"'Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,' says the Lord
of Heaven’s Armies, 'I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will
pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in!
Try it! Put me to the test!'" Malachi 3:10
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas . . . Everywhere you go you'll find store shelves increasingly stocked with Christmas treasures (you can thank me later for placing that jingle in your head). Each year the arrival of the holiday season seems to usher in a fresh awareness of needs . . . as well as the pressure to say "yes," and feelings of guilt for saying "no." As requests for support begin to flood our mailboxes, churches and hearts, how do we keep from growing bitter and resentful or overwhelmed by all the needs? By turning to the One who owns all things.
"The whole earth is mine and everything in it," says the Lord (Psalm 50:12). Recognizing ourselves as stewards--not owners--of God's resources is the key which unlocks the door to a generous heart.
I recently asked my small group to consider where they would place themselves on a scale of 1-10; 1 representing the utmost struggle to recognize that all we have comes from the Lord (after all, we work hard for our stuff, don't we?) and 10 representing the firm belief that everything we have comes from Him. I didn't force anyone to answer aloud (what kind of teacher would I be?!?). However, I did profess that most of the time I am hard-pressed to place myself at a "10." My head recognizes that all I have comes from Him but my heart tends to disagree.
God's ownership over all things can best be demonstrated by the parable of the three servants found in Matthew 25. A man leaves for a long trip. While away he entrusts his money to three servants. The first servant receives 5 bags of silver. He invests them and earns 5 more. The second servant receives 2 bags of silver. He invests them and earns 2 more. The third servant receives 1 bag of silver. Afraid of loosing what little he was given, the third servant simply hides his bag of silver in the ground. When the master returns he replies to the first and second servants, "Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have
been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many
more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!" (Matthew 25:21, 23) To the third servant the master responds, "That's a terrible way to live! It's criminal to live cautiously like
that! . . . Get rid of
this "play-it-safe" who won't go out on a limb. Throw him out into
utter darkness" (Matthew 25:26-30, The Message).
The master responds a little harshly to the third servant, don't you think? It's not as if the third servant squandered his master's money; he simply held on to it for a rainy day. Cast into utter darkness? Why?
What about that rainy day? Isn't it prudent to save up for hard times?
Like the ant we are wise to store up food for the winter (Proverbs 6:6 and 30:25). But the earth is God's and everything in it. God owns it all--even our emergency funds.
God makes us rich in every way so that we can be generous on every occasion. God gives us
our wealth as well as the ability to earn wealth. Romans 12:6 says that
in His grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things
well. All we have, all that we are . . . comes from Him. God is the owner, we are the steward. When it comes to meeting needs the answer is simple: ask the Owner how He would have us invest His resources--His money, the time and very breath He gives us, the abilities with which He has empowered us--to meet the needs of others.
Remember the boy who offered two fish and a few loaves of bread to feed 5,000 men? I'm certain those men scoffed at the boy's contribution. But in the hands of Christ there proved more than enough to go around.
What if God asks me to give it all away?
God loves a generous giver (2 Corinthians 9:7). "To
those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and
they will have an abundance" (Matthew 25:29). "'Bring your tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,' says the Lord
of Heaven’s Armies, 'I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will
pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in!
Try it! Put me to the test!'" (Malachi 3:8) God will never let you out-give Him.
Scripture clearly calls us to meet the needs of others. I
challenge you to ask God how He would have you meet the needs of the
world around us, and ask Him to give you the courage to obey. As the holiday season approaches, "let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up" (Galatians 6:9).
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