Survival Mentality
During this Lent we explore what it means to be a member. In particular,
the Methodists put emphasis on five areas of our lives to live as faithful
disciples of Jesus: prayer, presence, gifts, service, and witness. Today’s
theme word is gifts. It’s a difficult
topic. The following statistics show the challenging reality of the world we
live in today regarding the financial situation:[1]
- 82% of people in our American culture report feeling anxious about money.
- 65% of families live paycheck to paycheck.
- 32% of families can’t cover a $5,000 emergency.
- 53% of families have less than $25,000 in retirement savings.
- 63% of families don’t pay off credit cards monthly. The average family in American culture carries in excess of $15,000 in credit card debt, not including mortgage and car payments.
In a word, many of us live in “scarcity”
mindset. We live in “survival” mentality. We live in fear. Because of this, the
use of money is a difficult conversation for most congregations. And there is a
prevailing idea that all churches do is talk about money, even though in fact
most pastors seem to avoid the topic when possible. But as for me, I firmly
believe that we cannot be faithful
disciples of Jesus Christ unless we learn to manage the excellent gift of money.
Why? It is because the use of money is
one of the most accurate barometers of our relationship with God. So it’s
not a coincidence that Jesus talked about “money” besides the kingdom of God
more than any other topics. We need biblical financial principles and
guidelines on how to shift from a life of
scarcity to a life of abundance. Where to start? How to get there? John
Wesley, in his sermon “The Use of Money,” lays out three simple rules: “Gain all you can; Save all you can; and Give
all you can.”
Gain, Save,
Give
First, gain all you can. But there is a clearly defined condition. We ought
to gain all we can “without paying more for it than it is worth.” In other
words, we ought to gain all we can without hurting either ourselves or our
neighbor, in soul or body. John Wesley said, “Gain all you can by honest
industry: use all possible diligence in your calling. Lost no time… Never leave
anything till tomorrow which you can do today. And do it as well as possible… Put
your whole strength to the work… Let nothing be done by halves, or in a slight
and careless manner… Do everything you have to do better today than you did
yesterday… Make the best of all that is in your hands.”[2]
That’s what it means to gain all you can.
And that’s the very first step to live as a faithful steward and disciple of
Jesus Christ.
The second step is to save all you can. John Wesley said, “Save
all you can, by cutting off every expense which serves only to indulge foolish
desire, to gratify either the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eye, or
the pride of life. Waste nothing, living or dying, on sin or folly, whether for
yourself or your children.”[3]
The lifestyle Wesley was describing here we may call “frugal.” In this context,
frugal is defined as “living without waste,” coming from the Latin root meaning
“useful, temperate.”[4]
In our everyday language, to save all we can means to create a budget and track
our expense. To save all we can means to simplify our lifestyle and live below
our means. To save all we can means to establish an emergency fund. To save all
we can means to pay off our credit cards and use credit wisely. To save all we can
means to practice long-term savings and investing habits. But if we were to
stop here – gain all we can and save all we can, we would be just a miser, another
Ebenezer Scrooge. We ought to gain all we can and save all we can with purpose, that is, to give all we can. This is the third
simple rule.
As you see, Wesley’s rules on the
use of money are progressive. Gaining
all we can and saving all we can are steps in the direction of a generous life
in which we give all we can. Now some
of you may wonder, “If I gave all, how would I survive?” But Wesley clarified
that giving all you can didn’t mean
giving all you have. Rather, as a faithful
and wise steward, he encouraged us to ask four questions before spending money:[5]
- Am I acting as a steward of my Master’s good, or as an owner?
- Am I doing this in obedience to his Word? In what Scripture does he require me so to do?
- Can I offer up this action, this expense, as a sacrifice to God through Jesus Christ?
- Have I reason to believe that for this very work I shall have a reward at the resurrection of the just?
This fourfold consideration is
deeply grounded on the steward’s mindset: “I own nothing; Jesus owns
everything.” Wesley said, “And then, Give
all you can, or in other words give all you have to God. Do not stint
yourself… to this or that proportion. ‘Render unto God,’ not a tenth, not a
third, not half, but ‘all that is God’s.’”[6]
The Apple Story
I
own nothing; Jesus owns everything. Everything belongs to him. We are
stewards of God’s resources – both the natural resources and the things that we
have. How can we cultivate this steward’s mindset? Our spiritual fathers
practiced tithing. Abraham was the first one to give a
tithe or tenth. After great victory in battle, he realized that it was God who
gave him victory. So he gave back a tenth to God (Gen 14:7-24). This was a way
of saying, “God, I give this to you, and it’s all yours.” Abraham’s grandson, Jacob, did the same thing. When he
became a runaway, he made a covenant with God, saying, “God, if you made me
come back in peace, you will be my God, and I will give you surely one-tenth to
you” (28:20-22). Later, God officially instituted tithing as a spiritual discipline in Moses’ time.
