Wednesday, February 25, 2015
It Is A Discipline
Greg Laurie @ CP:
What better habit than giving? Not becasue of what the money does out there, but becasue of what it does to us. Suddenly the other matters more than the self. We have to practice that. Heroism does not come because we rise to the occasion, it comes because we have habituated it in a thousand small ways through the years. If you do not practice sacrifice, you will not sacrifice when it is most necessary.
We tend to think that money is somehow different than other things we give away like time and energy, but its not. The idea is to develop a mindset of giving of everything that is precious to us.
discipline giving habit
Giving is a personal act, and every one of us should set aside an amount of money to give. Even children ought to be taught this. It might be a few pennies, a nickel, or even a dime. But they should be taught that they should give to the Lord.Habits shape us. That which we do habitually becomes a part of us. We no longer think about it, it just happens.
Some people might say, "I think that is legalistic. I like to just give as it comes to me. I like to give in the moment."
Yet Paul instructed the believers to set something aside ahead of time (see 1 Corinthians 16:2). In reality, is it actually legalistic to say, "I am going to take a portion of my income and set it aside to be invested in the work of the kingdom of God"? That is not legalism, friend. That is good planning and obedience. And it is a good way to live.
What better habit than giving? Not becasue of what the money does out there, but becasue of what it does to us. Suddenly the other matters more than the self. We have to practice that. Heroism does not come because we rise to the occasion, it comes because we have habituated it in a thousand small ways through the years. If you do not practice sacrifice, you will not sacrifice when it is most necessary.
We tend to think that money is somehow different than other things we give away like time and energy, but its not. The idea is to develop a mindset of giving of everything that is precious to us.
discipline giving habit
