I am also one of those people who asks for money this time of year. I ask loads of people for loads of money so that the gospel (Good News) will go to people from Jewish and Muslim backgrounds. I ask unashamedly. I actually like asking people to give money. Here's why:
You can't take it with you anyway!
Once I was at a funeral listening in on a conversation between two businessmen. One said to the other about the deceased, "How much did he leave?"
The second man said, "A couple of million bucks and a couple of houses."
I wanted to say to them, "The answer is, HE LEFT EVERYTHING! You can't take it with you!"
This year in America my sense is that people are sitting on their wallets and giving a lot less. This includes Christians. Why? FEAR.
* Fear of the Bush tax cuts expiring
* Fear of the so-called "fiscal cliff"
* Fear of health care reform
* Fear of the President, the Congress, the Supreme Court, and every other lawmaker
I understand that if you are not a follower of Jesus you have a ton to be afraid of, including fiscal cliffs . But if you are a follower of Jesus this is what he says to his disciples:
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." (John 14:27)
That peace should translate into many different actions, one of them being generosity and giving it all away. I'm not talking about giving a tithe, or "skimming off the extra" to give at year-end so that you get a tax deduction.
I'm talking about giving extra, over-and-above, sacrificially so that it changes our lifestyle. We all need to re-examine our bank accounts and checkbooks and take some leaps of faith and give in ways which honor Christ and bless people. That's following Jesus.
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