15-5

A Drop in the Bucket

Let me begin by saying that I am about as analytical as they come. Especially when it comes to money. In Dave Ramsey's terms, I am the 'nerd.' I know where every penny we make ends up and on what day it gets where it is going. I am a nerd. So what I am about to share with you hit me pretty hard, and I hope it does you as well. "Sometimes our minds interfere with our hearts. Logical objections get in the way of compassionate acts. It's not my responsibility. I'm not ready. I can't make much of a difference anyway." When it comes to giving, "I'm not saying that you shouldn't count the cost. You should. But if God is speaking to your heart, don't let your mind get in the way of what God wants you to do. Sometimes loving god with all your heart simply means listening to your heart instead of your head."

We've all heard it, 'where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.' "The more abstract, the less convicting truth is. So let me get concrete. Faith equals God-ordained risks in the face of fear. Obedience equals God-honoring decision in the face of temptation. And compassion equals Spirit-prompted generosity in the face of greed." I am not saying that we shouldn't be generous with our time and our energies, we should! "But sometimes love is measured in dollars." The truth is this, "you can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving." God wants to bless you, but He doesn't want to bless you so you can buy more stuff. "The blessings of God are always a means to an end. And the end is blessing others." Our author put it this way, "making money is the way you make a living and giving it away is the way you make a life."

Money has a tendency to master us. But there is a way that we can master it. It is amazingly simple and amazingly difficult at the same time. Create an income ceiling. I have heard this from several places lately and I think it is pretty great. You see, "enough will never be enough unless you determine how much is enough." Create an income ceiling and give everything you make above that away. "What would happen if every Christ follower gave away everything above and beyond their predetermined income ceiling?"

Here are some questions to think about: "Are you focused on what you have or what you don't have? That is the difference between gratitude and greed. Are you focused on this life or the next? That is the difference between stinginess and generosity. Are you focused on your wants or other's needs? That is the difference between selfishness and compassion. It's also the difference between unhappiness and joy."

Pre-decisions are the best decisions. Pre-decisions are decisions you make before a circumstance presents itself in which you have to make a decision. They help because they make it easy for you to make difficult decisions. If you don't make pre-decisions, you'll end up caving into whatever circumstances you are in and make bad decisions over and over. A pre-decision that our family has made it to tithe. That is 10%. That comes off the top before we do the bills, before we figure out anything else, tithes and offerings (things above 10%) come off, and we do everything else with what we have left. I don't say that to brag about how much we give. "The tithe isn't the goal. It's the starting place. It begins with a pre-decision to live off 90%, but it doesn't stop there. The more we grow up spiritually, the more we'll give back to God financially. It's that simple. Why? Because you aren't giving Him your money. You're giving Him your heart."

You can choose not to tithe. You can choose not to give at all. God doesn't need your money. In fact if you are giving it and holding a grudge, God doesn't even want your money! But hear this, "If you hang on to what you have, your heart will become smaller and smaller. And you'll lose your soul in the process. But if you give what you've got, your heart will grow larger and larger for the things of God."

I know Mike has said it a hundred times. God says we should test Him, if we give to Him, He will give us more than we can imagine. You can't outgive God. I believe that. I also believe that if your motivation for giving to God is to get more in return, He won't bless you. God is not a mutual fund. But if you give with the right heart, I can tell you from personal experience that God will bless you with more than you had to start with. That is what happens when you give God control of your finances.

Let's talk about worship for a second. As musicians, we are tasked with leading this congregation in worship. Now to most people that means singing, and singing is definitely part of worship. But for those of you who have been around here for any time at all you know that worship is much more than that. "What if, instead of sound quality or lyrical creativity, our litmus test for worship was a heart that breaks for the things that break the heart of God? What if we saw compassion as a form of worship? Worship without words. Worship beyond words." May we be a team of people whose compassion is contagious and spreads throughout our congregation in such a way that will shake this city to its core.

"Don't let what you cannot do keep you from doing what you can. Put your money where your heart is. It's not a drop in the bucket. Every act of generosity creates a righteous ripple effect that can change the course of history. It will also change your heart."

Enjoy the Journey