In my last MuSiNgS (the money one), I mentioned enjoying the bounty in your barns. Now I want you to know that I’m serious—I didn’t just say that to give a perk to sacrificial giving!
What do I mean by enjoying your bounty? And yes, I do believe you can consider it your bounty because your Father the King created and owns the cattle on a thousand hills. However, the concept “possession is nine-tenths of the law” doesn’t apply here; “yours” is a very loose concept.
I believe that God gives us good things (Matt. 7:11), but we should be willing to give up our rights to those things, out of love for him, and hold loosely to them. After all, the things of this earth are only transitory, whereas our love for him will remain forever. Holding loosely to things that are fleeting breeds generosity—you will be so much more willing to give away something that you know is only in your possession for a time than something you feel you have long-term rights to.
So we’re back to the question: what does it mean to enjoy your bounty? I hope we don’t have to go into a theological debate about whether or not it’s ethical to enjoy things! There are those that think Christianity is boring because we don’t dance, we don’t drink, we don’t party, we don’t do anything “of the world”. There are so-called Christians who believe all that, too. If you’re of that camp, I invite you to show me where in the Bible it says a “Christian” can’t do any of those things and I’ll stand corrected.
The source of all life, joy, desire, and bliss is our Father! He created dancing! He created variety in music! He created the arts! He created wine to be enjoyed! Devotion to God does not translate into perpetual glumness! Living a life sold out for God does not mean you should take vows of poverty!
What does it mean to enjoy your bounty? Use your cell phone, iPod, laptop, plasma TV, espresso maker, or SUV. Take care of it. Treat it as if it were God’s, and remember that he may ask you to pass it on to one of your neighbors. Take $5 and hit up Starbucks for a caramel macchiato. Take $20 and go to the movies. Plan a trip and trust that your Father the King will help with the travel expenses. Buy a CD or a book—and keep your eyes open for friends that might want to borrow them (don’t worry if you don’t get them back).
I think (I hope) I’ve made myself clear. Reiteration: what you have isn’t yours, so use it in a way your father would delight in seeing you enjoy it, and remember that he’s your provider and knows the desires of your heart, so if you pass the goods on to someone else, you won’t be without good things yourself!
Get it? Got it? Good! Dare you to try it!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment