EQUIPPED TO GIVE
THE FIVE STAGES OF GIVING
EQU IPPED TO GIVE : TH E FIVE STAGES OF GIVING
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EQU IPPED TO GIVE : TH E FIVE STAGES OF GIVING
CREDITS Equipped to Give: The Five Stages of Giving © 2015 Church of the Resurrection, Illinois. Editor: Ellen Richard Design: Alan Miller Cover Illustration: Kyle Rohane Copy Editing: Anna Robbins Writers: Ashley Davila, Sarah Graham, Ellen Richard, Meghan Robins, and Bonnie Wolf Production: Bethany McLellan Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from The Hoy Bible, New International Version® NIV® copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Church of the Resurrection 935 W. Union Ave, Wheaton IL 60187
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CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 5 THE INITIAL GIVER 6 THE CONSISTENT GIVER 10 THE INTENTIONAL GIVER 14 THE SACRIFICIAL GIVER 18 THE LEGACY GIVER 22
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INTRODUCTION In this new season of generosity at Church of the Resurrection, we want to understand how God has called us to enter into the ongoing work of his Kingdom by giving financially to worship and ministry. To prepare our hearts to give generously for the realization of this new vision, we are taking time to pray and examine God’s word in scripture. We hope that the devotional you now hold will contribute to your understanding of how God has specifically called you to give in this time. In it you will find five meditations that will help you work through matters of faith and finance for yourself and with your family. Each lesson explains one of the five stages of giving: the Initial Giver (page 6), the Consistent Giver (page 10), the Intentional Giver (page 14), the Sacrificial Giver (page 18), and the Legacy Giver (page 22). This devotional will help you identify the stage of giving where you are now, and inspire you to pray about which stage the Lord is calling you to grow toward in this time of generosity. Our hope is that we will all grow in our understanding that God has given graciously to us so that we can give generously to his work. We want to live in light of the reality that God owns it all, and we want to cultivate mindsets and lifestyles of stewardship. As you pray and explore these scriptures, it is our prayer that God will call you into the abundance of his generous Spirit and the gift of sharing a closer relationship with his Son, Jesus Christ.
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THE INITIAL GIVER 2 CORINTHIANS 9:6-15 (NIV) Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9 As it is written: 6
“They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.” Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. 10
This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 13 Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. 14 And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. 15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! 12
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INITIAL IMPRESSION
CONTEMPLATE In this passage, we are encouraged to take the step of faith to become givers for the first time. God calls his people to give to the work of the church in various ways throughout the Bible. It is simply true that we are to give of all that we have to God. But writing that first check and placing it in the offering plate as we pass it can be scary. The Initial Giver gives in faith, knowing that the Lord will provide for their needs as the giver obediently provides the financial means for ministry. In 2 Corinthians 9, Paul encourages us to be Initial Givers, who are cheerfully generous, assuring us that God will provide for all we need when we are generous and teaching us that God gives to us so that we can give to others. Runners often use the language of sowing and reaping to motivate training. Sowing poorly through inconsistent running and haphazard training plans leads to reaping poor race day results. The bountiful sowing of months of daily, calculated training allows a runner to race to the best of his or her ability. This is true of all runners—the elite and the new jogger alike. We do reap what we sow. Paul uses this same harvest illustration in exhorting the Corinthians to give generously to the Lord and to the believers in need in Jerusalem—to sow gifts of money in order to reap a harvest of righteousness. As in running, all must sow bountifully of their resources.
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Paul makes it explicitly clear that the Corinthians’ money, the ‘seed’ they are sowing, is ultimately a gift from God and not their own. God “supplies seed to the sower and bread for food” (9:10). God is the giver of all gifts, including the gift of money. Paul exhorts the Corinthians to give money back to the Lord, for God is the one who gave them their money in the first place. Instead of hoarding their seeds, God calls them to plant for a future harvest. In verses 11-15, Paul describes what the harvest looks like—the inward and outward transformation of righteousness that occurs when a person sows generously. God multiplies the seed for the sower. He provides for his needs and allows him to continue to be generous (9:10). Inwardly, God also enriches the sower to be even more generous, not only with her money but “in every way,” with her time, resources, talents, and all that she possesses (9:11). Outwardly, this gift of money provides for the physical needs of the Christian leaders and allows them to continue in their ministry (9:11). The leaders are also encouraged by the witness of the sower—the witness of a person who not only professes faith in the gospel but lives it out through giving generously (9:12). We are called, just as the Corinthians were, to sow bountifully of our financial resources. And, like to the Corinthians, we must be reminded that this call runs counter to our cultural understanding of money. As we answer the call to become Initial Givers, we must remember that our money is not our own. It is the Lord’s. We are called to follow Christ with our whole lives. We are called to love God with our whole hearts, souls, and minds. Our finances are not nicely excluded. When we surrender our money to the Lord we are surrendering our control over one of our deepest strongholds and desires. Money can give us the illusion of control and self-sufficiency. We need to shift our paradigm concerning money from I earned it, so I can spend it how I want to It’s God’s money, and he calls me to give back generously to him. When we see our money as God’s first, then we can be filled with joy as we return it for his use in the church. We are all called, rich and poor, young and old, to sow abundantly of our resources. Similar to running, this requires sacrifice and discipline. When we do sow bountifully from whatever resources we have been given, we will reap a harvest of righteousness. In giving generously, we are transformed by Christ. 8
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MEDITATE •
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According to this passage, why has God called us to give generously? What might be ways by which you try to control your life through money instead of surrendering to God’s generous provision? If you are an Initial Giver, how can you trust God to provide for your needs as you give for the first time?
NOTES
PRAY Almighty and everlasting God, increase in us the gifts of faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain what you promise, make us love what you command; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen (Proper 25, BCP).
YOUR PRAYER
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THE CONSISTENT GIVER EXODUS 25:1-9 (ESV) The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel, that they take for me a contribution. From every man whose heart moves him you shall receive the contribution for me. 3 And this is the contribution that you shall receive from them: gold, silver, and bronze, 4 blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, goats’ hair, 5 tanned rams’ skins, goatskins, acacia wood, 6 oil for the lamps, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, 7 onyx stones, and stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breastpiece. 8 And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst. 9 Exactly as I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle, and of all its furniture, so you shall make it. INITIAL IMPRESSION
CONTEMPLATE Once we begin the practice of giving, God then calls us to take the next step to be Consistent Givers. The Consistent Giver deliberately chooses to give financially to the church on a regular, recurring basis. The Consistent Giver contributes to the everyday
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ministries and operations of the church; this kind of giver is invested in the day-to-day needs of the church. The Lord commanded the Israelites to sacrifice regularly and give consistently to the function of the church. This passage gives us a peek into the variety of offerings God asked the Israelites to give to worship him. Here we learn obedience to the Lord in giving, we understand that the church has specific needs (like the Tabernacle), and we see that when we prepare the church for worship the Lord will meet us there. This moment in Exodus 25, where the Lord asks his people to give to the building and beautifying of the Tabernacle, takes place at an incredibly pivotal time for the people of Israel. They have just been rescued out of slavery in Egypt by the Lord’s provision of numerous miracles: the parting of the Red Sea (14:1-31), manna from heaven (16:136), water from the rock (17:1-7), and the defeat of their enemies in battle against great odds (17:8-15). As if that wasn’t amazing enough, the Lord then comes down, meets Moses on Mount Sinai, and gives the Israelites a covenant in which he promises to dwell with them. He reveals his character through his commandments (20:1-21) and even allows them to see him on the mountain (24:1-18). He then details how Moses should build the sanctuary where the God who created the universe will come to be among his people. As children of this same God, we have inherited the story of the people of Israel. Like them, we were enslaved by sin and rescued from its power—not by our own might but by the intervention of the living God, who sent his son Jesus to die for our sins. Our lives in Christ are also marked by the consistent miracle of the Lord’s active hand in our daily affairs. This is what makes our Easter Vigil service so stirring: it invites us to recognize how Israel’s salvation story is our own. It is then only natural that our next step should be the same as the Israelites’: to respond through consistent generosity. When the Lord invites his people to give in this passage, it is not demanding. He tells Moses that from “every man whose heart moves him you shall receive the contribution for me.” The Lord is asking us to be reactive to his faithful generosity for the proactive purpose of building his kingdom.
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God gives the Israelites a specific list of contributions that will function as the building blocks of worship for the entire community. These pieces must be both costly and beautiful because they will be used for the sole purpose of glorifying the Lord. Our tithes are the modern-day versions of these rare metals, woods, and jewels, as the money that we consistently sacrifice proactively creates a beautiful space and a welcoming culture where all are ushered into the presence of the living God. Our giving is a tangible manifestation of the Lord’s faithfulness, both in that we have anything at all to give and in that the Lord then uses it for such a glorious purpose. For it is glorious that the God who created the world simply by speaking it into being wants us to be co-creators with him. As deeply beloved children, we are invited to participate in the Kingdom-work of building up the Church. It is both a significant responsibility and an incredible privilege that our final purpose is the same as that of the Israelites: to build physical ministries and structures so that the Lord may dwell in our midst.
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MEDITATE •
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What are some specific examples in your own life of how God has provided for your needs and wants? How has God asked you to be faithful to him as a Consistent Giver? What can you offer to God on a consistent basis that would contribute to the work of his Church?
NOTES
PRAY O Lord, mercifully receive the prayers of your people who call upon you, and grant that they may know and understand what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to accomplish them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen (Proper 10, BCP). YOUR PRAYER
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THE INTENTIONAL GIVER DEUTERONOMY 26:1-15 (NLT) “When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you as a special possession and you have conquered it and settled there, 2 put some of the first produce from each crop you harvest into a basket and bring it to the designated place of worship—the place the Lord your God chooses for his name to be honored. 3 Go to the priest in charge at that time and say to him, ‘With this gift I acknowledge to the Lord your God that I have entered the land he swore to our ancestors he would give us.’ 4 The priest will then take the basket from your hand and set it before the altar of the Lord your God. “You must then say in the presence of the Lord your God, ‘My ancestor Jacob was a wandering Aramean who went to live as a foreigner in Egypt. His family arrived few in number, but in Egypt they became a large and mighty nation. 6 When the Egyptians oppressed and humiliated us by making us their slaves, 7 we cried out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors. He heard our cries and saw our hardship, toil, and oppression. 8 So the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand and powerful arm, with overwhelming terror, and with miraculous signs and wonders. 9 He brought us to this place and gave us this land flowing with milk and honey! 10 And now, O Lord, I have brought you the first portion of the harvest you have given me from the ground.’ Then place the produce before the Lord your God, and bow to the ground in worship before him. 11 Afterward you may go and celebrate because of all the good things the Lord your God has given to you and your household. Remember to include the Levites and the foreigners living among you in the celebration. 5
“Every third year you must offer a special tithe of your crops. In this year of the special tithe you must give your tithes to the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows, so that they will have enough to eat in your towns. 13 Then you must declare in the presence of the Lord your God, ‘I have taken the sacred gift from my house and have given it to the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows, just as you commanded me. 12
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I have not violated or forgotten any of your commands. 14 I have not eaten any of it while in mourning; I have not handled it while I was ceremonially unclean; and I have not offered any of it to the dead. I have obeyed the Lord my God and have done everything you commanded me. 15 Now look down from your holy dwelling place in heaven and bless your people Israel and the land you swore to our ancestors to give us—a land flowing with milk and honey.” INITIAL IMPRESSION
CONTEMPLATE As we learn to become faithful Consistent Givers, God then asks us to give intentionally. The Intentional Giver thinks about what they give in relation to all the other ways they spend their money. The Intentional Giver works to shape their finances in such a way that their giving to the Lord is a top priority. In the society that the Lord lays out in the Law for the Israelites, God asks them to give in a way that demonstrates that he is their number one priority; God asks them to give the first and the best of all they produce. This is made explicit in Deuteronomy 26:1-15 as Moses reminds the Israelites of both the reason they give to the Lord and the specific way they are to prepare and present their sacrifices. These instructions are part of Moses’ final address to Israel. The Israelites had waited a long time to enter the Promised Land. After four hundred years in Egypt and forty EQU IPPED TO GIVE : TH E FIVE STAGES OF GIVING
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years wandering in the wilderness, they needed to conquer and settle Canaan, a process that would also take many years. After so much waiting, their first harvest would be a very special occasion. While the Israelites would do a lot of work to get to that point, they would need to resist the temptation to keep all of this first harvest for themselves. It was God who got them there in the first place: promising them the land, bringing them to Egypt where they grew into a great nation, delivering them from slavery, bringing them through the wilderness, and allowing them to conquer the Promised Land. This first fruits offering would be the acknowledgment that God had done everything he had promised. Our gifts to God are God’s gifts to others. In 26:11, Moses reminds the Israelites to include the Levites and foreigners in their first fruits celebration. The tribe of Levi served as priests for the rest of the nation of Israel. They did not receive an allotment of land, and they depended on the Israelites’ tithe for their income. The first fruits offering itself would act as their own first harvest since it was their first income from the Promised Land. Like the Levites, foreigners were a part of the Israelite community, but they