Taking the Test

Malachi 3:10 is bandied about a great deal in sermons about stewardship and giving back to God generously.  If you don't know it, it goes a little something like this.

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. (Malachi 3:10, NIV 1984)

There are so many wonderful things about this verse, and although I realize that it pre-dates the New Testament, I also believe that God's Promises are still pertinent today, especially when God talks about blessing obedience.

There is one very subtle nuance to this verse, however:  the order in which the thoughts are presented.  Notice that God requests obedience FIRST.  He says "Test me in this...", then he makes the promise of unfathomable blessings.

I've approached this topic previously, in a post entitled "Out of Order", where I encourage people to stop trying to "wheel and deal" with God.  I also talk about the fact that blessings FOLLOW obedience.  We shouldn't approach God with an if-you-do-this-for-me-then-I'll-start-giving attitude, because that is entirely out of order.

The point of this post today is to talk about the fact that God could have presented this differently.  He could have said, "I'm going to test you in this by pouring out blessings on you, and I'll see if you throw open your floodgates and bring the whole tithe in to the storehouse."  Surely this would be easier for us.  I mean, who wouldn't want an enormous and undeserved outpouring of blessing?

But there is a very specific reason why Malachi 3:10 is not reverse in this way:  we are simply not terribly trustworthy.  Knowing that human nature has not changed significantly over the past few millennia, I doubt this was much different in the days of Malachi.  God, being the ultimate in wisdom knows that obedience cannot be bought.  Obedience must be the cause and blessing must be the effect. It just doesn't work the other way around.  Our nature sees to that.

So, as we continue this blog journey learning to give in these uncertain times, remember that God invites us to step out in faith and obedience.  Only when we do that, will God open the floodgates of Heaven and bless us.

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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

What & WHAT???

Okay, I realize that may be the dumbest and most meaningless blog post title in the history of the Universe, but I'm sticking with it.

This article deals with "Health & Wealth" doctrine.  First, let's define it, then let's take it apart.

My very simple definition for Health & Wealth is the idea that a believer should expect great monetary and materialistic rewards, as well as supernaturally protected health, in return for giving money faithfully to God.  Now, I certainly admire the fervor and enthusiasm with which subscribers to this particularly self-centered doctrine give of their resources.  I believe that everyone, whether they subscribe to Health & Wealth doctrine or not, should give with such gusto!

But the problem with Health & Wealth is that the excitement for giving is derived from an insidiously wrongheaded idea that fabulous wealth is only a few steps away, as long as the giver "believes strongly enough" that they will receive material blessings in return from God.

I would like to present some of the more incorrect ideas of this false doctrine, and address them one at a time.

1.  Treating God like some sort of "high yield investment".  

The idea that we can simply give faithfully to God and He will return what we give plus some exorbitant amount over and above sounds, at best, like a pitch for the world's most ridiculous Ponzi Scheme, and at worst, like a pitch from a snake-oil salesman.  There are very few instances in the Bible where figures who were faithful to God received tremendous wealth and long life simply because they were faithful.  Were there wealthy people in the Bible who were also faithful to God and generous?  There is no doubt.  Was it caused by their faithfulness in giving?  I think you would be incredibly hard-pressed to find evidence for that.  

I know people who are incredibly faithful in their giving, who are also wealthy.  However, as I often remind people (because it is one of my favorite fallacies of logic), correlation does not equal causation.  More often than not, in these cases, these people are gifted (by God) with talents that afford them the ability to have lucrative careers, but to say that their wealth is caused by faithful stewardship is willfully ignoring reality.

There are all sorts of problems with this beyond just the cause/effect fallacy of logic.  I know plenty of people who have sacrificed to give generously, and yet wealth beyond their wildest dreams hasn't come knocking at their door.  In fact, in some cases, they barely have enough to afford their needs.  But, God has promised to provide our needs, so His "end of the bargain" is certainly being held up.  Likewise, there are some truly evil people in the world who are hundreds and thousands of times wealthier than some of the most faithful givers in the Christian church.  If God rewards His people monetarily for faithful giving, why wouldn't he also devastate those who were unfaithful and downright evil?  It doesn't make any sense if you believe God is a God of justice.

2.  Treating God like some sort of "health insurance plan".

The simple idea that faithful stewardship guarantees a long life, full of many healthy years is so ludicrous, I hardly want to give it any space on this blog.  If this were true, then Billy Graham would be as vibrant as ever.  Compassionate, caring and giving Christians commonly find themselves in the turmoil of health issues such as cancer, heart disease and stroke.  To say that these afflictions are somehow caused by some form of sin or disobedience is a twisted and dark fantasy.  Paul was afflicted with an unknown "thorn in his side", and in spite of pouring his life out in missions, God never saw fit to take it from him.  But, if God rewards people who give faithfully with long-life and great health, why would this have been the case?

