Investing in the Future …… ours!
Are you investing in the future and specifically in your own future?
This is not an idle question given the on-going concern about pension funding and how the young people of today will cope in their old age. So I make the assumption that you are investing in your pension either through tax, N.I. or savings. You will have realised that you need to invest for your old age.
How else are you investing in the future?
Are you investing in you children and grandchildren’s education - buying books and other items for school to help them? Do you have an internet connection to help them with their homework? All of these will involve time and money and probably patience but you probably consider them worth the effort.
Would you like to see a better local environment in which to live, a better country in which your family and friends can feel more secure and a better world where there is peace and justice for all? If you are like me then your answer to this will be a loud but uncertain “yes”. The reason for the uncertainty is, “how can we achieve this since we fear that things are getting worse rather than better
I am constantly amazed by what people will invest time and money in. In November 2004, the USA flew an ‘aeroplane’ with a scram jet engine at 10 times the speed of sound. This aeroplane was twelve feet by five feet and fell to the ocean floor. What is this massive investment of money and time for - a faster and more destructive missile? Surely we should invest in environmentally efficient transport not speed?
It really is mind blowing what people will invest in. They believe that it is worth the risk, the money and the time. So what should Christians invest in? Well Jesus said, “Store up treasure for yourself in heaven.” (Matt6:19-21) Now I have wondered on more than a few occasions what is this treasure and how do I get to store it?
To be honest I am not really sure about the ‘what’ as eternal life is a free gift given without condition to those who give their lives to Christ, but I do have a few ideas about the how.
God is a God of love, justice and righteousness and God calls His people to be the means whereby His love, justice and righteousness are practised and expounded to others. If we want a better world for our family and friends we should have recognised by now that this cannot be in isolation to the rest of the world. Whether we are Christians or not, we know that without justice there can be no peace - even on our doorsteps. What happens elsewhere in the world affects us as well as our neighbours in far off lands? If we wish to work for peace and follow Jesus we must invest in Christian work around the world. If we want a better world we need significant Christian investment. We pray for God’s kingdom to come on earth, (Matt 6:10) and God in His wisdom has decided that to achieve this He will ask you and me to invest in the process of bringing in His kingdom. The return on our investment is a better world and this strange incorruptible treasure in heaven.
So have I whetted your appetite for this investment? Read again Matt 25:31:46 and consider the following:
• We need to invest in our local church so that those living in our neighbourhood have the opportunity to become Christians and everyone has a better place to live in.
• We need to invest in justice and peace to relieve poverty at home and abroad. The Jubilee Debt Campaign has achieved significant results but only a small fraction of the debt has been written off. Tear Fund, Christian Aid and many other mission agencies need investment to relieve poverty and show Christian love and concern
All of this investment must come from Christians. Others may join in, but we must be at the centre of this giving. We need to be generous with the abundant generosity of God. It means that you and I have to get our hands in our pockets, our wallets, our chequebook and our plastic cards and invest in God’s world because He first invested in us and now He calls us to invest in His world.
You are not so sure that God has invested in us. Just think about the investment God laid down millions of years ago in coal, oil, natural gas, metal ores, seeds, and the whole of creation - including you and me!
God calls you to consider your investment in His world - its voluntary - his investment in us is unconditional love!
So are you investing in the future?
This is not an idle question given the on-going concern about pension funding and how the young people of today will cope in their old age. So I make the assumption that you are investing in your pension either through tax, N.I. or savings. You will have realised that you need to invest for your old age.
How else are you investing in the future?
Are you investing in you children and grandchildren’s education - buying books and other items for school to help them? Do you have an internet connection to help them with their homework? All of these will involve time and money and probably patience but you probably consider them worth the effort.
Would you like to see a better local environment in which to live, a better country in which your family and friends can feel more secure and a better world where there is peace and justice for all? If you are like me then your answer to this will be a loud but uncertain “yes”. The reason for the uncertainty is, “how can we achieve this since we fear that things are getting worse rather than better
I am constantly amazed by what people will invest time and money in. In November 2004, the USA flew an ‘aeroplane’ with a scram jet engine at 10 times the speed of sound. This aeroplane was twelve feet by five feet and fell to the ocean floor. What is this massive investment of money and time for - a faster and more destructive missile? Surely we should invest in environmentally efficient transport not speed?
It really is mind blowing what people will invest in. They believe that it is worth the risk, the money and the time. So what should Christians invest in? Well Jesus said, “Store up treasure for yourself in heaven.” (Matt6:19-21) Now I have wondered on more than a few occasions what is this treasure and how do I get to store it?
To be honest I am not really sure about the ‘what’ as eternal life is a free gift given without condition to those who give their lives to Christ, but I do have a few ideas about the how.
