SOWING IN FAMINE!

The price of gas is up—and giving to God’s work is down!

Gasoline prices continue to climb, costing $4 or more per gallon in many parts of the country. No big surprise there, as we knew this was coming; however, I was surprised at the findings of a recent survey about giving trends in America. The Barna Report polling of adults found that tithing in America has fallen from seven percent in 2010 to four percent in 2011. In addition, 24 percent of Americans have stopped giving to the church entirely and another 17 percent have reduced their giving by half.

When the economy gets difficult and uncertain, our natural tendency is to respond by tightening our belts financially. We often do this by cutting down on discretionary spending, and that’s not all bad. For the follower of Jesus, however, giving to Him needs to be separate from our discretionary file. I don’t give to the work of the Lord using the same consideration as when I contemplate buying an extra pair of socks or something I really don’t need. When it comes to my personal giving, I do not weigh the positives and negatives to see which one carries the most weight. If you do that when considering your giving, you will never give!

I give because it is a part of my worship; I know that it pleases God; I know that God has asked me to be a steward of the resources He has blessed me with. I also understand that God blesses a giving and generous spirit. I refuse to allow any taint of legalism to get into my giving. Carol and I give because He has asked us to, we want to, we have purposed to—and it is a joy! We are happy to testify of God’s faithfulness to bless because we are committed givers in good times and in bad times.

“There was a famine in the land…. Then the Lord appeared to him [Isaac] and said: ‘Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you. Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father….’ Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him” (Genesis 26:1-3, 12 NKJV).

Isaac sowed in the midst of a famine because he understood the law of sowing and reaping. “Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7b NKJV) and, “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously” (2 Corinthians 9:6 NIV).

So what do we do as the economy continues to falter and inflation begins to show its ugly face? What were God’s instructions to Isaac? “Don’t go back to Egypt.” In other words, don’t allow worldly principles to guide your decisions about giving. “Live in the land of which I shall tell you.” Stay firm in the faith and in the truth of God’s unwavering care for His children.

God’s promise to His children was really quite simple:

• Don’t stop living as a child of God and don’t stop giving because you are in a famine. If we give in to that line of thinking, there will always be a famine of one kind or another to stop us from giving to the Lord’s work. If you are not a giver, then you need to start giving right now, because you are missing the blessing of the Lord promised to givers. Giving is not going to affect your salvation and you are not cursed if you don’t give, but you will miss out on the blessing that God promises to the generous!

• Listen for the voice of the Lord and He will speak to you. God has been very direct and personal in speaking to Carol and me in the last few years about our lifestyle and some adjustments He has asked us to make. If God can talk to a hardhead like me, He can certainly talk to you—and He will. “Live in the land of which I shall tell you.”

• God promises to be with you. In a way, this is the best promise of all…to know that God is with us, right here, right now! God is with us! If that’s not security, then nothing can be! “…And I will be with you.”

• God promises to bless His obedient children. I believe in the law of sowing and reaping. In the natural, if you sow carrot seeds you don’t reap pumpkins. But in the spiritual world, when we sow our financial gifts as an act of worship, it is foolish to think that the only way we are going to reap is monetarily. When we give and release it to the Lord, then He promises to bless us and He will do it in the way that He knows will meet our needs and circumstances the best.“…And I will be with you and bless you.”

I feel bad for those who stop giving because of rising prices. Those who do stop are violating a fundamental principle of the law of “sowing and reaping.” They have gone back to Egypt (to worldly thinking) by eating their seed instead of planting it. “…Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the LORD blessed him.” Isaac lived in the land that was stricken with famine but he sowed anyway and the Lord blessed him and gave him a hundredfold harvest. And God’s promise to us is as sure as His promise to Isaac!