Turmoil is not a matter of "if", but a matter of "when". I hate to be the one to tell you that if you didn't already know, but rest assured, if you aren't in the middle of turmoil, you are most likely getting ready to head into it.
In Learning to Give in a Getting World, we cover three common reasons for turbulence in most people's lives:
1. Turmoil can be a result of sin
2. Turmoil can be designed for the benefit of others
3. Turmoil can be designed as preparation
Over the next three posts, I am going to talk about these individually, and the first of these is quite possibly one of the most serious.
Clearly, one of the most notable examples of turmoil as a result of sin in the Bible is Jonah. God unequivocally told him that he wanted him to minister in Nineveh, but instead, Jonah turned tail and ran. Of course, we all know the story of what happened following his disobedience. Like the small child that resides in every one of us, he heard what was being requested of him, decided in no uncertain terms that he didn't want to do it, and ran away from the responsibility.
God had other plans. He sent the storm to batter the boat he was using as his vehicle of escape. And, through a series of exchanges between Jonah and the other men on board, the decision to throw him overboard was reached. Before he knew it, Jonah was in the belly of a giant fish.
I can't imagine how awful that experience must have been, but I think that most of us can identify when we've been in situations that were about as rank and odious as being trapped in the belly of a whale. And I think if we were honest, most, if not all, of those situations were caused by our own poor choices (situations where this is not the case will be covered in the next two blog posts).
Many of us face very difficult financial circumstances; this is certain. The economy, while in some areas, is beginning to recover, is not turning around quickly enough for most to feel secure and safe. No doubt, almost all of us are hit with external forces beyond our control that can really make the area of finances a minefield of doubt. However, in the micro-economy of family finances, we can have some control.
What we spend is entirely determined by us. We make decisions every day that affect where our money goes. Yes, of course, we need to make sure that we have a roof over our heads, food for our families, clothes to wear and some form of transportation to take us to and from our jobs. Generally that isn't the issue.
It is in those gray areas where we spend money on luxuries where sin can creep in. When discretionary spending erodes our ability to give the way that God intended for us, we tread into the murky waters of disobedience. Disobedience equals sin, plain and simple. We find new and unusual ways to siphon available cash out of our budgets and away from people and ministries that desperately need it, and then, through our own twisted logic, we expect God to bless us.
Wrong, wrong wrong!
To be clear, I'm not saying that every time we defy God's expectation of us to give generously that we reap some sort of lightning bolt of Divine retribution. What I am saying is that we deprive ourselves of God's blessings, both tangible and intangible. When we go against His Will for our lives and our finances, sometimes, we will find ourselves in the middle of an existential belly of the beast where our struggles only seem to increase in severity.
Fortunately for all of us, there is always a pathway back to obedience. Jonah cried out to God from inside the fish, and his prayer was heard and answered. In Chapter 3 of the book of Jonah, we are told that the word of God came to Jonah a second time, and having learned a very hard (and atrociously smelly) lesson, he obeyed.
As we explore the struggles, the benefits and the blessings of giving throughout the life of this blog, we will always return to the fact that the Word of the Lord is coming to us time and time again. Every single day that we are allowed to live and breathe, we have another opportunity to obey God in His request to us to give generously of our resources.
If you are in the belly of the beast, take a page from the book of Jonah and cry out to God for forgiveness. Then, ask God for the strength to be obedient to Him in the discipline of giving. I'm not going to load you down with a bunch of garbage about having untold wealth bestowed upon you as a result of faithful stewardship (it's not Biblical). Instead, I can tell you that complete obedience to God and greater trust in Him to carry you through your hardships can radically change the way you view all those things that have been stealing money away from your ability to be generous.
When we can walk away from those things that have no lasting significance and trade them in for things of eternal worth, that is the source of true blessing.
Learning to Give in a Getting World, by Marc Farnell and Jesse Greever, is available as both a paperback and eBook at the following locations:
CreateSpace (paperback, $13.99)Amazon.com (paperback, $13.99; eBook, $8.99)
It
is also available to Amazon Prime members as a free eBook download as a
part of the Kindle Lending Library. Pastors and church administrators
can contact me directly at jesse@accidental-author.com to find out about discounts available for churches that wish to use this for teaching and small group curriculum.
You can also become a fan of the book at www.facebook.com/LearningToGive.
Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/JesseSGreever
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