Giving Wisely

I just finished reading the best book I ever read concerning Biblical principles on giving wisely. The author is Jonathan Martin and the title of his book is Giving Wisely? You can find and purchase it from www.amazon.com.

Meditation
2 Corinthians 8:14,15—at the present time your surplus is [available] for their need, so that their abundance may also become [available] for your need, that there may be equality. As it has been written: The person who gathered much did not have too much, and the person who gathered little did not have too little.

During this time of economic uncertainty, many Christians struggle with how to handle their money. I wrestle with how to best invest the resources God gives me towards His Kingdom. There are more needs than I can help and I receive requests for financial assistance virtually every week. On top of those requests are my own financial challenges. So what does God want me to do?

Jonathan shares five principles in the acronym RAISE that form a great guide in helping us give locally or internationally in a God pleasing manner.
R = Relationship. Jonathan notes, “The healthiest giving is best done at a relational level, not merely the emotional level.” Too often we give out of a guilt complex that we have more than someone else, or because we feel manipulated emotionally by the appeal. It takes more work to form a relationship with someone but the end result is almost always better than resorting to a handout.
A = Accountability. Jonathan’s church, Good Shepherd Community Church, does not support nationals directly. They give through organizations. This creates answerability and protects against fraud, misunderstanding and abuse. Is it wise to give a person money for food who has cable television, indulges bad habits and runs up credit card debt?.
I S = Indigenous Sustainability. Sometimes our giving directly sabotages the motivation of a local ministry to meet its needs. Our giving should not create dependency or stifle the creativity and responsibility of another body to fix its problems and grow local solutions.
E = Equity. Our giving should not inappropriately raise another above the local standard of living. As we see in the passage above, balance in the body is a good thing!

This morning I was impressed with Jacob’s example in Genesis 43. His family was in the midst of a severe famine and they badly needed food. Despite the harsh and bizarre manner his sons were treated by Joseph (whom they did not recognize), Jacob sent them back to Egypt with the finest products of their land and twice as much money as was needed. He chose to be a blessing in the face of suffering. As Christians, we can always give something! Too often, we let our circumstances determine our action or inaction instead of trusting God. Give because God gave you His best, Jesus. Help others so as to bless them and you receive blessing. Just don’t forget to share wisely! God does not just expect us to be generous, He expects us to use discernment with the resources He owns!

Inspiration
Harambee is the East African custom of joining efforts to raise resources for a good cause.—Glenn Schwartz in When Charity Destroys Dignity

Holiness II

I apologize in advance for this illustration but I am not trying to be crude in making a crucial point. Each night I walk our two dogs, Hero the Labrador retriever and Saber the Sheltie. When the three of us walk, Saber has a habit that is extremely annoying. If he comes across what I suspect is dung from another animal (I’m guessing raccoon), before I can stop him, he literally does an in-the-air rollover dive into the mess and slides his chest and back all over it! Now I’m mad because I have to clean him (a difficult task with his thick and long hair) and he stinks. Furthermore, can you imagine what people would think of me as an owner if they came upon Saber in such a disgusting condition?

Meditation
Ezekiel 36:23-28—I will honor the holiness of My great name, which has been profaned among the nations—the name you have profaned among them. The nations will know that I am Yahweh"—the declaration of the Lord GOD —"when I demonstrate My holiness through you in their sight. "For I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries, and will bring you into your own land I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will place My Spirit within you and cause you to follow My statutes and carefully observe My ordinances. Then you will live in the land that I gave your fathers; you will be My people, and I will be your God.

You remember the story! God led the Israelites to Canaan, the land He promised to Abraham and his descendants. He expected them to live righteously in contrast to the heathen nations that occupied that territory. Instead, they jumped and rolled in the sin of the residents they failed to remove and brought such a stench upon themselves that God in disgust, forcibly removed and scattered them through the armies of Assyria and later Babylon. I think we tend to be hard on the Jews and to judge them for turning their backs on God and walking in wicked behavior. But I wonder, are we so different? How many people do you know who claim to be Christians yet live identical to their Christ-disdaining neighbors? How many Jesus followers wear the odor of the world because the aroma is powerfully attractive? If you and I do not carefully watch ourselves, we can easily find ourselves guilty of doing and being the very things God forbids.

Here’s the good news. God is a forgiving, loving Father. Rather than abandon His people and start over with a “new breed,” He promised to bring them back to their own land, clean them up, place His Spirit within them and cause them to obey His laws and to be His children. God demonstrates His holiness through people. He honors His holy great name by helping us be holy. May God be forever praised for His faithful commitment to our well-being! We don’t deserve it. So, the next time you see a fellow believer engage in sinful behavior, remind him or her whose Name they represent. And before you are tempted to do evil, think of the consequences of your action. Remember that God wants to work His holiness through us so that every nation can see what clean and pure looks like to His glory!

Dear Lord, I am so sorry for thoughts or action that caused You to hold Your nose and look away. Thank You for loving me enough to cleanse me. May I walk in holiness each day to the betterment of our relationship and so those around me see Your holiness at work!

Inspiration
The demonstration of holiness has always been at the heart of God’s strategy of world evangelization.—Robert E. Coleman in The Master Plan of Discipleship