Giving pt3: What Has God Given You?
Leadership in Context with Keith Tucci
Episode 054
Money Principle #1: Giving is a grace.
Money Principle #2: Giving is a spiritual standard.
Money Principle #3: What has God given you?
How we think about money, not just how much money we have, is a great determining factor in our life. Most American thinking focuses on how much money we have, not how we use it. 2 Corinthians chapters 8 and 9 teach about the proper use of money. The proper use of money comes with the proper mindset.
2 Corinthians 8:12
For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.
God is not going to judge us on what we don’t have, but He is going to hold us accountable for what we do have. You are not responsible for what you don’t have, but you are entirely responsible for what you do have.
Parable of the Talents
In the parable of the talents, he gave one talent to one person, two talents to one person, and five talents to another. That is what they got. To some he gave more; to some he gave less. They were responsible for what they were given. This doctrine is so freeing because you are never in a victim position.
Look at What You Have
Many people are paralyzed in life because they are always looking at what they don’t have. They don’t have an education, they don’t know this person, they don’t have this ability. It is ok to identify things that we need to go after and get, but no one is going to get those things by wishing for them or complaining about lack. Taking a real inventory—what do I have? With what you have right now, what could you do better? What could you do with the time, people, resources, contacts you have?
When I was pastoring, we had a get-out-of-debt club. I would have everyone list everything they have. They looked at me like I was crazy. They would say that it would take all day to list everything. Exactly. That’s my point.
This principle is so true in ministry. In the life of a church or a ministry, you could talk about what you don’t have. But what has God given you? What do you have? Who are the people that God has given you, and what are you doing to get them to perform at their best talent level? How much talent they have doesn’t matter (one talent, two talents, or five talents). It is your job to get them to operate efficiently at the maximum level that God has created them to do.
It’s not according to what a man does not have. God does not look at your life and feel sorry for you. God looks at your life, and He sees the inventory list. He sees all this stuff that you have. The talent you have, the thoughts, the friends, the equity, the relationships. God looks at all those things that you have, and the Holy Spirit is imploring you to do something with that. What has God given you?
Giving
2 Corinthians 8:12 is referring to giving. Many times, people are paralyzed in giving because they look at what they don’t have, and they miss the opportunity to give something of what they do have. Often we don’t give something because we think we can’t give everything. As if our little bit won’t matter. God is the creative God. He takes our little bit, and He multiplies it. God is after our heart. This is important because where a man’s treasure is, there his heart is. We might not be able to meet the whole need, but what do you have that can meet part of that need?
What has God given you? Stop thinking about what you don’t have, and realize that God has given you something wonderful that you can use. You might not have $50,000, but you have $5. That counts to a great God. We can’t wait until we have more time, talent, and money to start giving. God’s economy doesn’t work that way. In all my years of ministry, I’ve never seen the “when I get it, then I’ll start giving or using it” philosophy work. Use what you have right now.
It is not according to what you do not have. That does not move God. When He looks at you, He does not see an empty head, heart, or wallet. He looks at what you do have. What do you have? That’s what God is going to judge us for when we stand before Him one day. We will be held accountable to what we had the ability to invest.
This life principle impacts me day-in and day-out. Get ahold of this in your heart. Believe it and begin to operate in it. When you do that, you will find a liberty and a blessing like you’ve never experienced before.
Join us next week as Keith Tucci continues to put leadership truth in the context of the local church. And as always, please like, share, rate/review, and invite others to listen. See you next week!