3.  God wants your life to be easy.

Bull!  There are too many verses to count that indicate that the Christian life is going to be full of struggle, trials and tribulation.  The Christian life is hard!  God has NO interest in the comfort of believers, and it is actually not in the best interest of believers to be wealthy.  In the story of the "rich young ruler" in Matthew Chapter 19, Jesus makes it very clear that it is easier for a "camel to pass through the eye of a needle" than for someone who is wealthy to enter the Kingdom of Heaven (Matt 19:24).  If we are to believe that the words of Jesus are true, then why would God seek to make it more difficult for His children to enter His Kingdom by blessing them with tremendous wealth?  Truth be told, I don't think anyone wants it to be more difficult to live a faithful Christian walk, nor do I think that God wishes to make things more difficult for those who are striving to live faithfully.

There are many other things I could say on the topic, but these things have been weighing on my heart and mind today.  A good friend of mine, and wonderful Christian minister, was taken to the hospital today for 100% blockage in one of his arteries.  He had surgery and is recovering quickly (all glory to God!).  And I know beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he is faithful in giving generously of his time, talents and treasures.  And to subscribed to the idea that his affliction is somehow caused by a lack of faithfulness is absolute stupidity, plain and simple.

Get well soon, John Wolfe!

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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, $9.99) NEW LOWER PRICE!

Amazon.com (paperback, $9.99; eBook, $5.99)  NEW LOWER PRICES!

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

Putting Our "No-Money" Where Our Mouths Are

Yes, it's Day Two of the great Learning to Give in a Getting World giveaway.  We've already had over 700 people download the free eBook, which has put it squarely at the #1 spot for free downloads in the "Christian Living" category.  However, what is truly surprising is that we are now #59 for free downloads in the "Nonfiction" category.  I am actually quite astounded at that.

Anyway, to the point of today's blog.  Marc Farnell (my co-author) and I were discussing our future plans for the book, which has been the very definition of a slow-starter (or slow-burner, whichever you prefer).  It is incredibly difficult to sell a book on sacrificial giving during a recession.  I think we expected that.  But, it became very clear to us that the message was too important to just let it languish on the virtual shelves of Amazon.  So, we decided to give the book away for a period of two days, starting yesterday and ending tonight around midnight.

Once we made the decision, there was an incredible peace about it, almost as if God was whispering "Duh!" in our ears.  If we're going to offer a book on generous giving, why not start by giving it away?  Doesn't that make sense?

So, we are putting our (non-)money where our mouths are, and we are offering the book for free, where we stand to gain no money off the downloads of the book.  Would it be nice if we made some money off the book to compensate Marc for his time in preparing the messages on which the book is based, on the six months or so that I spent compiling his messages and turning them into a narrative?  I would be lying if I said "no", so I won't.  But, is there great blessing in following God's will?  Yes, I know this to be true.

I don't know what will happen with this book in the future, but I trust that God will do whatever He wants with it.  It is our loaves and fishes that we've brought to Him, and if He decides to "feed the 5000" with it, then so be it.  If the 700 or so (well, now 720 since I've started writing this post) people who have downloaded it already were all the people He wanted to reach with this book, then I'm at peace with thinking of the writing of this book as an act of service.

Of course, tomorrow, the book goes back on sale.  But rest assured that when Marc and I first started writing this, we made a pact that we would model the behavior espoused in the book, and we would not just give 10% of the royalties to the Lord's ministries, but we would give 50%.  It just wouldn't seem right any other way.  In that way, we are actually putting our money where our mouths are.

But for now, we're putting the "no money" that we're getting from these free days where our mouths are.

And it feels good...

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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, FREE 3/21/2012 and 3/22/2012)

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

Learning to Give In a Getting World is FREE for Two Days

All right everyone!  In the interest of practicing what I preach on this blog, I (along with my co-author, Marc Farnell) are offering our book, Learning to Give in a Getting World, a book about giving generously the way God would want us to give, is being offered free in eBook form at Amazon.com for the next two days (starting at approximately midnight Pacific Time), March 21st and 22nd.

There are no restrictions, and no limitations.  It also will not count against your Amazon Prime borrowing limits.  If a million people want to download it for free, then so be it (although I realize that is a bit of a pipe dream).  We are so passionate about this message, and getting it into the hands of Christ followers, that we are willing to give it away just so people can read the truth contained in the pages.  It is filled with encouragement, a little dose of rebuke, scriptural references, and testimonies from people whose lives have been changed by giving generously.  It is also a bit of a memoir of what awesome things can happen when God's people give generously to further outreach and ministries (based on the results of the Ninety Day Challenge to give generously at CrossRidge Church in Little Elm, TX).

Go check it out now!  Click here to be taken directly to the Amazon.com page.

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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, FREE 3/21/2012 and 3/22/2012)

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

What Kind of God...?

Many people who are not believers plant their flag of disbelief in the shaky ground of doubt based on questions like the following:

"What kind of God would say He loves us, and then send us to Hell?"

"What kind of God would tempt Adam and Eve by placing a forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden?"

"What kind of God would allow the atrocities we see every day on the news, if we claim that He is love?"

Now, clearly, these questions have been posed hundreds of thousands of times, sometimes in an effort to truly understand the nature of God, and other times to hide behind a seemingly impossible question to grasp in order to sidestep the issue of faith.

