Your Eyes and Your Giving

21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy,^c your whole body will be full of light.23But if your eyes are unhealthy,^d your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

24“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. (Mt. 6)

Thoughts: This passage is about not letting this world and all of its stuff control you.  Jesus asks us to put our hope beyond what we can see- to put our treasure in heaven.
    Then there is this curious passage about eyes and light right before Jesus says we cannot love both God and money.  I used to think this passage was about not lusting after people or things.  But it is far more, and it has to do with how we give.  What do you allow your eyes to see?  What do you put into your soul through our eyes?  If you keep pouring dark stuff into your soul through greed and lust, it makes the light within us dark.  We must focus not on what we do not have- with a lust for more (greed).  For greed destroys the soul.  On the other hand, if we focus on God in Jesus Christ, we are reminded of His generosity to us.  Generosity empties the soul of its dark greed, putting more light back in.  We make our eyes healthy when we focus on how much we can given rather than how much I can get.  Your eyes- your focus- has so much to do with your ability to give.  Do you see things through the eyes of faith- that God is our Provider?  Or do you see that you must provide for yourself for God will not?  If you believe in God, it changes your focus.  You walk and you give by faith and not simply by sight.  

Prayer: Lord, make my eyes and heart healthy.  

Know the Location of Your Treasure

19“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)

Thoughts: You can give your time, your efforts, yourself to treasures here or your time, your efforts, and yourself for the kingdom of God.  Any investment you make here is temporary.  Moths, rust, vermin destroy the things of this earth.  I have been in the home of someone who moved out to a nursing home years ago.  The house is moldy, the clothes are, after these years, unusable.  All the things bought that were fashionable are now just trash. I have seen people who were once famous and popular be forgotten.   In heaven our treasure is secured by the only ultimate, true insurer- the Maker of the Universe.  Invest yourself in God- and your heart will be there too.
I can remember my first car as a young man.  It was basically all I had.  I earned the car from bagging groceries and working hard.  I washed and waxed the car so it would look nice.  I invested in my car- and the more money and time I invested in it the more I liked it.  But that car eventually gave out- blew a transmission and an engine at the same time.  Give yourself- invest yourself- in the Lord's work.  

Prayer: Lord, may I find you as my treasure of all treasures.   

Giving in Ministry

5“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”

6Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”

8Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”

And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

9He said, “Go and tell this people:

“ ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding;

be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ (Isaiah 6)

Thoughts: One of the ways of giving is to give of yourself.  Giving of yourself in Christian ministry is a specific call with some definite costs.  Everyone who was called into ministry in scripture gave so much.  Abraham left his home.  Moses was rejected by the people. Elijah was hunted down by Jezebel.  Isaiah had a message that the people would be taken into exile and tradition says he was beheaded.  Jeremiah was thrown into a mudpit.  Ezekiel was told to be a watchman but that the people would not listen.  Daniel was taken into exile and thrown into a furnace.  Paul has a long list of his hardships- thrown to lions, stones, left for dead, shipwrecked, imprisoned, beaten.  All of the Apostles were martyred but one and that one (John) was imprisoned in exile.  As someone said, "When God calls someone, He bids them come and die."  To say, "Here am I send me" is hard.  Ironically, to sink into the shadows and not answer God's call is also hard (just look at Jonah).  But the benefits of following God and answering His call- being in His will are immeasurable.  It is giving yourself to God by faith.
    Tomorrow in our church, an associate pastor will be installed.  It is a recognition he has answered the call to serve.  It is a tough call- and for that we should all pray for him.  Serving in ministry is an important way we give to God.  When someone serves full time- it is truly a gift of faith.  

Prayer: Lord, help me to give myself to you and walk by faith and not by sight.  

The Manner of Giving

2“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matthew 6:2-4) 

Thoughts: We give for God's glory not our own.  We d not give for the applause of others ,but to please God.  We do not need to draw attention to ourselves in how we give.  Instead the attention goes to God.  We do not need to pull out our financial statement or tax return and show it around bragging.  This passage gives us incentive to give anonymously.  The best kind of giving is when we can give without expecting anything in return.  Such giving is given in faith that God will see and be pleased.  

