GIVE GENEROUSLY DAY 162 - For my friends that live in the United States, is there any doubt that we are tremendously blessed. If you are a Christian living in the United States, a thousandfold more. The poorest of the poor in America are wealthier than most around the world. Our country has certainly enjoyed God’s favor. For those of us that have traveled outside of the United States – particularly to a Least Developed Country (LDC) – the realities of our blessings are even more apparent. I have been to over 30 countries to include Southern Sudan and Pakistan. I will never forget coming upon an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in Southern Sudan. These were Sudanese who had fled when the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) had attacked their village. Hundreds of men, women and children were just a hundred yards off the side of the road into the bush. They were starving to death (literally) and drinking highly contaminated water. I soon realized that there wasn’t a bush or tree anywhere within eyesight with a leaf on it. They had collected everyone of them and were eating them any way they could. Their plight broke this old soldier’s heart. Today’s reading recalled the many impoverished places and less fortunate people I’ve met along life’s journey. The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 15:25-28 –“Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem in the service of the Lord’s people there. For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the Lord’s people in Jerusalem. They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews’ spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings.” Wow! The people of Macedonia and Achaia ‘owed’ the poor people of Jerusalem their “material blessings” because they had, “shared in [their] spiritual blessings”. How much more is that not true for us in the United States? We live in a country that promotes religious liberties. We are free to worship God in our own way by our own means. Believers have the added blessing of serving the one true God. Add to this the reality of our extraordinary wealth, and we can’t help but to give and to give generously. If there were one thing I would add to today’s note, it would be this one challenge – commit to only giving to the “Kingdom of God”. By this I mean the Christian church of your choice, as well as, Christian missionaries, Christian Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO), and Christian para-church groups. As a successful business leader, I receive a lot of requests for donations from everything from the Scouts to band boosters to ‘save the _______’ to political campaigns and organizations. As a successful business leader, I look at the use of money as an investment. I want a return on my investment (ROI). As a Christian I know that it isn’t my money, but the Lord’s. I am simply a steward of that which He has entrusted me with. So, I could invest in the world’s plea of the day, or I could invest in the Kingdom of God. I know that I know that when I invest in the Kingdom of God the odds are good that my investment will bring people to the saving knowledge and grace of Jesus Christ. The gift of eternal life is the ultimate ROI! For those of you that – like my family – have been blessed beyond belief, you are that blessed because God wants you to give and give generously. For those of you that are not that blessed, ask the Holy Spirit how blessed you are in comparison to your Brothers and Sisters around the world, then give and give generously. When you do give, assign all credit, honor and glory to God and then step back and watch what God does with your gift to change eternity for many. C2013
Posted on: Tue, 11 Jun 2013 11:19:05 +0000
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