Day 9: You Giving

“Let your light shine before others.” Matthew 5:16

Many of you who are reading this devotion right now are rich. According to recent research, if you make $40,000 a year, you are in the top 4% of the wealthiest people in the world. And if you make over $48,000 a year, you are in the top 1% of the wealthiest people in the world.  

Writing this devotion as an American, it’s easy to lose that perspective. 

Collectively, we live in a state of quality of life that very few in the history of the world have ever experienced. But amazingly, the more Americans make, the less they give away. The wealthier may give away more in total dollars, but it’s far less in actual percentage. Why is it that the more we make, the tighter and stingier we become? 

People desperately need wisdom when it comes to their finances. Many of us are living paycheck to paycheck and drowning in debt. A Stanley and Markman study found that money is what people argue about most in their marriages. No matter who you are, saving, giving, and managing money is probably a challenge. 

This means that despite the unprecedented riches we live in, things like financial stress, living paycheck to paycheck, having monthly payments, accruing debt, and fighting about money are all considered normal.

So, if that’s normal, I don’t want to be normal; I want to be weird!

Jesus challenges his followers to be generous. The more I read through the words of Jesus, I’m convinced that it just may be impossible to be a stingy Christian.  We cannot follow Jesus well and at the same time ignore this massive number of requests and commands related to finances that He gives to us. If you are truly following Jesus, you are generous. And much like serving Him, we give out of response to God giving to us. The most famous verse in the Bible is John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever would believe in Him would not perish but have eternal life.”  

Giving like Jesus will challenge you, but can I ask you a question? Why not? Our typical approach to finances isn’t working. Let’s be weird together like Jesus!

Challenge

Be generous today. Give to a church or charity that you believe in. Stretch yourself by giving beyond what’s comfortable, just like Jesus did for you. Share which church or organization you supported on social media using #RedLetterChallenge to encourage others to do the same.