Prayer: Lord, let me desire your glory above my own.  May you receive the glory from how I give.  

Wealth comes from God

“Praise be to you, Lord,

the God of our father Israel,

from everlasting to everlasting.

11Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power

and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,

for everything in heaven and earth is yours.

Yours, Lord, is the kingdom;

you are exalted as head over all.

12Wealth and honor come from you;

you are the ruler of all things.

In your hands are strength and power

to exalt and give strength to all.

13Now, our God, we give you thanks,

and praise your glorious name.

14“But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. 15We are foreigners and strangers in your sight, as were all our ancestors. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope. 16Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you. 17I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things I have given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you. 18Lord, the God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep these desires and thoughts in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you. (1 Chronicles 29)

Thoughts: David prayed this before he died as he tried to provide the will and the wealth for his son, Solomon, to build the first Temple.  He was praising God that he was able to give and that the people were able to give (and did0 so freely.  David, who went from shepherd to general to king, recognized that wealth and honor come from God.  He was grateful.  He was also grateful for how all the people gave toward God's work.  It is by faith that we recognize that we need God, and we should be grateful to Him for all we have.  It is by faith that we are able to give.  

Prayer: Lord, give me faith to give generously to you and to your cause.  

Tithing

30“ ‘A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord... 32Every tithe of the herd and flock—every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd’s rod—will be holy to the Lord. (Leviticus 27:30,32)

and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth." (Genesis 28:22- Jacob/israel promises to give a tenth to the Lord of all he is blessed with). 

1This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, 2and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. (Hebrews 7)

Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year. (Deuteronomy 14:22)

10 and now I bring the firstfruits of the soil that you, Lord, have given me.” Place the basket before the Lord your God and bow down before him. 11 Then you and the Levites and the foreigners residing among you shall rejoice in all the good things the Lord your God has given to you and your household.

12 When you have finished setting aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you shall give it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied. (Dt. 26)

Honor the Lord with thy substance and the firstfruits of all thine increase.  Prov. 3:9

Thoughts: The idea of giving a tithe/tenth to God is found from Genesis through Revelation.  The question could be raised- "How much should I give?"  The answer in scripture- the standard for giving is a tenth of that which we have.  Deuteronmy 24 and Proverbs 3 speaks of it as the firstfruits are to be a gift up to a tenth.  This means we give of the firstfruits in trust that the rest of the fruit will come in.  We give out of faith that the Lord will provide the rest.  The first fruits means before anything else is given- thus the tithe comes from the gross income and not from a net income after taxes or after all other obligations have been paid.  God wants first place in our hearts, and it makes sense that God would ask us to give to Him off the top.  The first fruits idea tells us when to give it- first; and that we should give it off the top not skimmed off of the bottom after everything else has been paid.  

Prayer: Lord, give me grace to give back to you.  Help me to be a generous person.  

Help- Trust- Generosity

3Trust in the Lord and do good;

dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

4Take delight in the Lord,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5Commit your way to the Lord;

trust in him and he will do this:

6He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,

your vindication like the noonday sun.
16Better the little that the righteous have
than the wealth of many wicked;17for the power of the wicked will be broken,but the Lord upholds the righteous.

18The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care,

and their inheritance will endure forever.

19In times of disaster they will not wither;

in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

23The Lord makes firm the steps

of the one who delights in him;

24though he may stumble, he will not fall,

for the Lord upholds him with his hand.

25I was young and now I am old,

yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken

or their children begging bread.

26They are always generous and lend freely;

their children will be a blessing. (Psalm 37 selections about God's provision)

Thoughts: These verses in Psalm 37 link three things- 1) that God helps us in times of trouble; 2) that we can trust in God; and 3) that because of this, we can be generous and lend freely.  In times of disaster, famine, and stumbling- God upholds those who trust in Him.  We can commit our way to Him and trust Him. So we can be content.  The wealth of the wicked will fade like the flowers.  But the blessings of the godly will last forever.  

    In the face of the election, it is important to recognize we can be content as we trust in God.  We can be content with what we have.  

Prayer: Lord, hellp me to trust in you and commit my way to you.  Then help me be a generous person- giving to you and neighbor in need.