I was up all night, fretting about a situation.
Real briefly for now, let me try to deposit this for anyone out there who might be able to use it...
Quit looking at the "return". Just make your deposits. Think of the economy and your 401k-it was very disheartening when the market took a dump. But the point of investments is long term savings for retirement, not immediate returns. Those who couldn't grasp that concept and pulled their money out (after already losing lots from the dump), never saw the realization of the gains that inevitably came when the market started to climb back up.
The same holds true for life. Keep putting your deposits in, don't think out or focus on the return. You need to remember God is in control of your life and as much as u may want to be in control, you are not supposed to be the king. He is. Quit overanalyzing it. I will also say this, you will probably not see the return you expect if you are "desperately expecting" it. Being desperate means you are too focused on the return and not on the intent, which should just be love. From experience I can say that 99% of the time when I give, I have absolutely NO interest or desire for all the blessings the Bible says will come my way. I simply do it because its my heart and it makes me happy to help others. Now, I am not perfect. So I will admit that I can recognize the 1% when I gave, and in the back of my mind a small voice started talking to me.(about how I could use that money elsewhere(for myself), or how I really need a breakthrough in a business, or something like that). Guess what? I shouldn't have given then. My heart wasn't totally into it-I was preoccupied with MY PROBLEMS instead of simply giving out of love to help someone else in their struggle. My sowing in that case was simply worthless. It won't and didn't produce anything because it was given with a "tainted motive".
If you aren't doing something out of pure love (absolutely NO desire for something to come out of it to benefit you) , then maybe u shouldn't even being doing it to begin with because it won't be fertile.
Something to think about.
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Abraham, Isaac and Jacob never saw the fruit of their labors....but I am glad they never quit "depositing" into the kingdom of God either. The truth is, we may NEVER see our return on investment until we are in Heaven and all things are made clear....so if that objective is taken out of the equation..It comes down to the fact that even if God never blessed you again...hasn't he done enough to deserve your very best ALREADY??
ReplyDeleteAmen, sista Ash!
ReplyDeleteI understand this post and what you are saying...but I do wrestle with one aspect of it.
ReplyDeleteWhat about a person who WANTS to give (and tithe) but has never done it and struggles with it some. My brother and his wife, they admit that it is really hard to pay their tithe when they aren't sure how they are going to pay their bills...but they are determined to be obedient to God's Word...so they pray that God will strengthen their faith and they give it. I think sometimes we have to make our mind line up or obey.
If I am having trouble giving or tithing..I'm not going to quit. I'm going to do whatever it takes to get that "taintedness" out. I think if a person says, well if I can't give with an absoultey 100% perfect heart and mind...then I won't give at all..is just a lousy excuse to give into the flesh. Rather they could say, "this is a bit hard this month for me, but I WILL be obedient to God's word and give! I will read my Bible and pray and seek God until my heart is right and my unbelief or doubt is gone!"
Anyway, one thing I say often is that even if everything falls apart and it SEEMS as though God isn't doing anything for me in my natural circumstances...I will continue to praise Him and worship Him. He has already given and done for me immeasurably more than I could ever deserve and I will spend my entire lifetime thanking Him. Like Job, I will never turn my back on God, no matter what it seems I'm going through.
Thank you Rene for your amazing wisdom and friendship.
BTW...I've been wanting to ask you this for months and I'm just gonna do it. Do you guys speak in tongues?
I will answer this one (Sorry Rene, I am taking over your blog for a sec.)=)
ReplyDeleteYES! We believe that the evidence of the baptism of the holy spirit is seen through speaking in tongues. For those that are confused (remember I do youth)...I explain it like this...You know how sometimes, you go to pray and your stomach is just in knots and you can't think of anything to say but you know you have SO MUCH to say...well, your spirit ALWAYS knows what to say, and when you speak in tongues, you release all that is inside of you, even if your mind didn't know the words to use. Its like your secret language between you and God. I used to worry, as a young "soul-ed out" teenager (maybe I will post my testimony sometime), that someone, someday was going to interpret my tongues (we believe in that too...)and expose all my issues...especially since I didn't REALLY know what I was praying for at that moment, only what I had going on...and God totally eased my spirit one day and said "When there is something to be interpreted you will know. The rest of the time, it's just you and me" I was totally at peace speaking in tongues out loud after that. God is amazing and the intimacy that comes from your spirit is more than our flesh can even grasp!
The rest: I think we all agree, tithes are not a question of "feeling" but an issue of "obedience"...nowhere does it say to give your tithes when you feel like it...in fact it doesn't even say "give you tithes with a cheerful heart". It says to be a cheerful "giver" but tithes are first out of obedience. I think the question is, are you giving to get? or giving to give? Because if you are giving to get..your heart isn't in the right place and you may or may not ever see the "rewards" you are seeking. But if you are giving to give...Then you aren't even looking for your "reward" for giving and when the blessings of God flow to and through you, your thanks will be to a loving God..not to a $20 bill you threw in the offering plate last Sunday (ha ha) =)
Feel free to correct me if I am wrong Rene, seeing as how this IS your blog =)