More Painless Ways To Give To the Poor

186 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 1Ti 6:17 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. 18 Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, Planned benevolence, (being ready to give) is a wonderful way to bless others, and today I want to give you some more ideas about how you might develop a simple plan to help the less fortunate. Sometimes we forget that one of the Christian disciplines is giving to the poor. Jesus said “WHEN you give,” not “if”! One of the ways that our family seeks to bless the less fortunate is to take them out to dinner with us. We don't “literally” bring them along (although one could certainly seek ways to do that) but we set aside a portion of our total bill and at the end of that month give that money to a local pantry, or trusted international relief agency, knowing that it will provide money for food for the poor. A quick example is, let's say my wife and I dine out and our total bill for two is 30 dollars. That's 15 dollars apiece, and so we set aside another 15 dollars for the purpose of providing meals for others through our church, local pantry, or other such ministry. Even as you pray over your meal in the restaurant, you might even ask God to bless the person who is going to benefit from your gift. This is planned painless benevolence that helps us respond to Jesus' statement “when you give to the poor!” Still another method that I have heard people use to bless the poor is to carry “care” packages in their cars. These packages include items like food coupons, or gift cards, or basic toiletry items and snack bars. The idea being that if you come across someone in need, you are not just throwing money at them, but giving them some very practical items to help them in their current situation. Painless, planned benevolence, is a great way to “be ready to give.” I encourage you for look for ways to try it and see how it might add a little cheer to your acts of giving!

The Blessings of the First and Second Tithe

179 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 1Ti 6:17,18, “Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. 18 Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, (1 Tim 6:17,18) We Americans are rich, and these commands are for those who are rich in this present age, (the period of time that passes as we wait the Lord's return.) I hesitate to bring this up because I don't want it to sound like I'm tooting my own horn, but I want to share with you how liberating the idea of a first and second tithe has been for our household. I read a book several years ago that spoke of the biblical principle of the second tithe. Let's be clear first of all, that there is no such requirement for a second tithe in the New Testament. At best it can serve as a guideline, which is what we have done in our house for many years. We have also used the first tithe as a guideline for giving to our local congregation. Although not required in a legalistic sense in the New Testament, we have been greatly blessed by the Lord as we adhere to it's principles. Based on the uses of the two tithes as stated in the Old Testament, this is what we do. We tithe 20% of our net income. The first 10% going to our local congregation, and the second 10% is broken up into two parts. The distribution of the second tithe is too complicated to put into words in this short devotional, but this is what we do with it. Two thirds of the second tithe goes to benevolence. Any needs of the financially strapped that come our way are able to be met with this portion of our tithe without detracting from our giving to our local congregation. This has fostered an attitude of cheerful giving as we seek ways to bless those in need. The remainder of the second tithe, goes to what we call our fellowship fund, it's almost like a Christian party jar! It enables us to participate in the rich enjoyment of God's financial blessings mentioned here in v17! It provides funds for simply celebrating the goodness of God for ourselves and others. The second tithe seems scary at first, (for some, even the first tithe is a little scary.) I'm just sharing what we have been led to do, and to tell you it has been very freeing.