Thursday, January 23
The Western Myth
#2 giving.
why do we do it? why don't we do it?
why is it that we seem to yake it so lightly (and legalistically) in the western world??
what does sacrificial mean?? do people give sacrificially??
when i thought about the whole Western Myth idea, giving was my first real topic. why? because i think Christians in the western world definitively do not give sacrificially. if it's one way the world has taken hold of people in the western world it's by wealth and possessions. i am not saying that these are bad, and God blesses people with much wealth! the bad thing is the useless accumulation of possessions. things we don't need.
we seem to give our leftovers, our ten percent, which in most cases we don't need.
so we go to church, give our 10% and feel good about it!
but is that what giving's about? is that sacrificial giving?
do we place God first by giving our leftovers?should we not be giving our firstfruits?
by saying this i'm not talking about getting paid and giving 100% of your pay then bumming off someone.
i think Christians have forgotten or forgone their duty to give sacrificially, which to me relates to fasting.
do you need the two take-away meals a day? the 3 cd's, the 24th new pair of shoes, the most expensive and fashionable mobile phone, the best bike, most expensive car, best food, extra big house, 4th tv... the list goes on.
what do you need?...what do you want?(see The Western Myth #3 need vs want)
here's one: why not try for a day, a week or a month buying and spending money on what you need only?? sound scary? in my opinion this is the only way to sacrificial giving.
a couple of sayings you may have heard: "The person who dies with the most things wins!!", "the person who dies with the most things still dies..."
in the end (which is what really matters), what will be the difference between someone who has everything s/he ever wanted and someone who made do with the bare minimum? will we take away anything with us? will the level of life and comfort make any difference to us once we're dead?
so why not spend a little more on giving to others and a little less on ourselves?
did Jesus own anything? what did he tell the disciples to take with them? are we not disciples?
sure we need more things these days because of the way society works.
there's a fine line between being in the world and part of it.as followers of Christ we need to make sure we are in the world, which may mean adapting or conforming to a certain group to be able to relate to that group. but we must be careful not to be "of" the world and get caught up in materialism.
my reasons for writing The Western Myth are to challenge you and stir up ideas which you may not have ever thought of or which you have just taken as given all your life. that's why you may not aggree with anything i say, but ley me know if that's the case!
but certainly in matters of money, think about it, if you give why do you give?? is it a matter of legalism, obedience, or heart?..
#2 giving.
why do we do it? why don't we do it?
why is it that we seem to yake it so lightly (and legalistically) in the western world??
what does sacrificial mean?? do people give sacrificially??
when i thought about the whole Western Myth idea, giving was my first real topic. why? because i think Christians in the western world definitively do not give sacrificially. if it's one way the world has taken hold of people in the western world it's by wealth and possessions. i am not saying that these are bad, and God blesses people with much wealth! the bad thing is the useless accumulation of possessions. things we don't need.
we seem to give our leftovers, our ten percent, which in most cases we don't need.
so we go to church, give our 10% and feel good about it!
but is that what giving's about? is that sacrificial giving?
do we place God first by giving our leftovers?should we not be giving our firstfruits?
by saying this i'm not talking about getting paid and giving 100% of your pay then bumming off someone.
i think Christians have forgotten or forgone their duty to give sacrificially, which to me relates to fasting.
do you need the two take-away meals a day? the 3 cd's, the 24th new pair of shoes, the most expensive and fashionable mobile phone, the best bike, most expensive car, best food, extra big house, 4th tv... the list goes on.
what do you need?...what do you want?(see The Western Myth #3 need vs want)
here's one: why not try for a day, a week or a month buying and spending money on what you need only?? sound scary? in my opinion this is the only way to sacrificial giving.
a couple of sayings you may have heard: "The person who dies with the most things wins!!", "the person who dies with the most things still dies..."
in the end (which is what really matters), what will be the difference between someone who has everything s/he ever wanted and someone who made do with the bare minimum? will we take away anything with us? will the level of life and comfort make any difference to us once we're dead?
so why not spend a little more on giving to others and a little less on ourselves?
did Jesus own anything? what did he tell the disciples to take with them? are we not disciples?
sure we need more things these days because of the way society works.
there's a fine line between being in the world and part of it.as followers of Christ we need to make sure we are in the world, which may mean adapting or conforming to a certain group to be able to relate to that group. but we must be careful not to be "of" the world and get caught up in materialism.
my reasons for writing The Western Myth are to challenge you and stir up ideas which you may not have ever thought of or which you have just taken as given all your life. that's why you may not aggree with anything i say, but ley me know if that's the case!
but certainly in matters of money, think about it, if you give why do you give?? is it a matter of legalism, obedience, or heart?..
