Three Kinds of Believers
Are you spending completely on things that pass away
like a vapor–or are you investing significantly in the things of God, which do
not?
I’m something of a
student of human behavior, and I’ve come to some conclusions about how most
people in the world relate to God and his gifts. With regard to those who do
make some kind of attempt to serve God, I’ve observed that there are basically
three kinds of believers in this world.
Earthly-minded Believers
The first category
of people I’ve identified is a large one, perhaps because it requires the least
thought.
They’ve compartmentalized the sphere of all their
resources, whether time, talent, or treasure, and haven’t brought these under
the Lordship of Christ.
These believers accept what God has given them and use
their resources for their own comfort, pleasure, and personal gratification.
The Earthly-minded
Believer sees money the way nearly everyone else does. He wants to keep as much
of it as possible, and use it for his own personal enjoyment of life.
There’s nothing
wrong with enjoying the financial fruits of our labor. God wants us to do so.
The important question is this: Are you spending completely on things that pass
away like a vapor—or are you investing significantly in the things of God,
which do not?
Christian Philanthropists
The next category
of believers is one that gives more attention to giving.
These are believers who have come to the conviction
that God has blessed them, and they should give back a portion of what they’ve
received to help support ministry and missions. For them, this is somewhat of a duty, an obligation to fulfill, like
paying taxes. There’s an “oughtness” that guides them. They write a check or
volunteer in some way, but there is no joy or purpose in it.
Perhaps it’s the way
they were taught by their parents. Perhaps it is motivated by the sense of duty
so that the church can fund some project overseas, or pay its budget, or
provide some program. Perhaps it’s giving out of guilt. The important
distinction is that it is “doing what I have to.” As a result, it’s not
something particularly pleasant or enjoyable.
Kingdom Investors
There is one other
kind of Christian giver and, as you might predict, this one is harder to find
among us. The Kingdom Investors are people who grow in Christ, who dig deeply
into his Word, and who come to see their resources in a brand new way.
Kingdom investors are motivated by the rewards that
the Bible promises.
Kingdom Investors see all that they have and all that
they own as their sacred trust, theirs to use strategically for the advancement
of Christ and his eternal purposes.
Their time, talent
and treasure are no longer an end in itself, but a medium, a palette to be used
in the beautiful art of serving God. Who are these people? You’ll find them
across the spectrum. The Kingdom Investors deploy whatever time, talent, and
treasure they have available, and it’s a pleasing truth that while not everyone
can invest great sums of financial wealth, everyone can give their time and
their personal talents. These are all things that God has given so that we
might find the unique joy of giving them back.
I would like to ask
a question “Do you merely see your giving as an obligation or duty, or does it
give you joy?”
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