Giving

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. - Colossians 3:1-3

One day a mother was trying to teach her daughter a lesson about giving. So she gave the little girl a quarter and a dollar bill before going to church and told her, “Put whichever one you want in the collection plate and keep the other for yourself.”

After church, she asked the little girl what she had given during the offering time. The little girl responded, “Well, I was going to give a dollar, but then the preacher said God loves a cheerful giver. I knew I’d be more cheerful if I gave the quarter, so I did.”

What is it about us that loves to hang onto our stuff? We know we can’t keep it forever. And most people realize material things can’t make them happy. But for some reason, we have a strong urge to hang onto our things as if they’ll give us lasting joy.

The truth is that no amount of material wealth can ever fulfill us. That’s exactly why God wants to liberate us from our dependence on such things by inviting us to invest them in His purposes. It’s not that these things are bad. It’s that they make terrible gods, but great Kingdom servants.

Keep free from the love of worldly things by using them for God’s glory. When we think of our stuff as really His, we’ll experience much more joy as we give it all back to Him!

Prayer Challenge

Pray and confess that everything you have belongs to God. Ask Him to give you an attitude of generosity when it comes to giving it back.

Questions for Thought

What are some areas of your life where perhaps you’re looking toward worldly things to make you happy?

As you think about those areas, what would it look like to give them completely over to God?