Stages of Wealth
Self-made men and women go through stages on their way to affluence. I classify them as,
- The Striving Stage
- The Acceleration Stage
- The Momentum Stage
Diligence to learn, grow and establish a strong moral foundation are assigned to the striving stage. In this early stage, the soul knows that in order to journey from obscurity to prominence, one must apply themselves, heart and soul, in extraordinary ways.
First, they intuitively know that maintaining a certain level of integrity is necessary to gain trust. Trust attracts wealth as others tend to give, work with, help, buy from — those they trust. As a means to the end, aspiring self-made men/women apply ethics in order to achieve their means; to be rich.
Integrity to aggressive achievers is a means to gain. In I Timothy 6.3-5, Paul warns those who seek personal advantage and financial gain by acting like they are morally good. He says, watch out for those who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.
The humble follower of Christ, in contrast, is described in the next verse, I Timothy 6:6,7. But godliness with contentment is great gain; for we brought nothing into this world and we cannot take anything out of the world.
The watchwords of the striving heart – those pursuing success and wealth – are diligence, commitment, earnestness, rigor and intent-ness. But the key question is, what is at the heart of their diligence? They are indeed striving for advancement…but toward what end?
If the solid foundation of biblical values and ethical absolutes is not set during this early striving stage, then the heart of diligence that drives the energy toward success is set upon the shifting sand of shallow ends.
Don’t Dive into a Shallow Pool
The shallowest of ends is the pursuit of success and wealth as the end itself. Listen carefully, success and wealth are not a noble end. When success and wealth are pursued for the sole purpose of being rich and well-known and well regarded, then the familiar saying is never so true: this isn’t going to END well.
Those who have attained success and wealth, know what I’m saying is true. Those who are in the early pursuit of success, may find my statements easy to ignore. But you can be sure, I know what I’m talking about. Success and wealth trigger the flesh to relax and enjoy. Beware. Be very aware of your soul as you pursue success.
Good Gain. Bad Gain.
Do you seek gain? (Paul uses the word ‘gain’ to describe attaining advancement, resources and wealth). Be sure to seek gain in the right place. Paul teaches the right perspective when he says, but godliness with contentment is a means of gain, 6.6.
Godliness + Contentment = Gain.
Next time we’ll see that a humble servant of God can be rich. Being rich is not condemned. It’s an issue of the heart. A house of wealth must be built on the solid foundation of godliness with contentment. Any other end goal will not END WELL.
Father, You are the God of everything. You possess all things and all things belong to You. You give and You take away according to Your purposes. Remind us that all that we have and all that we strive for is always Your and Yours completely. If You grant us gain, may we be faithful stewards of it all; to enjoy as a blessing from and to give as a blessing to others. But all cases, may You give us contentment in YOU! Amen.