Let me hear a ‘Yuck for Brussel Sprouts’!
friend, Thank you for taking the time as we walked together through why stewardship and generosity is so key in the life of a follower of Jesus. It’s not always an easy topic!
The point of this week was to not tell you that if you give God a dollar, you are guaranteed to receive $100 back. It was not to tell you that you should give in order to get something from God. The point was not to assume that Jesus will fix your life for three easy payments of $39.95. It’s to show you that you are never working in vain when you address the areas of your life which may have taken you off the path of how God wants you to live, friend.
My mom used to try and convince me that brussel sprouts tasted good. She lied—they taste worse than you think! She tried to convince me that God made them look like cute little lettuce heads because He loved them so much and that God wanted me to love them too. I think they are a direct result of the Fall of man and one of our consequences is that we have to eat brussel sprouts at major holidays! She tried to hide them in other food so I wouldn’t know they were there, but I found them. I could smell them. Trying to cover them up in butter or bacon does not help!
My hope, friend, was to show you what the Bible says about how money can grip us, and that we can apply truth to our lives to help us overcome our desire for more. Sometimes, we approach stewardship and money in the Bible like my mom used to approach brussel sprouts. Let’s not have a brussel sprout approach to money and the Bible, where we try to convince ourselves that it’s not a hard topic and struggle for each one of us. Let’s examine our hearts and deal with the hard truth, chew on it, and move on to find freedom and a changed character.I want to leave you with this final encouragement:
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8, NIV)
That’s the first step on your journey—ask God to open up your eyes, friend, and help you see all these things in your life. Then prepare your heart, and let Him lead you on the road!
Let’s finish off this week by praying together: “Jesus, stewardship, money, generosity are all such hard topics to apply to our lives because at the core, we are selfish and sinful. Today, I pray that as friend applies Your truth, You will be gracious and provide the strength, integrity and diligence, as the road is not easy. Thank You, God, that You gave the ultimate gift in that You gave Your Son Jesus so that we can enjoy the eternal riches promised through our relationship with Him. We pray for Your presence today. Amen.”
You are a miracle!
