Fleshly selfishness or fulfilling selflessness? Daily Devotional - November 23, 2009

Daily Bible Reading: Nehemiah 11, Amos 3, 1 Timothy 6

Have you ever thought to yourself "If one rich person gave me $10,000 - think of all that I could accomplish with that money!" Whenever I think a thought like that I am reminded that I pass by homeless individuals every day who probably think to themselves, "If one of those people passing by gave me $10 - think of all that I could do with that money." I am quickly reminded of all the times I have failed to give to someone in more need than myself.

One thing I know that is contrary to our flesh is to give. Selfishness is in our human nature, you can see it in children at a very young age. My daughter quickly learned the words "It’s mine!" before she learned many other things! Teaching children about sharing is always a battle because it is contrary to our flesh to give up something that we want ourselves.

As I have grown, I have realized that the more I give the more joy I experience. That it is truly more blessed to give than to receive! As a parent who has experienced the freedom and fulfillment there is in giving, it is my responsibility not to teach her that she "has to" give but teach her that she WANTS TO! It is a pleasure, delight and a blessing to give and leads to a journey of fulfillment.

The first year of my marriage the economy was thriving and we made more money that year than we have since. That year we had the time of our lives giving. Giving was an adventure, it was exciting and we also watched God bless us in awesome ways that year. After we had our first child and the economy slowed down, we began to slowly loose our fervor in giving. We allowed fear to creep into our hearts and every time we thought about giving, another thought of bills, mortgage payments and hospital payments quickly overruled.

My husband and I have been challenged lately to restore our joy in giving. It wasn’t getting back to a certain amount or percentage of our income that needed to change, it was our hearts. As we asked God to change our hearts, the giving came naturally. It was never about an amount to God, but it was about our hearts thinking of others before ourselves. Writing a bigger check was not the solution. The solution was a heart change that resulted in thinking about a single mother who might need a ride somewhere, bringing a pair of shoes to a child with holes in her own or taking out our disabled neighbor’s garbage. Sometimes it may be a check that needs to be written, but many times it was gestures of love that came from our changed hearts.

God has been blessing us in unexpected ways. The funny thing is, it has become hard to keep those blessings. The adventure of giving is so much fun that we can’t help but let those blessings pass through our hands.

1 Timothy 6:17-18 says, "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. Let them do good, that the be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life."

I always thought this scripture was for millionaires, but not for little old me. I read an article that said if you make $45k per year you are in the top 3% of the world’s wealthiest individuals. Even if you make half that amount, you are still most likely in the top 5%. This scripture applies to us! We are to be rich in good works...ready to give....willing to share...and most of all trusting not in riches but in the living God! Those things come from a heart that is yielded to the Holy Spirit. A heart that desires to hand over fleshly selfishness for fulfilling selflessness.

Thanks for reading,
Mel Miller

Tomorrow’s reading: Nehemiah 12, Amos 4, 2 Timothy 1