God is a God of love, justice and righteousness and God calls His people to be the means whereby His love, justice and righteousness are practised and expounded to others. If we want a better world for our family and friends we should have recognised by now that this cannot be in isolation to the rest of the world. Whether we are Christians or not, we know that without justice there can be no peace - even on our doorsteps. What happens elsewhere in the world affects us as well as our neighbours in far off lands? If we wish to work for peace and follow Jesus we must invest in Christian work around the world. If we want a better world we need significant Christian investment. We pray for God’s kingdom to come on earth, (Matt 6:10) and God in His wisdom has decided that to achieve this He will ask you and me to invest in the process of bringing in His kingdom. The return on our investment is a better world and this strange incorruptible treasure in heaven.
So have I whetted your appetite for this investment? Read again Matt 25:31:46 and consider the following:
• We need to invest in our local church so that those living in our neighbourhood have the opportunity to become Christians and everyone has a better place to live in.
• We need to invest in justice and peace to relieve poverty at home and abroad. The Jubilee Debt Campaign has achieved significant results but only a small fraction of the debt has been written off. Tear Fund, Christian Aid and many other mission agencies need investment to relieve poverty and show Christian love and concern
All of this investment must come from Christians. Others may join in, but we must be at the centre of this giving. We need to be generous with the abundant generosity of God. It means that you and I have to get our hands in our pockets, our wallets, our chequebook and our plastic cards and invest in God’s world because He first invested in us and now He calls us to invest in His world.
You are not so sure that God has invested in us. Just think about the investment God laid down millions of years ago in coal, oil, natural gas, metal ores, seeds, and the whole of creation - including you and me!
God calls you to consider your investment in His world - its voluntary - his investment in us is unconditional love!
So are you investing in the future?
Your Money and Your Blood
Whilst giving blood recently, no big deal, I was struck by certain similarities with our giving as Christians. (Being a treasurer, the subject often springs to mind in unlikely situations). Firstly, there is some sacrifice involved in giving blood, perhaps an hour of your time and then one eighth of your blood. You start with 100% of your blood and you go home with just under 90%. In giving to God’s work, we need to spend time reading what the Bible says, then give accordingly.
We all start with 100%, whether it’s our pay, our pension or our pocket money. The Bible would seem to indicate that we give a tithe (10%) of our income to God, although the New Testament, and even the Old Testament in places, talks about more generous giving, perhaps one eighth or one fifth, or far more if we have it. Selwyn Hughes writes, ‘If we give money away and it doesn’t cut into the way we live and make a difference in our lifestyle, then it is possible we are not responding to Jesus in the way He ministers to us.’ The wealthy, repentant Zacchaeus gave 50% away after meeting with Jesus and the poor widow gave everything she had, two very different examples of giving for God’s work.
Secondly, blood donors do not give their blood grudgingly or unwillingly, or they wouldn’t bother to go. Similarly, 2 Corinthians 9:7 tells us not to give money away with that attitude, but to give gladly and cheerfully, which God loves to see. I’m not sure how cheerful I am when I give blood but I’m glad to be offered the regulation cup of tea and biscuit. Of course, when giving blood you lie down and don’t notice it has gone. As treasurer, I try to encourage people to give by a monthly bank standing order and tax efficiently. In this way the money will leave your account as you sleep and you don’t feel a thing! You can still be cheerful about it.
Thirdly, and most amazingly, I’m writing this as far as I know without being short of blood. They told me I could cope with seven pints, which would soon become eight again, and I believed them! Some poor soul in hospital will probably get my old pint while I am blessed with a new one without even asking! In fact, they will contact me again in a few months to ask for another pint, so not quite a monthly standing order. However, as you seek to please God in your giving with open and generous hearts, He pours out His grace and blessing in generous measure; we don’t know how but do we believe it? Please read 2 Corinthians 9:6-15, also Malachi 3:8-10 and Proverbs 11:24-25.
I know that some Christians go through hard times financially and may sometimes need support from other Christians, but how much do we trust these promises of God? Have we ever tested God in this as He asks us to - Malachi 3:10? One young lad gave some fish and loaves and they needed twelve baskets to gather up the leftovers after more than five thousand were fed.
Jesus said, ‘Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where they cannot decay or be stolen ..... where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.’ This should be our incentive to give as much as we are able to God’s work on earth. This must include giving to the church we attend; in fact some commentators would say that the church should receive the whole tithe, although this may be difficult if we wish to support individuals or other charities that our own church does not support. Certainly a good proportion should go to your own church, even though you may not think that paying for repairing the church boiler is storing up treasures in heaven.
The previous Bishop of Chelmsford said that we needed to stop tipping God and start tithing! We live in the grace of Christ and are not under the law (of the tithe) but this should release us all the more to give freely and gladly. When he said this in 1999, everyone in the Church of England appeared to be on Income Support. Have we given more freely and realistically since then? The greatest blessing in life is to be a child of the living God. May our giving reflect God’s presence in our lives.
This article was originally written by John Chamberlain who is treasurer of his parish church in North London.
We all start with 100%, whether it’s our pay, our pension or our pocket money. The Bible would seem to indicate that we give a tithe (10%) of our income to God, although the New Testament, and even the Old Testament in places, talks about more generous giving, perhaps one eighth or one fifth, or far more if we have it. Selwyn Hughes writes, ‘If we give money away and it doesn’t cut into the way we live and make a difference in our lifestyle, then it is possible we are not responding to Jesus in the way He ministers to us.’ The wealthy, repentant Zacchaeus gave 50% away after meeting with Jesus and the poor widow gave everything she had, two very different examples of giving for God’s work.
