day 30: hold things loosely

"but when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

matthew 6:3-4

i remember when i was young my parents would hand me money to put in the collection plate as an offering. it was embarrassing if my parents didn't have a dollar bill and i had to try to place the quarters that they had scrambled from their wallet as quietly as possibly in the plate. i have seen my sisters do the same for their kids. on occasion i have even been the one handing dollar bills to my nieces and nephews to give as an offering.

it seems like a common and simple practice but i think it reflects something more. they money that i put in the plate was not my own. it was my parents (at least until i was old enough to have some money to give). now the money i give is money that i have earned or worked for, but it still is not mine really. it is God's. He has blessed me with it. just as i tried to be as quiet as possibly when dropping change into the plate instead of bills, i should try to be as discrete as possible and give in secret. no one else needs to know what i give, nor do i need to know what others give. it is between me and God, them and God.

money reveals a lot about the heart. it has been said that if you want to see what is important to a person, look at what they spend their money on. i am not sure that says a lot about me right now. my current but temporary financial situation combined with being a "student" of dave ramsey's financial peace university has limited my budget. right now my money is spent on necessities. but i will be honest and admit that this situation has effected my giving. obviously i cannot give what i was giving before but am i giving with faith, or am i giving slightly in fear?

nasser outlines four keys to giving to keep in mind. give generously. "whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly" (2 corinthians 9:6). give cheerfully. in fact, if you can't give cheerfully then don't give at all. God doesn't need my money. He is God. don't compare. "the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have" (2 corinthians 8:12). what i can give is not going to be the same as what the person next to me can give. give something you value. this goes beyond money. we value our time, energy, possessions, etc. instead of donating our old, worn-out toys and clothes, give out of abundance. give up that valued possession.

we should never give in order to receive. the reward for giving is the fact that we have glorified God. what greater reward is there anyway?

Lord, everything that i have comes from You and is therefore Yours to use. help me to hold on to things loosely, giving generously and cheerfully things that i value without comparing myself to those around me.