Today’s body of believers has a huge responsibility, an amazing power and a strength that it really doesn’t get to experience often.  I’m careful to think that the one that looks on the outside as rich is NOT giving out to others in need abundantly out of his or her blessings.  All too often, I’ve seen rich people give back well.  But I am also careful to believe that people who appear physically poor on the outside are actually poor and in need. We must not think that the person who has money is the one that gives the most as it is often the one that gives two coins giving their very last two. Surprising to some, the rich and the wealthy don’t always have it easy and lack a lot of what typically poor people have plenty of.  The poor of this world may lack riches in money, but I’ve seen so often how they are seriously rich in those better things that money can never buy.  I can see how the two could really help one another grow by sharing better what they each have if only they didn’t have preconceived ideas and fears about one another that sadly works to separate them.  God uses the most unlikely of people to accomplish His great works.  He will humble the proud and lift up the weak.

There is a church here in Memphis that caught wind of a successful giving and serving campaign that helped Nonprofits in cities across the US to achieve some of their funding goals and volunteer needs thereby helping them to serve those in need in their city better.  The campaign is called “Be Rich” and is going on today and typically goes on through the November – January “giving season”.  It’s strange to that we even have a “giving season” but nonprofits tend to realize quickly that people typically give towards the end of the year and around Christmas for various reasons.  Sometimes it is because their hearts are simply stirred more around the holidays and they are emotionally or spiritually impressed to give back.  Sometimes it is because we are approaching the end of a tax year and people tend to give in abundance to close out a year due to taxes.  Sometimes companies realize their excess at the end of the year and are excited to be able to have overly achieved and are literally now able to give back well.  Whatever the reason a person chooses to give towards the end of the year is not for me to try and figure out, but I will say, being a leader of a nonprofit, I sure wish the “giving season” was steady paced and all year round.  The “Be Rich” initiative is truly an amazing thing as it encourages church members and others to stretch and give of themselves hoping that through their acts of serving and giving they will catch on to the beauty of why Jesus and Paul asked us to serve.  There are many lessons and blessings that I don’t believe we could learn and grow from if we did not get ourselves outside of our own comfort boxes.  Did you catch that?  If you are not serving, you are missing out on A LOT that Jesus has for you AND you are also short changing others the blessings from knowing you.  Not everyone has the same gifts and talents, but when a body of believers comes together lifting one another up in their various gifting’s, God’s glory will shine and be known.

There is a company here in Memphis, Barnart Crane & Rigging, that gives abundantly on a regular basis and greatly values and invests in its employees, customers and partners.  The company isn’t losing millions but gaining millions.  They have shown to have a sincere heart in their giving and helping others to grow and their sincerity is being rewarded.  One of the owners of the company made a statement that was reposted in a News Channel 3 article on the company just last night, “God’s not impressed with the commas and the zeros. God wants faithfulness,” Alan Barnhart said.  Yes!  Help us to be faithful God!

Similar to the “Be Rich” campaign, there is a church in Indiana that I read about this morning that pulled together their resources and wiped away almost 8 million dollars of medical debit for over 6000 families by working together with their members and community to do so.  I know of people who have been sick who are absolutely overwhelmed with medical debit.  The debit destroys their security and coupled with their illness, fear seems to hover over them and their family.  The medical billing system is off the charts out of control (and that’s another subject all together).  There are ways to talk to creditors and clean up and reduce a lot of this debit but not everyone understands how to do that nor do the sick people feel well enough to even be able to handle what it takes to do this on their own.  I’ve got a brother in a tricky medical situation that this reminds me of and several friends that have dealt with it.  I see the corruption of our medical system daily while working to help clients in need.  The impact a church body can make when it works together to do good for God and others is truly amazing.  Church, I ask you, why cannot we not see more of this happening?  We need to use the creative mind that God gave us and work together to do good.

I’ve seen our heart strings pull for children and adults with cancer or a friend that lost a family member in a way that caused us to jump up and give abundantly even at times that some of us really don’t feel like we have it to give.  When our heart falls in line with Gods heart, we will give our last dime and willingly wait for our next pay day (thank God we have one) putting our need on the back burner.  I know givers who give so often and are so quickly humbled by others asking to give that they truly struggle to be mature in their giving so not to commit to monthly needs of a ministry and not be able to fulfill their commitments.  We certainly need Gods wisdom with our finances but we can also trust God when He moves us to give.  Those big givers (not big in amount, but in heart) often struggle to give more because they have exhausted their own bank accounts and time.  Perhaps these givers could rise up and be a voice to help others give to those causes they are passionate about.  And at the same time, we cannot out give God.  God says, this is the only area we can put God to the test…through giving.  We must remember, whatever we have in our hands, is not really ours anyways.  It came from God and will go back to God one way or another.

The nonprofit that God allows me to be a part of, Asha’s Refuge, has no partiality on a specific church group or denomination…we don’t care about all that.  We are after Jesus and what matters most to Him and that is winning souls, delivering captives, feeding the hungry, clothing those that would otherwise be naked, standing for truth in love, praying for the enemy to let people loose, encouraging others, standing for the oppressed, loving children, helping the blind to see and so much more that God draws our hearts to be involved in.  We have people from all nations that walk through our doors and need the Big C Church body to be always on READY to serve and love them well.  Our nonprofit is grassroots, we do SO much with so little…not just because we HAVE to, we WANT to.  We realize that if we had about 200 more faithful givers of just $25-$50 per month and a handful of more committed volunteers, we would totally have what we need to continue pushing the cause of Asha’s Refuge which is to share the good news with our diverse community, first, by just loving them well.  Loving them well often means offer them food, clothing and a helping hand.  If a church of 500 can raise $20,000 over the course of two weeks, surely in a year we can raise enough to help our nonprofit too. Spending more on perfect decorations, beautiful lights, more comfortable seating, better tasting coffee, etc. should be the last thing on our minds as a church body.  I’ve met people who have church sitting on a dirt floor risking their lives for their actions of worship and holding a bible.  Come on church, let’s truly pull together.  This is a no brainer, the Big C Church gives and gives…but I believe we can do better.

“As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” – Luke 21:1-4

“One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.” – Proverbs 11:24

“One’s pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.” –Proverbs 29:23

“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” –Matthew 23:12

“But he gives more grace.  Therefore it says, God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” – James 4:6

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 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. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” –Matthew 6:1-4

“Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” –Luke 6:38

“Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.” – Proverbs 19:17

“In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” –Acts 20:35

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” –Matthew 619-21

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” –James 1:17