The tithe is still a good spiritual
discipline and guideline to help us to shift from a life of scarcity to a life
of abundance. But at the same time, tithing can be a challenging idea for many
of us. Pastor David Slagle uses apples
to illustrate this struggle. He invites us to imagine that God has given us ten
apples, which represent our wealth or income. God tells us that nine of these
apples are ours to enjoy. We are to use some to care for ourselves and for our
families, some to save for retirement, and some to give away to others. But the
tenth apple is holy to God. Giving this apple to God first, before we consume
the other nine apples, is a way for us to express praise, love, obedience,
faithfulness, worship, and devotion to God. But for many of us, nine apples are
not enough anymore. We think, “How can I pay bills and have all the stuff I want
with just nine apples? The Lord will understand.” So we take a bite out of God’s
apple. Christmas comes and we don’t have enough money, we take another bite
from God’s apple. One day a medical emergency catches us by surprise. Because we
didn’t set aside money in an emergency fund, we must take another bite. Buying a
new car, eating out, spending on this or that – each expense takes a bite out
of God’s apple. Soon all that is left is the core. So we give the core to God
and say, “Here’s your portion, Lord.” God receives not our first fruits or our
best gifts, but our leftovers.[7]
Contrary to popular belief, tithing
is possible at virtually any income level. I know this is true from my personal
experience. My first appointment was a half-time pastoral appointment - $20,000
per year with parsonage. We lived just below the poverty level for a family of
four, but we gave God a tenth. Basically, we lived hand to mouth and paycheck
to paycheck. It was hard. But God’s grace was always enough. Somehow God provided
all that we needed. Somehow we were ok. We were blessed. The other day I sat
down and did my taxes. As I was calculating my income, expenses, giving, etc., I
was surprised. I realized that my family and I were able to give about 30% to
God in 2018. Praise God! I am aware that it might not be possible for some of
us to begin giving 10% to God right away. But I encourage you to take a step
toward that direction. Tithing is a tangible sign of our desire to live wholly
for God. It is a way of saying, “Lord, I put you first in my life.” If you
already tithe, I encourage you not to stop there, because tithing is a floor,
not a ceiling. It is a training wheel. According to God’s abundance grace, let
us grow and grow. Let us give beyond the tithe. Let us be all in for God!
5 Minutes After We Die
In Luke 19, as Jesus was near
Jerusalem, just before he suffered and died, he told a parable of the ten
minas. If we paraphrase this parable in today’s language, it’s something like
this: one day we will all stand before God. And he will do an audit of our
life. Basically, he will ask the following two questions. First, “What did you do with my Son, Jesus Christ?”
Did you receive his love, his sacrifice, his grace for you? Did you learn to
love and trust him? The second question will be, “What did you do with what I gave you?” What did you do with all the
gifts, talents, possessions, opportunities, and resources God gave you? Did you
spend them on yourself, or did you use them for the purposes God made you for?[8]
Missionary C. T. Studd said, “Only one life, ‘twill soon be past; only what’s
done for Christ will last.”
In his book When the Game Is Over, It All Goes Back in the Box, John Ortberg
says that at the end of our lives, everything goes back in the box – a box
about six-and-a-half-feet long by two-feet wide, to be exact. Five minutes
after we die, we’ll know exactly how we should have lived. Let us ask
ourselves, “Five minutes after I die, what will I wish I would have given away
while I still had the chance?” When you come up with an answer, why not give it
away now?[9]
In today’s passage Our Lord Jesus Christ tells us three times, “Do not worry
about your life!” So let us trust Jesus. Let us seek first his kingdom and his righteousness. Let us gain all we can,
save all we can, and give all we can. And on the Day we will hear the Master
say, “Well done, good and faithful servant! Come and share your master’s joy!”
Amen.
[1] Phil
Maynard, Shift: Helping Congregations
back into the Game of Effective Ministry (EMC3, 2013), 115-6.
[2] Albert
C. Outler and Richard P. Heitzenrater, John
Wesley’s Sermon (Abingdon, 1991), 350-55.
[3] Ibid.,
356.
[4] James A.
Harnish, A Disciple's Path Companion
Reader: Deepening Your Relationship with Christ and the Church (Abingdon,
2012), Kindle locations 1008-1009.
[5] Albert
C. Outler and Richard P. Heitzenrater, 356.
[6] Ibid.,
356.
[7] Adam
Hamilton, Enough: Discovering Joy Through
Simplicity and Generosity (Abingdon, 2009), 82-83.
[8] Paraphrase
from Rick Warren’s Purpose-driven Life.
[9] Randy Alcorn,
The Treasure Principle: Discovering the
Secret of Joyful Giving (LifeChange Books, 2001), Kindle Locations 882-3.
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