1. Recognize that in this life, you’ll be dealing with money from the cradle to the grave.
You will probably never reach a point where it does not present temptations to you. So, plan to be on your guard forever.
2. Start giving.
Give like you’ve never given before. Plan to give throughout the day. Have money handy so you can share with the bell-ringers in front of stores and the charity-people at intersections. Write checks to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, to Global Maritime Ministries (www.portministry.com) and to New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (www.nobts.edu). Write checks to the Baptist Friendship House in New Orleans and to the Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home in Monroe.
Give to your family and to needy people you know. Don’t try to keep track of it either. You see someone at church you know who is constantly living near the poverty level, so you reach in and pull out a couple of twenties and slip to them without a fuss.
3. Plan to tithe and more to your church.
Find out if your minister is being taken care of sufficiently—a retirement account, a book allowance, an allowance for taking people to lunch, car mileage reimbursement, etc. If not, talk to the people who set these things up and start designating money toward it.
By the way, you don’t have to be rich to love money, neither do you have to be poor.
And, you do not need to be rich to give money, nor does being poor help.
It’s all irrelevant. Give, give, give. That’s what the Christian life is all about.
“Give, give, give! That’s all I ever hear at my church,” someone complained.
A friend answered, “I want to thank you for the best three-word description of the Christian life I’ve ever heard.”
Oh, one more thing. When you have begun giving right and left, try to keep the news to yourself.
The temptation will be to make sure others know what you are doing. Squelch it. Let it be a secret thing between you and your Lord. Give as unto the Lord. Be generous as you would if that were Jesus Himself behind the counter serving your bacon and eggs.
Have fun giving. It’s a great life.
