This week we’re learning that our money, our time and our natural skills are  resources to be used in ways that will allow God’s purposes to be realized. Amazingly we are given total freedom in this. There are no set rules or specific suggestions, only the objective.  The challenge is to use our imagination and our creativity in thinking out how we will apply our money, for example, to this purpose.  As we learn more about God our awareness of the opportunities to use our money in this way will increase….charities, individuals, families and church ministries will all show us ways we can make a difference.

I have seen three steps many Christians move through as they grow in generosity.

It begins with casual giving.  This happens at the checkout counter in a store when they ask if you’d like to give a dollar to this fund or that.  It also happens in a church service when a plate is passed, and you look to see what you can give today.

But often we move from there to another type of giving: responsible giving.

I know of one person who’d grown up going to church, but as an adult, was asked to join the advisory board.  She accepted, and figured it would be a good idea to be at the annual meeting for the first time in her life, since she was on the board now.  Well, the next day, she reported that it was a huge eye-opener.  As she saw the budget, she looked at her own givings, and explaimed, “I just realized I’m the biggest cheapskate here!”

She had just become a “responsible giver”…someone who looks at the budget, and says I’ll do my part of the good work that’s happening here.  Looks at world, says I should help.

Finally, many Christians move from responsible giving to proportional giving.

This is where we don’t just do our part, but instead we looked at our budget, figured out a percentage we would give every month, signed up for pre-authorized giving, and stuck to it.  We have plans for our money…work on the house, new roof, etc. but we’ll have to save up for it, because we make sure our tithe comes out first.

What percent? There are several places in the Bible that talk about tithing—which literally means giving 10% to God’s work. It’s something from the Old Testament, when God’s people, the Israelites, were to give 10% of everything to God – crops, animals, everything.  Is that the rule or percent?

But we have to remember how Jesus treats many Old Testament laws – he steps them up and makes them more challenging to our hearts.

He says his disciples’ “Righteousness is to exceed that of scribes & pharisees. – Matt 5:20

For example: The Pharisees and scribes avoided murder (one of the 10 commandments)…so Jesus wants his followers to not only never murder, but to also avoid anger.  He shifts them from doing the bare minimum, to an actual change of attitude.

In the same way, if the Pharisees give 10% because they have to, what do we give if Jesus always calls us to have a change of attitude?

It’s to give, not until it hurts, but until it feels good again…until our attitude has changed from one of giving what we have to, to one of giving generously, because we love to give.

How do you choose your level of giving?  Only you can decide, but identify where you are today, and challenge yourself to the next level…today, not tomorrow.  Jesus always said those who were faithful with a little, are the ones he trusts to be faithful with a lot, so start where you are, no matter your income, no matter how little it may seem, because if you give generously out of love, it’s important to God.

Just to be clear – I’m not just saying this to boost Redeem the Commute’s income!  I am encouraging you to give generously to God’s work – whoever, wherever, however it is done.  So long as it is work consistent with God’s plans for this world – so long as it is kingdom work.

Giving to Redeem the Commute, helping us become a new kind of church is a great way to do that.  We need your financial help to keep helping marriages and families, and developing a community that can do that for the long term.  You can give at https://www.redeemthecommute.com/donate/

But God’s work is much bigger than any one ministry!

Please give to a variety of ministries.  Perhaps you can find balance by giving to Redeem the Commute as your church, and a Christian relief charity like World Vision, and a medical charity that’s consistent with God’s kingdom plans to heal the sick and hurting.  And of course you want to be ready to help people in your life in need when they ask.

In the final analysis, stewardship is about the overflowing of a grateful heart in response to all that Jesus has done for us…..and so determine how much to give by determining what God has given and done for you.  Then decide how you can say thanks.

Remember that we were made to be givers, but we have been socialized by a world that has lost its direction into believing that we are supposed to be keepers.

Challenge: Map out what you can give away every month, and the right blend for you.  One suggestion is to set up a monthly gift to RTC at https://www.redeemthecommute.com/donate and a monthly gift to your other charities, and a savings account so you are saving for the future needs of your family and others you know who may need your generosity.   Go to http://www.mygivingmoment.ca and register your moment there!

