Practicing Extravagant Generosity – Nov. 7 & 8
Daily Devotional Meditations for Spring Branch Presbyterian Church
Monday, November 7, 2011
There Is Always a Way
The Word:
One poor widow came up and put in two small coins…Jesus.. said, “…All the others gave what they’ll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn’t afford—she gave her all.”— Mark 12:42-44, The Message
Reflection: “Jesus talks about money more than any other subject in the New Testament” is what our Teaching Elder, Laurey Murphy, said in a moderators training recently. What is odd is that we in the church are reluctant to discuss money even once a year. Most people are even reluctant to discuss their finances with their parents or their children. But proper financial planning requires not just discipline but training and communication. Proportional giving with a goal that leads to tithing and extravagant generosity requires personal and spiritual discipline and the clear communication of goals. Without planning life is haphazard and chaotic. Look at your personal finances. What is first on your list to be paid? Is giving at the bottom of the list? Is what you give only whatever happens to be leftover? Write down the amount of your monthly income. Now subtract 10%. Would you be able to live on that amount without making any changes? If not what changes would you need to make in order for you to tithe? Does this seem too difficult for you to achieve?
Think of someone you admire for their generous spirit and spiritual wisdom. They must practice extravagant generosity in their lives on a regular basis to have achieved that status. Most generous people give according to their means and even beyond their means as an expression of their love of God to the world. I do not know of one person, living or dead who is or was admired because of what they were able to keep for themselves. Likewise, I do not know of anyone who admires anyone who complains about giving or who grudgingly gives the least amount possible.
As you meditate and pray on how you can expand your spiritual life through Extravagant Generosity remember this: with God all things are possible, are more than possible.
Pray:
Dear God, I want to be stronger spiritually and gain wisdom from you. Guide me as I practice extravagant generosity in my daily life. Lead me to put my finances in your order, not what is convenient or easy for me. In the name of Christ Jesus, my Lord, I pray, amen.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Teaching the Tithe
The Word:
“Make an offering of ten percent, a tithe, of all the produce which grows in your fields year after year. Bring this into the Presence of God, your God, at the place he designates for worship.”
— Deuteronomy 14:22, The Message
Reflection:
During my life I have heard many sermons about tithing. The teaching has ranged from ‘this was true in the Old Testament but no longer applies in this day and age’ to ‘you are not a Christian in your heart if you do not tithe’. Jesus did not ‘do away’ with tithing, or any of the other laws of God (Matthew 5:17-20) rather he stepped it up a notch! Let’s look again at the story about the widow’s offering. In an agricultural society, even for those who lived in towns and cities like Jerusalem, actual cash or coin was difficult to acquire. Only in the last 150 years or less have people in this country paid for most goods and services primarily with cash. Today most of us do not even have a vegetable garden much less grow enough food to feed a family. For us bringing the produce of our fields does not have much mean-ing. But deeper study into the meaning of this passage identifies that it is not how we acquire our earnings or income, but how we honor God. Likewise, the signif-icance of what the widow did was not how many or how much value were in the coins, it was all about her faith. She had enough faith in God to give all the coins she had because of her trust that God Almighty was in control. She believed God would provide all her needs. Is your faith that strong?
My grandmother had a plaque which hung by her kitchen sink as far back as I can remember. The plaque reads: LORD, help me to remember that nothing is going to happen to me today that you and i together can’t handle. Take note that LORD is in all capitals and the rest of the statement is in lower case letters, including i. For the last 30 years this plaque has hung by the kitchen sink in my home. The plaque is only a reminder, a teaching tool—the real lesson was the way my grandmother lived. I hope to pass this lesson to my children and my grandchildren by the way I live. The most powerful method we have to testify to God’s love and power in our lives is by living God’s Way. Actions speak loudly, and when combined with God’s Word there is power indeed!
Pray: Dear God, give me the strength of spirit and fullness of faith to live my life in your Way. Help me to practice extravagant generosity because of the love I have for you and for your son, Jesus. Amen.
Share this post:
