Sunday Rewind 10.14.07

Have you ever wondered why you have all the stuff you have? The world has a simple answer. The purpose of our stuff is to raise our standard of living. But a survey of Acts 2:40-47, Acts 4:32-35, and 2 Corinthians 8:1-5 suggests a different possibility. The passages show us that God prospers us not to raise our standard of living, but to raise our standard of giving.

Now before you start making excuses about how this happened in the early church, don't forget that these were not perfect communities of disciples. Acts 5 point us to two people struck dead for lying about what they gave. Acts 6 shows us that same community bickering about people getting cheated. And those Macedonian churches that were so excited about giving money were also characterized by a variety of sinful issues.

Nevertheless, their perspective on money and stuff had clearly been transformed as a result of being disciples of Jesus Christ. And yours can too. Here are a few ideas for raising your standard of giving.

First, look for ways to give away more money. Remember, the tithe is the minimum expectations. Those God blesses beyond need have additional opportunities to express their gratitude through offerings. Start with your local church. Then look for other ministries that fit your passions for ministry.

Second, look for ways to give away more stuff. Go through your attic to find stuff you're not using that someone else could use. Want to go further? Try giving away something you use, but could do without. And if you want to practice extreme giving, you could always buy something you've been saving for specifically to give it away.

Third, look for ways to give away more self. God has given every disciple everything needed to do everything God desires that disciple to do. But sometimes, we don't give ourselves away as we should. Who needs more of you?