Reminder: Earlier in this series, we saw the importance of reading the Bible together in sync, so our new daily bible readings start today in our mobile app and web site.

Read the Bible in Sync Today

Ryan Sim - March 25, 2014

Tuesday - Study It - Reset Society

Reset

Hi, welcome to Redeem the Commute. I'm Ryan your host of the Daily Challenges. Here we are in nature. And that's because this week we're studying how following Jesus resets our views of society’s divisions. Maybe the idea of a fair and equitable society seems new to the world, but listen to these words from Paul, one of the first Christian leaders 2000 years ago. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise. (Galatians 3:27-29 ESV) He names three big divisions in human society, that Paul says Christians will see differently: Race, Class, and Gender. First, he calls out race by saying there is neither Jew nor Greek when we live together in Christ. He said this in the context of a divided culture, with Jews trying to make their way through life as a people distinct from the many nations around them, all heavily influencd by Greek culture. He just uses “Greek” as shorthand for Gentiles, the non-Jews, whether they are Roman or Greek or otherwise. He calls out class, saying there is neither slave nor free. He was lived in a society that relied on slavery to function, so what he said was counter-cultural. Finally he calls out gender, saying there is neither male nor female. He said that in a culture where women were held in low regard, even despised. To all of these divisions, Paul says something groundbreaking, that they are all one in Christ Jesus. We miss how revolutionary this was. Paul is not saying that these divisions don’t exist, or that they are to be completely ignored. He knows there are races, classes and genders in our world. It’s impossible and impractical to ignore these distinctions, yet our culture sometimes reacts in bizarre ways when these divisions get out of hand. A young child’s swimming teacher was going to be away for a week, and the child asked who the new teacher would be. The parents said they didn’t know, and he asked if it would be the black swim teacher. This was an awkward moment because adults had never used that language around the child before, and were surprised the child spoke about skin colour. Adults also know it’s wrong to refer to someone by the colour of their skin if it’s in judgement, or as if one attribute somehow describes the whole person. But for a child, it was completely innocent, simply describing someone he saw. In a swimming pool you either describe a physical attribute, or a bathing suit, those are your choices. But because of that history of judgement and division, I think adults in our culture have reacted by pretending there are no differences in skin colour, gender, etc. when that is clearly not true. Along with one’s heritage come great cultural riches – music, festivals, clothing, ideas, etc. that we don’t want to lose. Is there an alternative to bigotry and reactionary colour blindness? Absolutely, and it’s the view of the one who created every human, male and female, everywhere in the world. Those who follow Jesus are all one in Christ Jesus, described as Abraham’s offspring, heirs according ot promise, regardless of those things that normally divide humans one from another. God’s promise to Abraham was that he would bless the world through him and his offspring. They aren’t barriers to followers of Jesus having fellowship with one another. We recognize each other as equals, family members and co-heirs. Unfortunately the Christian Church hasn’t got a great history of following through on this. Question: When have you seen ethnic, class or gender divisions among Christians?

Related Topics: Class, Diversity, Gender, Race, Reset, Society | More Messages from Ryan Sim | Download Audio

From Series: "Reset"

When our computers get bogged down and unmanageable, we know to hit a reset button to simply start over. Wouldn't a reset button be great in life? We know it would be complicated, with all our responsibilities and routines to consider, but imagine the freedom and refreshment of a new start in life! What would you do differently? What would you pay more attention to, and what would you ignore? How would you avoid getting bogged down and broken again? The great news is, in coming to earth as Jesus Christ, God has begun to "reset" our universe, our world, and even us. We're invited to start over with him, in what he calls his kingdom. We're invited to start a new life with a clean slate. What gets wiped clean, and lived differently, when God resets our lives? We'll explore how God resets these key areas of our lives: Reset: Goals Reset: Time Reset: Money Reset: Work Reset: Body & Food Reset: Sex & Marriage Reset: Family Reset: Compassion Reset: Nature Reset: Society Reset: Death Join us for the next several weeks, and invite God to reset your life.

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