We Are Managers, Not Owners

It seems like the last part of us to surrender to God is our chequebook. The extent to which this is true explains why more of us are not growing into maturity faster than we are. Your attitude towards giving is like the lights on your car's dashboard. When one of those lights comes on, something under the bonnet needs attention before there's a breakdown. When God turns on the indicator light of money and giving in your life, it's not because He's hurting for cash. No, He's looking at something in your heart that you can't afford to ignore. And He wants to deal with it.

Many Christians suffer from a disease Dr. Tony Evans calls "cirrhosis of the giver." It's been around since the earliest days of the church, first diagnosed around 34 A.D. in a couple named Ananias and Sapphira who became greedy with God's gifts and suffered some really bad consequences (see Acts 5:1-11). It's an acute condition. Those who have it show symptoms that include sudden paralysis and inability to reach for their purse or wallet at offering time. This strange symptom often disappears in stores, on golf courses, or when dining in fine restaurants. Some have attempted to treat this condition by offering tax deductions for charitable giving. But judging from the prevalence of the problem this incentive has not had great effect.

What's the answer? Realizing that you are a manager - not an owner. You're simply overseeing what belongs to God. So when He asks you to give, regardless of how much, remember, He's just asking for what He already owns.

"The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it. - Psalm 24:1 NIV"