why i give... reason #3

maybe this'll be my last one on giving... we'll see.

I give because I believe Jesus is coming back.

this one may seem like a stretch, if so, sorry, but it makes sense to me. which is all i really care about anyway ;)

I believe Jesus is coming back and I believe that it is going to be soon. That is exciting and unnerving. But here's where it gets me on giving.

First, i believe my giving can make a difference in the world. I (we) have a sponsor kid through Compassion International. Joc and i started it sponsoring right after we were married. We figured it'd be one way to love someone else, especially before we had kids of our own. I know that my giving means something to him. I also know that my giving is making a difference in the world through my local church (i won't go into detail, being that i work for the church it could sound like i'm patting myself on the back-nevertheless God IS working). This is important to me because i believe that there is only so much time to make a difference. Then Jesus will return, the timeline of history will be broken and a new existence will commence. I don't want to have regret on that day about not doing enough to prepare people for that moment. So that's why i give of myself, time, family, money... it's in the hope that by giving myself away others might live.

But here's another reason. The bible tells a story about a guy who had a bunch of wealth and he just stored it up thinking he would need it one day or something. But then shortly after he died. It isn't a sad story, its really a story that you shake your head at and say "what an idiot!" I've heard other stories (no idea if they are true) about little old ladies who eat moldy bread and canned beans day after day and then die to reveal they had a million dollars in the bank and no heirs. Seems foolish.

Now i have no reason to belive i'm going to die any time soon... but i could... or Jesus could come back, and how much of an idiot will i feel like if i have a big IRA built up with a great house, cars, and toys ... instead of using my resources to make an eternal difference. If i choose not to give, all the stuff i spend my money on is waste, stuff that will pass away... it's foolishness to put too much into that stuff because Jesus IS coming back soon and like someone said, (and a lot of people have said since) "you can't take it with you"

Just so you know i'm not a doomsday prophet or anything, by saying jesus is coming back "soon" i guess i mean that i choose to live my life with the constant expectation of his coming, so i'm not caught off guard (or i should say not caught off guard as much). There is only so much time left to make a difference, and giving sure does make a difference, eternally. I try to keep that in mind when i'm floundering in my commitment and feeling selfish, "If i spend this money on me, what might i be cheating eternity out of?" peace.