Because Everything We Have Is His
Why would anyone in their right mind give right now? Because everything is God’s anyway. We are just the managers of it. 1st Corinthians 10:26 says this
"The earth," after all, "is God's, and everything in it."
The creator is the ultimate owner and has final authority so what do we do with the things he has entrusted to us?
Treasure
Whenever I talk about giving one of the first things that I hear from people is I can’t give right now because things are just too tight. My first response is to ask why is it so tight? I would never put anyone on blast but I will tell you that in my own life I have been very irresponsible with money. But I got better. Let me share this scripture with you that my FPU folks will remember. Psalms 6:1-5
Dear friend, if you've gone into hock with your neighbor or locked yourself into a deal with a stranger, If you've impulsively promised the shirt off your back and now find yourself shivering out in the cold,
Friend, don't waste a minute, get yourself out of that mess. You're in that man's clutches! Go, put on a long face; act desperate.
Don't procrastinate— there's no time to lose.
Run like a deer from the hunter, fly like a bird from the trapper!
Have you made mistakes? Then you need to move quickly towards fixing them. Don’t wait!
Talents
I know that I should be sharing my talents but I’ve got to use them over here. I have enjoyed this buildout because I have seen so many talents on display. The Builders and Painters have been out in force and the Organizers and Gophers have filled in when needed. I shared this scripture with the church way back when we were still at McCormick, Exodus 35:10
"Come—all of you who have skills—come and make everything that God has commanded
Have you given your talents to building God’s house? If not then you should. They are His talents.
Time
I can’t give any of my time right now because I have too much going on. Are you wasting your time or investing it? In Psalms 39:4 David asks God to give him a new perspective on time.
"Tell me, what's going on, God? How long do I have to live?
He wasn’t asking because he was on his deathbed. What would you do if you knew the day and time of your death? Would you waste it with worry? Would you concern yourself with things that you cannot control? Examine where you are spending your time?