But, now I would like to turn to a question that is equally difficult to wrap our heads around.  It goes something like this:

"What kind of God would ask me to give when He knows that I'm struggling just to make ends meet every month?"

Of course, there are several variations on this question, based on a number of different variables (paycheck frequency, how much the person asking the question is struggling, etc).  I think, whether vocally or internally, each of us has asked that question at some point in our lives.  But at the core of this question is a pervasive issue of selfishness.  We have a very distorted view of what God really wants for our lives.  Let me try and shed some light on this with some very simple statements:

God is not interested in our happiness; He's interested in our holiness.  You see, we seem to think that God clearly wants us to be happy, and if we sacrifice to give, we might end up sacrificing our happiness.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Happiness is fleeting.  Happiness is an emotional response.  God wants something deeper.  He wants us to experience the joy of being set apart (holy) for His purposes.  And to that end, we need to be willing to sacrifice a little bit (or a lot) of "happiness" in order to promote God's Will in our lives.

God is not interested in our comfort; He's interested in our commitment.  Comfort and complacency go hand-in-hand.  Nobody said the Christian life would be comfortable.  In fact, there are a plethora of verses that indicate the exact opposite of this sentiment (John 16:33, James 1:2, 1 Peter 4:12 are just a few notable examples).  The Christian life is not about form, but function.  We endure ordeals and trials so that we can grow in our faith, and you can bet that when we successfully endure one trial through the power and strength of Jesus Christ, the next one will be just a bit more difficult.  God wants us to be committed to Him, and to serving His purpose for our lives.  I would venture to say that He doesn't give a rip about our comfort.

God is not interested in our wealth; He's interested in our worship.  How wealthy we are, how prosperous we become and how much prestige we garner are not the least bit important to God.  He wants our worship.  He wants us to live a life of total submission to His plan for our lives.  This does not necessarily include becoming rich.  While there certainly are Christ-followers who are wealthy by worldly standards, it is not because they have been faithful Christians.  The two have nothing to do with each other.  God wants us to worship Him in everything that we do.  He wants us to worship when singing our praises.  He wants us to worship Him in our quiet times every day.  He wants us to worship Him through diligence at work.  He wants us to worship Him through our relationship with our spouse and children.  He wants us to worship Him through our relationship with our friends and co-workers.  And, He wants us to worship Him with our money through the giving of tithes and offerings.

Can giving be scary?  Of course it can.  When it looks like there isn't enough money in the budget to give to God, it can be absolutely terrifying.  But has God ever failed to provide for the needs of someone who is faithful in their giving and generosity?  I can't think of even a single example.  That's an exceptional track record.

And that's what kind of a God He really is.

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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

Out of Order!

I believe humans are negotiators by nature.  Some may be better than others, but there is always a particularly satisfying feeling to striking a deal with someone that is of greater benefit to us than the original offer.  Most know that there are great times to "wheel and deal", such as car shopping, house shopping and when perusing used wares at garage sales.  Fewer of us will go beyond "the norm" and bargain at places that are not so obvious: car repair shops, electronics stores and even doctor's offices.

Let me first start by saying that there is absolutely nothing wrong with negotiating.  It is a great way to make sure that you, as a consumer are getting the best value for your money.  While some will take it a bit too far, and try to negotiate the price for a meal at McDonald's (I'm partially kidding, although I know there has to be at least one person out there who has tried it), bargaining can benefit almost everyone in appropriate situations.

When is negotiating not a good idea?  I'll give you a hint:  most Christ-followers have done it at least once (if not many times) during their lives.  I'll give you three other hints.

• "Oh God, if you just get me this promotion and the raise that comes with it, I promise I'll start tithing on every paycheck."
• "Oh Lord, if you just get us out of this mess, we'll start giving to You."
• "Please, Lord, if you just ___________, then I'll __________." (fill in the blanks for yourself)

At issue here is the idea that if the Lord will just bless us, we will initiate some obedient act.  For many of us, as we look at our finances, we think that if the Lord will just bestow upon us a fabulous raise or a better job, then we will have more room in our budgets to start (or increase) or giving faithfully to Him.  There is one problem with this idea.

It is ABSURD!

The Bible is full of examples of people who received blessings because of their obedience, but the cause-effect relationship stays in the stated order.  Cause comes before effect.  No high school student gets a perfect score on an examination, then goes home and studies for it.  No stage-actor gives a poignant performance, then goes home after the show and studies lines for the first time.  No investor reaps benefits from an investment before he or she makes the decision to invest.

And as ridiculous as these examples are, it is exactly what we ask God to do when we try to negotiate with him.  The simple fact is:  Blessings FOLLOW obedience.  Let's take a look at Malachi 3:10. 

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. (NIV, 1984)

Take careful not of the order in this verse.  First comes the command:  "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse" (Emphasis added).  God asks His people to obey His command to tithe.  Then, after He issues this command, He indicates that they will be blessed beyond measure.  Notice that God doesn't promise a tremendous outpouring of blessing before His people obey His command.  That would sound more like a "bribe" than an incentive for obedience.

Are you trying to strike a deal with God?  Is it working?

My guess would be "no".

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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