If I Had...

Have you ever thought, "If I had a million dollars, I'd help so and so or do such and such?"  If I had more time, I would ...  If I had better health...  If I had...  Really?  If you had more, would that change who you are and what you do with what you have?

The story was once told of a man who said to his friend, "If I had a million dollars, I'd give you half!"  The friend replied, "Really?"  The man assured him, "Of course I would."  "You mean," the friend asked, "if you had twenty dollars, you''d give me ten?"  "No," came the response.  "Why not?" the friend inquired.  "Because I have twenty dollars," he retorted.

The Lord gives you what you have with which to serve Him and bless others.  The amount you have to share has nothing to do with God's desire that you do share.  He is not impressed with the size of the gift but rather the act of the giver: "And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward" (Matt 10:42).

God's desire is not particularly that we have so much that we can give without missing it.  Rather, it is that we generously give what we have to give, regardless of the amount: "Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Cor 9:7).  And when we give that way, God not only blesses others through us but he blesses us through the giving: "And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work" (v. 8).

The "If I had," waiting for a windfall attitude of giving reflects a reluctance to trust in God to use what you have and a resistance to share something you would miss.  It borders on, if not lives in, a land of "me first," which is counter to the kingdom of God, who "gave his one and only Son" (Jn 3:16).  The God-factor, the Christ-attitude and the Spirit-leaning of a disciple leads to giving according to another's need rather than our over-abundance.

Apart from God's gift of his only Son, the gold standard of giving is seen in Paul's description of the Macedonian churches: "In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people" (2 Cor 8:2-4).

Do you see it?  The deeply held desire to be a channel of blessing, giving what God has placed in your hands to offer a hand to others.  There is a clear turn from "If I had" to "What I have" as the determining factor for sharing God's blessings.  The focus is on others and what God can do through me,  rather than on what I can afford to do.  Jus' Say'n.