were not allotted their own portion of the land. Yet the celebration was to be for everyone; even those who were not able to give could still take part. God had particular people in mind when he asked the Israelites to give of their first fruits. In 26:12 the Israelites are instructed to give another type of intentional offering that is specifically for worship in the Tabernacle and for the harassed and helpless among them. Like the annual tithe, this offering went to the Levites—but every third year the tithe also benefited foreigners (who had no land) and orphans and widows (who were not able to work their family land). This offering was to be accompanied by an oath (26:13) declaring that the gift was of the required first fruit quality. It was not used in any sort of funeral ritual, not handled when the giver was ceremonially unclean (see Leviticus), and not offered to the dead (a pagan practice). In other words, it was not to be a gift made up of leftovers but a gift worthy of a holy God. God used this particular offering to provide for the most vulnerable and ensure that they, too, received the blessings of the land. We can glean much from this passage. Like the Israelites, our church was once without 16
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a physical home. By God’s provision, we acquired a building, tackled a significant renovation project, and have settled in. Throughout this process, many of us have been giving to support the building project, pay for staff salaries and operating expenses, and minister to our society’s most vulnerable. We are now in a comfortable place. God has done great things for us, and he has called us to intentionally minister with all that he has given to us.
MEDITATE •
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How has God called you to give intentionally to the mission of his Church? How can your finances be shaped in a way that leads you to become an Intentional Giver? What are specific ways that you can be intentionally generous with your money? NOTES
PRAY Lord, we pray that your grace may always precede and follow us, that we may continually be given to good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen (Proper 23, BCP).
YOUR PRAYER
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THE SACRIFICIAL GIVER ACTS 4:32—5:11 (ESV) Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. 33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. 36 Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, 37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 4.32
But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” 5 When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. 6 The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him. 5.1
After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 And Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.” And she said, “Yes, for so much.” 9 But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” 10 Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and 7
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they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things. INITIAL IMPRESSION
CONTEMPLATE The next stage of giving calls us to grow from Intentional Givers to Sacrificial Givers. The Sacrificial Giver has organized their finances to make giving to the Lord their top priority, and they are called to make a commitment that costs them to sacrifice their lifestyle in order to give. This is the kind of giving that Jesus calls his disciples to throughout the gospels and the kind of giving that the first churches in Acts practiced. The early church felt the urgency of the Gospel to give sacrificially to the church. Their whole lives had been completely altered by their experience with Christ and the Holy Spirit such that they devoted all that they possessed. In this passage, we see sacrificial giving modeled by the early church and we understand the benefit of rearranging our whole lives to give to the work of the Gospel. What a vision of community! Can you feel the warmth and energy in this description of the earliest church? The unity of heart, the filling of the Spirit, the boldness of the resurrection testimony—this was a vibrant community of God, and it still fills us with wonder today. But if we’re not careful, we can read this passage with nostalgia and assume that all of it is just history, particularly the selfless sharing of resources. We can find ourselves like the rich man who caught a glimpse of the kingdom of God EQU IPPED TO GIVE : TH E FIVE STAGES OF GIVING
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(“Go and sell all your possessions. . .”) and went away sad. These Jerusalem Christians consider everything they have to belong to the new family of God. Resources are shared for the sake of the community and the work of God so that no one among them was needy. This fulfills God’s vision for his people way back in Deuteronomy 15:4: “There will be no poor among you.” The example of the early church here (and in a twin passage, Acts 2:42-47) shows us that sacrificial giving is a basic part of living in the community of God’s people. Notice that the mention of the great power with which the apostles proclaim the resurrection of Jesus (4:33) is settled neatly between two statements about the community’s relationship to money and possessions. There is a deep connection between what we do with our resources and what kind of claims we can make about who we are and what we value. A powerful testimony of the resurrection is inseparable from a heart completely yielded to resurrection life. This means that our openhandedness with finances for the sake of the Kingdom is a fundamental part of our witness to the gospel. But while the people of God are filled with the Spirit and proclaiming the resurrection in power, Ananias and Sapphira are “filled with Satan” and making empty claims about themselves. In contrast to Barnabas with his humble and generous gift, this couple saunters in with their offering like the Pharisees in their flowing robes (Luke 20:46). They fall under the judgment of God because of their pretence. Sacrificial giving is not about being impressive. It requires humility to give up something precious for the sake of another. Peter reminds Ananias that what ultimately matters is truth before God. Do you remember the poor widow in the Temple with the two small coins? She gave all she had to live on! Jesus saw her among all the rich tossing their lavish gifts into the treasury, and he praised hers as the greatest gift. Sacrificial giving is not so much about the size of our gifts as it is our selfless generosity of heart for the work of the Kingdom. Let us take seriously the example of the early church and imagine together what a community of sacrificial givers could do for the kingdom of God.
