Last week we took a slight, temporary break from the Your Life, Inc. series. it was something the Lord put on my heart. We talked about having stuff and feeling blessed.
We live in a society that gets so focused on the stuff that we forget just how blessed we truly are. almost 80% of the world doesn't have a car. Yet we complain that ours is too old or not cool enough. Compared to almost everyone else in the world, we in America are rich. If you have somewhere to live and you had at least one decent meal today, you would be considered rich.
I don't say this to condemn us for having nice stuff and being blessed. Instead I remind us of these things so that we can remember what we, the blessed, have been charged to do. That is to bless the rest of the world.
1 Timothy 6:17 says, "Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy".
We should remember that we ARE blessed and that we should develop the attitude of "what can I give" instead of "what can I get." With Christ as the example who did not demand anything because of His position, but instead came to serve, we look to be led in how we can serve and give.
Giving is a lifestyle and, in the same way that little is big (see Wednesday blogs), we can develop this lifestyle with small changes. We could start by looking around at our excess and figure out how it might help someone else. For instance, many of us have that old "out-of-date" iPod in a drawer at home. It's not nearly as cool as the latest and greatest one we use now, but giving the old one to someone else would really bless them.
Sometimes giving just a little amount of money to someone can make a huge impact. Just buying someone a $5 lunch could make their day. Maybe that $5 wouldn't put you out at all, but it really helps someone else.
You can give your time to someone. Maybe a friend or a little brother or sister could use a tutor in a subject that's you're good at. You could volunteer at a local soup kitchen or convalescent home.
I also am encouraging us to get involved with the church's Cambodia village project. If 50 high schoolers could give $1 a week, we could buy a whole house for a family. Seriously - just a buck a week. That's not a lot and it would make a huge difference for someone else.
I am a firm believer that God does want us to be blessed and that He's OK with us having nice stuff. But, as the religious cliche says, don't let the stuff have you. The purpose of being blessed is to be able to be a blessing to others. Develop that lifestyle in your life and see how it will change you.
