Be a Blessing

God has been dealing with me lately about margins as I have said before. This week the pastor spoke about financial margins. He said that number one, we need to bring God into the equation and give to Him first. I have been convicted lately that I need to tithe more. I used to tithe more than the traditional 10 percent that is stated in the bible. That is the lowest standard we are given, but if we can it is great, even better to give more. The reason is that it blesses US the most when we give to others. Since we had some major financial difficulty about 4 or 5 years ago due to Jason's health, we stopped tithing 10 percent. It is time we go back, even if it hurts a little.

Of course once I made the decision, my job made it mandatory for me to accept a state vehicle to use for work. This sounds great, but it actually stinks. It is a loss of $500 out of my pay each month and cuts into my work time as I can't use it for anything personal, to drive home or pick my kids up from school. I have to pick it up and return it at the beginning and end of each day. I am used to being able to go straight to my first appointment and leave from my last home visit to go get my kids. This saves me a lot of time and hassle. Ugh. Despite that, I am sticking to my gun and tithing what I have been called to do.

And guess what? I have actually seemed to have more money this month, despite it all. Who knows what next month will bring, but I know that God is encouraging me for my obedience, despite my anxieties. It sounds awful, but one of my biggest fears and anxieties I struggle with is about finances. Not because I want sooo much, (not that I don't want more than I need) but because I want to feel secure and safe. But I need to find my safety and security in God and Jesus. No matter how much I save and work, the stock market, bad investments, anything could take that money away in a moment. I need to not worry and trust God to provide. Matthew 6 says that if He cares for the birds of the air and the lilies of the field, will he not provide for us, whom he loves so much? (loosely translated by me).

Anyway, back to my pastor's sermon. He says that the issue isn't that we don't have enough income, but it is the lifestyle we choose and allow to chase away our income. Ouch! It is so true. I look at families I work with that have 5 children and have such a small income. I wonder how they do it? Somehow they make their money stretch. This is why. We need to have financial margin, otherwise we have financial tension. The margin gives us peace. God calls us to live with margins so that we have peace. Good things happen here. Our financial problems are really a spiritual issue. It indicates what is going on in our heart. Jesus said more aobut money than about heaven or hell combined! It is important. If we rob ourselves of margin we are robbing ourselves of God. We aren't the owner of our money. We are only the manager. When we die we don't take it with us. It is only ours to borrow and manage for a short while. We are responsible for what we do with it. We must not put ourselves first. God must come first.

God promises to bless us when we live in the margin and put Him first.

Proverbs 11:24-25 "Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything. The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed."

Proverbs 30:8 "give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs."

Money is not evil, but the love of money is evil. It pushes God out of the equation, the one who gives us all we have to begin with.

I was reading a magazine from Compassion International about a pastor who had been on a short mission trip to a poverty striken area (I wish I had saved the magazine, I think it may have been in the Sudan?). Anyway, he was so overwhelmed by the poverty and people dying of starvation and disease that he went back home to his church and prayed. He felt compelled to sell his house and downsize to a smaller one so that he could give more money to help the missions there. He waited to tell his congregation until he had done it, then encouraged them to pray about it and to think about downsizing their lifestyle in order to give more to God's causes. His church was so inspired that many have done the same thing. That one small church has done amazing things in that country and the area has totally been changed from despair and death to one of hope.

I was so blessed to read about all they were able to do and are still doing. How much more of a blessing it must be for those people to give to eternal causes than to a bigger house, newer car, more stuff... It is sooo easy to forget why we are blessed. We are blessed in order to be a blessing. When we get to heaven we won't think once about our lifestyles here on earth for this short millisecond. We will think about and actually see and hug and praise God with the people we bless. Lord help me to be a blessing. Simplify my life so that only you are my focus. Take away distractions and temptations. I want no regrets in heaven. I hope we can all be a blessing this week. Pray each day for God to show you how he wants to use you and be open to his leading. His love and mine...