This post is from Section III of our Investing Challenge.
Here are some really practical ideas and thoughts about how we can apply some of what we’ve been learning!
For Money:
Figure out how much you have/make and work out how much money you need to keep for necessary things (expenses, savings, special needs etc.) and then commit the rest to The Lord as your “seed” fund. Any extra money that you receive goes to your seed account. (Be prepared to keep your word because God will provide extra to see what you’ll do with it:)
This way sounds like we’re giving God the leftovers, but in reality, He gets it all, we’re just picking out what we’ll use to sustain our need.
Extra Challenge.
Find creative ways to save more money so you’ll be able to give more away. Some different ways include: buy used, cut down impulse spending, buy by saving for a longer period of time, buy what you need, not what you want, find creative alternatives to expensive entertainment, or give the money instead, etc.
Look for ways to Give.
Keep your ears open at church, there are always needs! Whether it’s supporting missionaries or helping pay for a neighbor’s groceries, there are always opportunities to prayerfully give in Jesus’s name.
Church in general is a great place to start learning to give more.
- Sunday school
- Food pantries
- Outreaches
- Tithe
- Special Offerings
- Missions
- Being cheerful at the service 🙂
- Being ready with encouragement or an insight from the scriptures.
These are all ways to give.
But as we’ve discussed before, there are many things besides money we can extend towards others.
Give respect.
Purpose not to encourage gossip, no matter how “delicious” it is.
Give the respect you would want to be given when speaking about others. The golden rule only works because you are thinking about the other person as much as you are thinking about yourself. Ask this question: “If I heard myself being talked about like I’m talking about someone else, how would I feel?
Famous Quote:
“Talk about others as if they were standing right behind you”
Give Prayer
There is nothing like the feeling of protection we received as children, when our big brothers watched out for us. Knowing someone is praying for us during a difficult time, helps us remember there is Someone out there bigger then our problems. Praying for a hurting person during their time of need, is like a warrior who fights off the enemy while his friend recovers from a stunning blow. Some of the greatest Christian leaders of all time have been aptly named “Prayer warriors.”
The greatest thing anyone can do for God and man is pray. It is not the only thing; but it is the chief thing. The great people of the earth today are the people who pray. I do not mean those who talk about prayer; nor those who say they believe in prayer; nor yet those who can explain about prayer; but I mean those people who take time to pray. ~ S.D. Gordon
The prayer power has never been tried to its full capacity…if we want to see might wonders of divine power and grace wrought in the place of weakness, failure and disappointment, let us answer God’s standing challenge, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and might things which thou knowest not. ~ J. Hudson Taylor
There are so many other ways to give:
- Your talents
- Your time
- Your skills
- Your kind words
Get excited about the fact that we can all give something! No matter what our status, our paycheck grade, our failures, or our ‘lack of talent’. God commands us to give, and when He commands something, He always provides the grace for us to fulfill it. Prayerfully consider what God would have you give, and then do it!
I love the idea of seed money! I am definitely going to go through with that. I’m beginning a photogeaphy business and also occasionally clean houses on the side, so that’s a great idea.