9.28.8 – Uncoordinated Hands

Why do you do what you do? What’s your driving motivation? For many years of my life (seemingly from birth to age 22) I did what I did with one thought in mind: will it attract girls? Jobs, cars, fashion, speech, the one overriding motivation in everything I did was to impress girls.

When I was 22, I found one who actually was impressed with me. So my focus switched to keeping her impressed. She’s kind enough to not say whether I’m successful or not.

What drives you to do the things you do and the way you do them?

Matthew 6:1
Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. (ESV)

It’s been said that character is what you do when no one is watching. The reality is that someone is always watching, even if you’re alone in a canyon somewhere. God is watching. But do we do what we do because some person might be watching?

At the last men’s prayer breakfast one of our men was telling about the day he walked out of his bank and saw something laying in the crease between the sidewalk and the grass. He picked it up and found that it was $600. He took the money inside and gave it to one of the bankers.

That could have been $600 free dollars. No one would have known. And most people, if they had found out, would have just thought he was lucky for finding it. But he knew it wasn’t his.

In the movies or on TV shows like “The Rockford Files” (2nd greatest show in the history of television), the finder gets 10% of the recovery. So far as I know, this man received no reward for turning in the $600. He didn’t turn it in to get the reward. He turned it in because that was part of his character.

Matthew 6:2-4
Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (ESV)

These verse could easily sound as if they don’t belong with the verse we just covered. But Jesus starts them off with a “thus”, which is a note tying what he’s about to say to what he just said. When you give, don’t pay any attention to who’s watching. Your giving is between you and God.

And the reward will be between you and God. Verse 3 there puts the lie to the “health and wealth” preachers, if you ask me. You know the ones: the ones who say if you give to God (i.e. give to them or their ministry) you’ll be blessed … and by “blessed” they mean you’ll receive money or houses or cars. You know what? You might. But that’s all just temporary stuff. Real blessings are eternal. And they’re in secret.

2 Corinthians 9:7
Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (ESV)

Or …

I want each of you to take plenty of time to think it over, and make up your own mind what you will give. That will protect you against sob stories and arm-twisting. God loves it when the giver delights in the giving. (MSG)

I know of churches where you have to turn in a copy of your W2 so they’ll know whether you’re giving 10% or not. That’s in direct violation of Scripture and I think such church are going to have to answer for doing that one day. But, again, their answering may be done in secret. We may not see them punished in
this life.

You ever given to the poor or helped someone out in some way and felt better about things than you did before? Your physical pains didn’t go away and your bank account’s still puny and the world isn’t all roses, but you know you’re better off. You can’t prove it with a test or explain it, but you know you’re better off. I think that’s God letting us in on the secret, the secret of what eternity’s going to be like.

Still, if God has the cattle on a thousand hills, why does he need my money, anyway?

Psalm 40:6-7
You do not want sacrifices and offerings; you do not ask for animals burned whole on the altar or for sacrifices to take away sins. Instead, you have given me ears to hear you, and so I answered, "Here I am; your instructions for me are in the book of the Law.” (GNB)

I got in trouble once because someone came to me to complain and said, “I’m not getting anything out of worship” (by which they meant the Sunday morning service). My reply was, “Good. You’re not supposed to. Worship isn’t about you, it’s about God.” (Yes, some of you may recognize that I stole/borrowed/appropriated this idea from Rick Warren. I don’t think he’ll mind.)

God could take care of the poor without me. He could keep this church building up and running without me. He could do anything he wanted without any of us. But he loves us and so he lets us in on what he’s doing!

Worship, giving, prayer … all these things are not about getting God in-line with us, they are about getting us in-line with God!

What do I DO with this?

Philippians 4:7
And God's peace, which is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus. (GNB)

7a
Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. (CEV)

How many of us get pretty uptight about money and are especially uncomfortable with the subject of giving it away? I think what we need to do is turn it over to God. Not just the money, but the whole attitude.