Abundance or Poverty?

I am reading the book “Don’t Waste your Life” by John Piper which I highly recommend if you haven’t read it. The chapter I am currently reading is “Living to prove he is more precious than life.”

To do this we must make sacrificial life choices rooted in the assurance that magnifying Christ through generosity and mercy is more satisfying than selfishness. Selfishness is a BIG word. Piper says “In other words, if we look like our lives are devoted to getting and maintaining things, we will look like the world and that will not make Christ look great.”

He goes on to talk about the story of the widow in Mark 12. One of the phrases in this story totally put things in perspective for me when I read the verse. “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contibuting to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had.”

Wow. That just put me in my place. I totally give out of abundance even though I expect nothing in return. It’s too hard to give out of poverty. What if something happens?? What if our car breaks down? What if we need it for vacation? What if???

WHO AM I TRUSTING? My Saviour or the world?

If we want to make people glad in God, our lives must look as if God, not possessions, is our joy. Our lives must look as if we use our possessions to make people glad in God – especially the most needy.
“I am wired by nature to love the same toys that the world loves. I start to fit in. I start to love what others love. I start to call earth “HOME.” Before you know it, I am calling luxuries “needs” and using my money just the way unbelievers do. Missions and unreached peoples drop out of my mind. I stop dreaming about the triumphs of grace. I sink into a secular mindset that looks first to waht man can do, not what God can do.”

I can’t get enough of this book even though it’s kicking my hiney.

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