How to Grow Your Faith
How could God reveal His faithfulness to you this year if you were to give faithfully to him each month?
I want you to think about that because my guess is that if you’re reading this you would love to feel closer to God this year.
You would love to have a deeper connection to God and to grow in your faith.
If really want to know God more, if you are desperate for His presence in your life, if you want to see real spiritual growth this year… this question matters. It matters because if you want to grow in your faith you need to grow in your giving.
Ask anyone who has ever given from faith. Ask anyone who gave to God first, who gave to their church first, even though they weren’t sure how they were going to pay the rest of their bills that month & they will tell you… they gave, God provided & their faith grew.
[Tweet “Giving from faith no matter your present financial circumstance always results in a faith that grows.”]Giving from faith no matter your present financial circumstance, whether you’re doing well today & life is good or whether you’re struggling today & you’re not sure how you’re going to make ends meet this month, giving from faith always results in a faith that grows.
Why?
Because when you give from faith you proclaim your dependence on God.
[Tweet “When you give from faith you proclaim your dependence on God.”]Who Wins?
Over the Christmas break, our family tried to take a break from screens here and there and do things as a family. When we were visiting my parent’s house one of the games we played was Monopoly.
My kids had never played monopoly before so this was quite the experience.
It didn’t take them long at all to figure out that every time you passed GO you got to collect $200. And then they figured out that if you bought a space on the board, then when someone else landed there they had to pay you rent! Now their little business spirits were kicking in.
Of course, being the good dad that I am I was always trying to make a deal with them when I landed on one of their properties. Deals like, how about instead of paying you rent, I buy that property from you & promise not to charge you rent for the next 2 times you land on that space! Unfortunately, they were too smart for me.
Finally, it was getting late & we had to stop the game. Of course, the question everyone wanted to know the answer to was, Who wins?!
I pulled up the Monopoly Cash & Asset Calculator & began going through everyone’s financials. The good news for me is that I should be taken good care of in my old age by one of my kids. The other two I’m not so sure about.
Monopoly and the American Ethic
The Monopoly board game was first introduced by Parker Brothers in 1935. So for the past 85 years Americans have been learning that the way to win in life is to be the one who acquires the most cash & assets before the game is over!
We’ve taken our ethic from games like Monopoly but the funny thing is the world knows there is no joy in getting. In acquiring.
But that’s the American ethic we live by.
Be the one who acquires the most cash & assets & you’ll have power. You’ll have influence. You’ll have opportunity. You’ll have respect. You’ll be the winner!
The problem is, when all is said & done, everyone knows that it doesn’t really matter how much you had.
Everyone knows that you can’t take any of this with you. Everyone knows that you can’t buy happiness.
So why do we keep striving for MORE when we know more won’t make us happy, more doesn’t last & more doesn’t matter?
Jesus and Treasure
When Jesus gathered some of his first disciples to talk about what life is like in his kingdom, he talked about money. I think His words to his disciples then still have a lot to say to His disciples now.
In Matthew 6.19-33 Jesus said,
“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”
I get it. It’s hard to talk about giving when the government is partially shut down. When people aren’t getting paid. When people have lost jobs and are unemployed.
But even then, even when times are hard, we all know this principle is still true: Joy isn’t found in getting. It’s found in giving.
[Tweet “Joy isn’t found in getting. It’s found in giving.”]Jesus could have lived a life of getting. He was the Son of God. He could have lived like a King! But he chose to live his life in simplicity.
Why?
Because that’s where joy is found. That’s where life is found.
What are you striving for?
Jesus teaches, the treasure of earth, the thing you’re striving for on earth, it’s not built to last. In fact, a tiny moth can destroy what we treasure. That’s how temporary your treasure on earth is! Rust can destroy the things you & I value. Thieves can break in & steal what we try & hold on to.
Jesus says, Why would you ascribe so much value to things of so little worth? Why would you give so much importance to things that are here today & gone tomorrow?
And watch this, Jesus doesn’t say it’s wrong to have treasure. It’s the treasure we choose to treasure that Jesus is questioning.
[Tweet “Jesus doesn’t say it’s wrong to have treasure. It’s the treasure we choose to treasure that Jesus is questioning.”]I think many of us, including myself, want to have our cake & eat it too. We want the treasures of Earth AND the treasures of Heaven.
Here’s the test:
If you could only have ONE, the treasure of earth or the treasure of heaven, which would you choose?
If you could have the bank account you want, the car you want, the house you want, the job you want, the vacation you want, the ___________ you want…
OR…
You could have Jesus.
Which would you choose?
Is Jesus enough for you?
Is Jesus your treasure?
You Have to Choose
“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.”
According to the ancient faith of Israel, there is only ONE GOD.
Hear O Israel, the Lord your God, the Lord is ONE! Deuteronomy 6.4
You cannot serve the treasure of Earth & the treasure of Heaven.
Jesus didn’t say you couldn’t have treasure on earth. I think sometimes we think that the call of Jesus is a call to poverty. I think it might be better stated that the call of Jesus is to a life of simplicity. A life of sacrificial giving.
There were followers of Jesus in those early days who were people of means.
Jesus’ ministry was largely supported by a group of affluent women. Luke 8.1-3
Jesus’ disciples left their jobs & possessions behind to follow him. Matthew 4.19-20
A man by the name of Zacchaeus put his faith in Jesus & then threw a party for him. Much like Matthew did when Matthew started following Jesus! Luke 19.1-10; Matthew 9.10
Joseph of Arimathea was the one who owned a new tomb that Jesus could borrow for 3 days! Luke 23.53
People of means have always been followers of Jesus & supported His ministry!
Here’s what I notice about followers of Jesus who were people of wealth in scripture. They were always willing to risk it all, if needed, for the gospel.
Why?
Because Jesus was their treasure. Jesus was enough. Jesus was everything!
We Give to what we Love
Those first followers of Jesus who were willing to give up everything for Jesus knew that this was true, that when you…
“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”
When Jesus gathered His disciples to teach about what life is like in His Kingdom, he challenges them to love, to seek, to desire His Kingdom above all else.
It’s one of the questions we have to wrestle with as followers of Christ. Does our giving reveal that the Kingdom of Heaven is at the center of our hearts and lives?
[Tweet “Does our giving reveal that the Kingdom of Heaven is at the center of our hearts and lives?”]Here’s what I believe Jesus was saying & what is true about us…
We give to what we love.
[Tweet “We give to what we love.”]Jesus is asking. Do you love me? Do you love my church? Do you trust me?
We give to what we love. And when we give to God & to his church, we communicate that we love God, we trust God & we love His church!
At the End of the Game
At the end of Monopoly, you take the game, put all the cash back in the bank, put all the properties back in a stack, put the game back in the box, & everyone walks away.
The money wasn’t real. The properties weren’t real. None of it existed. None of it mattered.
At the end of this life, it’s not much different… with this exception. What you GAVE matters.
What you’ve given lasts. So what if we stopped striving for more treasure for our kingdom and started striving for treasure in the Kingdom of God?
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