Bag, Basket or Barn?

I was exhausted when I got home last night so I'm double-posting today. Above is a picture of today's special African treat...bottled Orange Fanta (imported straight from Mexico - ha!)

Today was our first team meeting and our team leaders decided to support our "eating like an African" efforts by preparing a lunch of beans and rice. I was in charge of the chipati. Okay, it was special making it once - a little more challenging making it for guests - but making it for our whole team was HARD work! My empathy for my African sisters grew a lot this morning as I rolled out and deep fried about 40 of those artery clogging treats! I'm pretty sure I used more shortening this morning alone than I have collectively in my entire life. That's not what I want to spend my time talking about though.

This morning I woke up early to start on the chipati and the whole fundraising thing was weighing heavy on my mind. After years of wrestling with my own doubt, skepticism and fear, I've come to believe that when God calls us to do something that is beyond ourselves (like financing a trip to Africa) we must respond with a balance between resourcefulness and trust. Not sure I'm explaining it clearly, but our faith should be active. God wants us to take action, not just sit there and expect him to do everything for us - yet at the same time we are to trust him to provide for everything.

I won't pretend to be a theologian, but I'll tell you what I know from the Bible. Scripture tells us to be industrious and hard working like an ant. It tells us to be good stewards of all God's blessings in our lives and to tithe our first fruits. Jesus sent out his disciples to minister in villages and told them not to take anything with them (including money) but to rely on his provision through the generosity of others. The Apostle Paul was a tent-maker, yet he also received support from other believers.

Scripture also tells us that God loves a cheerful giver. I'll be honest, that is not always me. Maybe that's what was weighing on my mind today.

As is often the case with God, wouldn't you know that today's sermon was all about having a generous heart? Our pastor even referenced some of the same scriptures I was pondering to myself early this morning. If you have the time, you might visit our church website (see sidebar for link) and listen for yourself. Here are my take-aways:

There are 3 basic mindsets that effect generosity in a person's life: The bag, the basket or the barn.

"You have planted much but harvest little. You eat but are not satisfied. You drink but are still thirsty. You put on clothes but cannot keep warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in a bag filled with holes." - Haggai 1:6

Bag people believe that we do not have enough to afford being generous. We focus on our money, or lack of it, and all the things we want to do with the money we don't have. No matter how much money we may acquire, if we have a "hole in the bag" mindset, we will never feel satisfied and we will always worry.

"If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands...the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessing will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God...Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed." - Deuteronomy 28:1-5

"If you give, you will receive." - Luke 6:38a

Basket minded people are like the little boy with the loaves and fishes. He didn't have much in his basket that day, but he willingly let God use what he had and 5,000 people were fed. Basket minded people receive and give willingly from what they have.

"Honor the Lord with your wealth and the first part of your harvest. Then your barns will be full of grain, and your barrels will be overflowing with wine." - Proverbs 3:9-10

Barn people are faithful stewards of God's blessings and they trust God with what they have. Barn people know that all the money and stuff belong to God anyhow and so they gratefully give back to him. When they do, they are blessed with barns overflowing. You see, when we are faithful with a little, God knows we will be faithful with more.

Yikes! I have to admit that I waffle back and forth between being a bag and a basket. First, I need to repent from my lack of trusting God with my finances and secondly I need to change my way of thinking. Truly, when I stop to consider, I KNOW how blessed I am. Truly, I'm living in a barn but because I keep looking down at the dirt floor, I forget how great it is. If I can remember to look up, up to God who has provided generously in my life, I feel humbled, grateful, satisfied and generous.

How about you? Are you a bag, a basket or a barn? I'd love to hear stories of how God grew you in this area because frankly, I can use the encouragement. Leave your comments below.

May God Bless You This Week!

- Julie