Focused Intensity Coaching

 *This post is a talk I gave at Lakehills First United Methodist Church in January 2012*

As Methodists we are called to uphold the United Methodist Church through our Prayers, our Presence, our Service, our Witness, and our Gifts. Today I want to speak to you about upholding the church through giving. 

Yes that’s right this is “the talk”. 

I was told long ago that humor helps relieve discomfort during uncomfortable situations so let me start with a joke. 

Old man Fielding, the miser, at last went to his reward and presented himself at the Pearly Gates. St. Peter greeted him with appropriate solemnness and escorted him to his new abode. Walking past numerous elegant mansions, they finally arrived at a dilapidated shack at the end of the street. 

Fielding, much taken aback, began, “Why do I get a rundown shack when all of these others have fine mansions?”

“Well, sir,” replied St. Peter, “we did the best we could with the money you sent us.” 

Now aren’t we all lucky that God doesn’t really look at the financial gifts we bring in this way. Instead he looks at us with the heart of a loving, giving God and says “I want you to give.” 

In fact, he calls for us to give him our “First Fruits” in Proverbs 3:9. These first fruits are the tithe, or tenth, that we are called to bring into the storehouse, or local church in Malachi 3:10. So we are called on by God to give freely and cheerfully ten percent of the income he has blessed us with. 

But why does he want us to give? Is it because God needs your money? No. In fact, if you think about it, it is sort of arrogant to think that God needs your money to cause his works to happen. 

Psalm 24:1 says “The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof.” That means that God owns it all. It was not your money in the first place. 

Instead I believe that God asks us to give in order to help make us less and more: Less Selfish, More Caring.

How many of us have opened our paycheck and said “Thank you God.” As opposed to “THANK GOD”.

See God has entrusted us with numerous gifts. He gives us our abilities, our resources, our skills, our talents, our bodies, our energy, our opportunities, and our wealth. 

God calls upon us to be Stewards of that money. Steward is just a fancy old word for caretaker or manager. God has basically hired us to be the Chief Financial Officer of a small part of his Kingdom. God then asks us to manage the resources that he has allocated to our care.

There are really only three things we can do with money, Spend, Save and Give. Giving helps take each of us a tiny step further towards being the caring beings that God created us to be, when he created us in his image. The image of the ultimate loving caring being.

So what gets in the way of our giving the way we are called to do? 

For some there is just way too much month at the end of the money. They budget their money and discover that they run out before they come to giving. If this is you I would challenge you to think that perhaps you have your budget upside down.

For others it’s the misconception that we talked about before, the misconception that it is Their Money. They hold onto it with a closed fist daring anyone to come and take it. The problem with this is two-fold: one it isn’t theirs, remember, its Gods. Two if you hold onto things with a fist so tight that nothing can get out…well nothing can get in either. On the other hand when we hold onto God’s money with an open hand and giving spirit, yes some can flow out but more can also come in. In fact, Malachi 3:10 that I referenced earlier that calls for us to tithe, finishes with this: “Test me in this way and see if I won’t open the windows of heaven for you and flood you with blessings.”

It is not our DUTY to give, it doesn’t buy us salvation, or a big house when we get to heaven. No we GET to give it is our privilege as followers of Christ honestly pursuing God to give back to him a small portion of the very gifts he has given us in the first place. 

For those who don’t know the average expenses per month for Lakehills United Methodist Church run just over $15,500 dollars per month. The average monthly giving last year ran just under $14,900 dollars per month. These gifts were used to keep the lights and heat on, to fund the Youth Group, to provide for our wonderful Choir, used in Fellowship, for Vacation Bible School, and all the other wonderful things that our Church Family does for the Lakehills community. 

At the same time, the Lakehills United Methodist Church congregation gave in excess of $21,000 dollars that went to fund mission outreach. These mission outreach gifts were used to make a difference in the lives of inmates, the hungry, victims of disasters, and literally hundreds of children. 

This year I ask you, No I challenge you, to strive to be a bit more of the “cheerful giver” that God asks us to be. In this way, the body of Christ can continue to grow as each of us grows a bit more into the people of God that God wants us to be. 

Thank you.