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MEDITATE •
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How did the early church exhibit “openhandedness” with their finances? How can the sacrificial giving of the first church in Jerusalem shape our own attitudes toward giving? What might God be calling you to sacrifice for his kingdom?
NOTES
PRAY Grant, O Lord, that the course of this world may be peaceably governed by your providence; and that your Church may joyfully serve you in confidence and serenity; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen (Proper 3, BCP). YOUR PRAYER
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THE LEGACY GIVER 1 TIMOTHY 6:6-19 (NIV) But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 6
But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 14 to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen. 11
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
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INITIAL IMPRESSION
CONTEMPLATE Generosity is a lifetime calling from the Lord, which is why as we move through the stages of giving our ultimate goal is to become Legacy Givers. The Legacy Giver looks past the month-to-month or even yearly giving to dream and give in a way that leaves a Gospel-shaped imprint on the rest of their life. The Legacy Giver has longrange plans to give sacrificially and that decision governs the way they spend their money totally. God has called his people to give wholly to his work in the world. We give our hearts and minds, time and effort, money and resources. As Jesus sacrificed his whole life for us, we are to sacrifice our whole lives to him. In 1 Timothy 6:6-19, we learn that when we place Christ at the center of our lives, then he begins to rule how we give our money, rather than our finances governing the way we give to the church. In this passage, Paul essentially tells Timothy that a consistent, wholehearted practice of generosity is the fruit of a life lived with Christ at its center. He begins with a warning against making our finances the center of who we are. We are instructed to be content with what we have and not to seek out riches, because it is a path fraught with great temptation that leads many away from the Lord. Paul reminds Timothy that “we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it” (6:7). To love our money more than we love our God is to bring about “many griefs” in our lives; instead of running toward money as the ultimate prize, we are to strive primarily to have faith in EQU IPPED TO GIVE : TH E FIVE STAGES OF GIVING
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God. Money is not evil, but to give money pride of place over faith is the opposite of the will of God. Paul gives Timothy (and us) a greater vision for our lives: “Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses” (6:12). In the center of our present passage—sandwiched between instructions about how we relate to money—we find the Gospel. Above all else, we are to spend our lives in hot pursuit of the kind of character that emulates God’s holiness. Paul’s words summon us to “righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness” (6:11). It is from this place of faith in Christ Jesus, his death on the cross, and his authority over all that we are called to give all that we have, even our money, for our entire lives. Finally, Paul urges us, as people who have been generously provided for by God, to give out of our abundance in the knowledge that our contentment and hope comes from God and not money. If we are rich, we are “to be rich in good deeds” and “generous and willing to share” (6:18). In this exercise of faithful, generous giving, we will find the true life that God has promised. This life is characterized by a legacy of generosity that continues to give to the life of the church well after we are gone. As we have learned from the previous devotions, God has called us to give. He calls us to participate in his Kingdom work by contributing our time and resources to our local churches. We have meditated on specific ways we give to worship in the church just like the Israelites gave beautiful gifts for their worship in the Tabernacle. We have explored how God has called us to give intentionally and sacrificially out of a spirit of thankfulness for God’s provision in our lives. These generous practices shape us into people who have placed the Lord and his will at the center of their lives and have cultivated a legacy of generosity.
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MEDITATE •
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What tendencies in our hearts and our world encourage us to place money at the center of our lives? How does giving generously shape us into Christcentered people? How is God calling you to become a Legacy Giver?
NOTES
PRAY Grant us, Lord, not to be anxious about earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among things that are passing away, to hold fast to those that shall endure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen (Proper 20, BCP).
YOUR PRAYER
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ADDITIONAL NOTES
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EQU IPPED TO GIVE : TH E FIVE STAGES OF GIVING
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Equipping for transformation Read stories generosity. planting forofrevival
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churchrez.org/movedbyjesus Equipping for transformation planting for revival
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