Giving

Plenty Valley Westfield has just opened up down the road from our corps. This means that some of our youth no have jobs and are making money. So the need has arose to speak to them about giving, in particular money.

I was talking to someone yesterday about how to talk about it and without thinking my first comment was something along the lines of "giving back to God." Its a term I've heard from lots of people and its just in grained into me. However the person I was speaking to quickly rebuked me and got me thinking about it better.

Giving back to God terminology is no good. It implies that we get to keep this part and we give God this other part. This can lead to people thinking, 'Well, I've given this part, thats it... The rest is for me.' When really what God is looking for is all of us. All of our money is Gods. So it shouldn't be about what percentage we give, rather it should be about how we look after all of our money. Now it turns into stewardship.

Once its stewardship (looking after something for someone else) everything changes. Its not about percentages but the way we manage all of our money. This fits in really well with holiness theology of giving ourselves, every area of our life.

So, are you giving a part of your self, of your money? Or are you using it ALL for Gods glory?