Giver

Deuteronomy 8:18 (The Message)

If you start thinking to yourselves, "I did all this. And all by myself. I'm rich. It's all mine!"—well, think again.

Remember that God, your God, gave you the strength to produce all this wealth so as to confirm the covenant that he promised to your ancestors—as it is today.

We would do well to realize the truth of this scripture.

I really believe that it's the beginning of what giving is all about.

Anybody who gives, participates in an act of humility.

It's hard for me to give away what I got for myself...what I worked hard to obtain for my own well being, and that of those I love.

In fact, it just wouldn't make any sense to give that kind of possession away at all, would it?

But what if you really believe that you're not the source of your own sustenance, in the first place?

That's a pretty radical idea, but without it, giving can't even really find a place to start in a person's life, much less grow and flourish.

Within just a few generations of their arrival and the Promised Land, the people of Israel had begun to prosper.

These were the people of God's covenant with Abraham, and they were receiving the blessings that God had always promised.

But God knew that they would be tempted at that very moment of blessing to stop giving thanks...and start believing that they had done it all themselves.

Sound familiar? It sounds a lot like my own life sometimes...and a lot like the culture in which we live.

Jesus-followers can show the world another kind of life. One that's radical and counter-cultural. A life that's about giving...a life that knows we didn't do this ourselves.

Be thankful and remember that God is the real giver.

Prayer: May we learn the lesson and always remember: It is you who gave us the strength to produce whatever wealth we have. We thank you for your love and grace that knows no end. You are a giving God.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. World without end. Amen.

Tomorrow's Scripture: Malachi 3:8-10