Excuses, Excuses. {Part One}

When it comes to giving to the poor, have you ever used this excuse?

“Any money I give will be wasted, stolen, or spent on other things. The poor will never see it.”

{photo credit: stuartpilbrow}

God has taught me three things when it comes to this excuse.

The money doesn’t belong to me.
God’s sovereignty is over all things, including the use of this money.
My blessing comes from my obedience to God, and is not based on how the money is used.

When keeping these three truths in mind, opening my checkbook to the promptings of the Spirit becomes less about me and more about fulfilling the mission of God.

Over the next several weeks, I want to take a closer look at this excuse and our responsibility to care for those less fortunate than ourselves. Follow along via RSS reader or have posts delivered directly to your inbox.

What questions would you like to see me address in regard to this issue? Feel free to leave them in the comments below or shoot me an email.

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Mariposa

#1 is something I remind myself of often! :)
apichea

It's definitely a struggle in our "entitlement" culture to have a biblical
view on our finances. I'm looking forward to sharing in more details
throughout the month. Each Wednesday, I'll have a new post in the series!
Jamie (@va_grown)

#3 is a really good point.

To be honest, I've often struggled with giving outside of our tithe in general because it's so hard for me to stop thinking something like "we're not rich, we might need that!" and instead think about "what does God want me to do with it?"

As I've opened my heart to seeing how much we live in excess and giving more away, I now also struggle with WHO? There are so many worthy needs!
apichea

I can totally relate on both accounts! I'll try to share how God has changed
our hearts toward giving above and beyond our "tithe," as well as how we
choose where to give. When we let God write the checks, the blessings are
AMAZING!
Audra B

Entitlement is a HUGE one! I find myself being fearful. When I feel lead to give to someone on the side of the road as I drive by, I am fearful. I've handed out granola bars at stoplights, but I've chickened out to take it further. Also, fear of man. I've felt lead to give randomly to others – mainly friends – mostly non-monetarily. I've chickened out many times because I was afraid of what they might think.
apichea

Fear of man is definitely a big factor in much of my willingness to obey
God. Why do we fear man when God is the One we ought to fear? Man can do
nothing outside of the will of God.
Melissa

Love, love, love your three points. They are almost exactly what I tell people when I hear this excuse, particularly the part about giving being more about our obedience then anything else. God is so much bigger than any excuse!

http://blog.ashleypichea.com Ashley Pichea

“God is so much bigger than any excuse!”

YES!! :-D I am full of excuses about why/how I can’t be used to help others,
but He keeps reminding me that I am only a vessel… He is the Helper!