Why and how you give reveals your heart.

Last week I had the opportunity to talk about giving just before the offering at New Life Family Church was collected.  I based my talk on 2 Corinthians 9: 7  Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

I spoke of how God looks more at your heart than what you give.  Why are you giving and how are you giving is more important than what you give.

I grew up listening to Paul Harvey and one of his favorite sayings was, "Now for the rest of the story".  Well now I want to share the rest of the story concerning giving.

If we look at verse, 6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. and then verse 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work., we find that God indeed does looks at our heart as we give and although He tells us that we should decide what to give instead of feeling forced to give and we should give with a happy heart He also says we will reap according to what we sow.  If we give sparingly we will receive sparingly and if generously we will receive generously.  

So is God telling us we have to give 10%, 12%, 15% in order to be blessed? NO! He is telling us that we are to decide according to how we have been blessed what to give and for us to give it  with a happy heart.

For example: I could write a check for $1,000 and drop it into the offering and it would be pretty much worthless if I gave because I wanted to get something, or if I felt I had to, or if I wanted to make an impression on the Pastor and I did so with a frown on my face.  If I write a check for $100 and did so because I felt God had blessed me and I thankfully placed it in the offering, God would look upon that as more valuable than the $1,000 the person that I mentioned first.

God does not judge your offering by it's size but by your motive and attitude you give it in.  See if Jesus can take a few fish and some loaves of bread and feed 4,000 men with them He can take your $100 and make it do what $1,000 can.

The bottom line is this, "If God has blessed you abundantly shouldn't you give abundantly?" and if at this point in your life you have a small amount of income shouldn't you gladly give something just to express your thankfulness for what you have?

If God walked into your house and asked to see your checkbook and calendar would He see that you spent more on soda pop, junk food and entertainment than you did contributing to the building of His Kingdom?  If He watched you drop your offering into the collection plate would He see you doing so with joy or with regret?

It is your choice what you give and how you give it.  What does your giving reveal about you?

Extroverts and Introverts - How has God made you?

We have all heard that there are two basic types of personalities: Introvert or Extrovert. As I was riding my mountain bike this morning this blog came to me.  Out of those two types flow the four different profiles: Drivers, Inspirational, Supportive, Competent. 

For the purpose of this blog the definitions I will use are these:
Extrovert - Gets inspired by being around people or doing things for people.
Introvert - Gets inspired by being a lone or by being reflective.

There is nothing wrong with being an Introvert or an Extrovert unless you have taken on that personality for the wrong reason.

I will use my life for an example. When I was a child between the ages of three and seven I was an outgoing and spontaneous kid. I was always being the center of attention in a natural and childish way. I was a jokester from the beginning.

When I was seven and in the second grade I had a teacher humiliate me in front of the class. I went from being an extrovert to an introvert to hide from being the center of attention. Now 52 years later I feed off of being around other people see Proverbs 27: 17 As iron sharpens iron,so one man sharpens another.

I believe we operate in a certain personality but at times move into the other. For example I am an Extrovert but I also enjoy the solitude of a bike ride in the country. I am 75% Extrovert and 25% Introvert. When I am an Introvert I hear God speaking to me and when I am an Extrovert I am pouring out into the lives of others what God shared with me. This post is an example of that.

Now do I believe that being 75% Introvert and 25% Extrovert a liability or wrong? NO! These folks bring us the great writings and other material that motivates us to make changes that fit God's plan for our lives.

What we need is for the Extroverts and Introverts to join together under the guidance of the Holy Spirit to represent the Kingdom of God to those who have never experienced it.

As an Extrovert I struggle to sometimes grasp what God is saying in the Bible but when an Introvert can sit with me and share their insight to what God is saying I can then apply it to my life.

Sometimes we become what other people drive us to be instead of being who God made us to be. This is when I think it is wrong to be either an extrovert or introvert.  I encourage you to discover your foundational personality type and then use that to discover your strengths.  Your life is either fueled by being around and doing things for people or by reflecting on God's word and writing stuff that motivates people to take action.  Both are a vital part of increasing God's Kingdom.  

 

I recommend the following two books for you to read, "Positive Personality Profiles" by Robert A. Rohm and "Personality Plus" by Florance Littauer.