Secondly, blood donors do not give their blood grudgingly or unwillingly, or they wouldn’t bother to go. Similarly, 2 Corinthians 9:7 tells us not to give money away with that attitude, but to give gladly and cheerfully, which God loves to see. I’m not sure how cheerful I am when I give blood but I’m glad to be offered the regulation cup of tea and biscuit. Of course, when giving blood you lie down and don’t notice it has gone. As treasurer, I try to encourage people to give by a monthly bank standing order and tax efficiently. In this way the money will leave your account as you sleep and you don’t feel a thing! You can still be cheerful about it.
Thirdly, and most amazingly, I’m writing this as far as I know without being short of blood. They told me I could cope with seven pints, which would soon become eight again, and I believed them! Some poor soul in hospital will probably get my old pint while I am blessed with a new one without even asking! In fact, they will contact me again in a few months to ask for another pint, so not quite a monthly standing order. However, as you seek to please God in your giving with open and generous hearts, He pours out His grace and blessing in generous measure; we don’t know how but do we believe it? Please read 2 Corinthians 9:6-15, also Malachi 3:8-10 and Proverbs 11:24-25.
I know that some Christians go through hard times financially and may sometimes need support from other Christians, but how much do we trust these promises of God? Have we ever tested God in this as He asks us to - Malachi 3:10? One young lad gave some fish and loaves and they needed twelve baskets to gather up the leftovers after more than five thousand were fed.
Jesus said, ‘Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where they cannot decay or be stolen ..... where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.’ This should be our incentive to give as much as we are able to God’s work on earth. This must include giving to the church we attend; in fact some commentators would say that the church should receive the whole tithe, although this may be difficult if we wish to support individuals or other charities that our own church does not support. Certainly a good proportion should go to your own church, even though you may not think that paying for repairing the church boiler is storing up treasures in heaven.
The previous Bishop of Chelmsford said that we needed to stop tipping God and start tithing! We live in the grace of Christ and are not under the law (of the tithe) but this should release us all the more to give freely and gladly. When he said this in 1999, everyone in the Church of England appeared to be on Income Support. Have we given more freely and realistically since then? The greatest blessing in life is to be a child of the living God. May our giving reflect God’s presence in our lives.
This article was originally written by John Chamberlain who is treasurer of his parish church in North London.
Giving in Grace & Everton Football Club
This Sunday St. Andrew's starts its a programme called Giving in Grace, which is all about our giving: what our giving is for, why we give, and how we can give to God’s work in this church.
The collection plate isn’t in our churches simply to pay the vicar or the gas bill! For committed church members our giving expresses our thanks to God for all he blesses us with. For our congregation it is also important that our giving enables our church to minister to our community and to help those in need. For many people giving is important to maintain this building here in our community.
People do sometimes think that giving is about fundraising- well it isn’t. Christians believe in a loving and generous God who gives all we need, we are called to be part of this loving and generosity. Even if the church had lots of money Christians would still need to give - the fun would be deciding what to do and who to help. There are always people who need our help.
We never count the cost of giving when we really love someone - giving is an expression of that love which leads us onto football!
There is a true story of an Everton supporter who gave his cup final ticket to his daughter although he realised it meant that he would be standing outside the ground listening to Manchester United get beaten one nil by Everton. He loved his daughter even more than his football club!
The act of grace in this story continues because after he said goodbye to his daughter he waited patiently outside Wembley and asked everyone he met if they had a ticket. Eventually someone had a spare ticket and he saw the match. Giving in grace and love helps us to receive in grace and love too …. not that tickets are guaranteed of course!
Acts of grace are all around us when we give ourselves opportunity to receive. Open your hands to give and they will be free to receive.
The collection plate isn’t in our churches simply to pay the vicar or the gas bill! For committed church members our giving expresses our thanks to God for all he blesses us with. For our congregation it is also important that our giving enables our church to minister to our community and to help those in need. For many people giving is important to maintain this building here in our community.
People do sometimes think that giving is about fundraising- well it isn’t. Christians believe in a loving and generous God who gives all we need, we are called to be part of this loving and generosity. Even if the church had lots of money Christians would still need to give - the fun would be deciding what to do and who to help. There are always people who need our help.
We never count the cost of giving when we really love someone - giving is an expression of that love which leads us onto football!
There is a true story of an Everton supporter who gave his cup final ticket to his daughter although he realised it meant that he would be standing outside the ground listening to Manchester United get beaten one nil by Everton. He loved his daughter even more than his football club!
The act of grace in this story continues because after he said goodbye to his daughter he waited patiently outside Wembley and asked everyone he met if they had a ticket. Eventually someone had a spare ticket and he saw the match. Giving in grace and love helps us to receive in grace and love too …. not that tickets are guaranteed of course!
Acts of grace are all around us when we give ourselves opportunity to receive. Open your hands to give and they will be free to receive.