Missionaries to China in the last part of the 1900’s began to push into the unexplored interior of that great land. They found a community where the main crop was potatoes. They had a good climate and good soil, but their harvest was always little tiny potatoes, about the size of marbles. The natives said that big potatoes just did not grow there.

The newcomers said that surely some big potatoes grew there. “Oh, yes, we do get a few now and then,” they admitted. “What do you do with them?” “Well,” the local farmers answered, “We eat them, of course. The big ones are the best.” They were planting the runts. They were planting the potatoes that had the genes that produced ever smaller crops.

They were systematically reducing their crop as they took the biggest and best for themselves. The missionaries showed them that only when you plant the big ones – the best you have – will you get bigger ones in return.

How do you think that lesson applies to us and our giving to God?

Tags: giving, money, stewardship

In Luke 19 is the interesting story of Zacchaeus, the little tax collector who shinnied up a sycamore tree to get a better look at Jesus. Jesus spotted him and told him to come down and invited Himself over for a meal.

During dinner something happened that revolutionized the tax collector’s life. We know nothing about the conversation, but when Zaccheaus emerged from the house that afternoon he made a dramatic announcement. He promised to give away half of his wealth to poor people, and to return fourfold the amount of money he had taken dishonestly.

The mark of Zaccheaus’s transformation was his staggering generosity. That’s why Jesus declared, “Today salvation has come to this house” (Luke 19:9). Salvation can’t be purchased with money, so what do you think Jesus was saying here? Please comment with your opinion on how Jesus knew salvation had come to Zaccheaus.

Tags: conversion, generosity, money, salvation

Stumpy and his wife Martha went to the state fair every year and every year when Stumpy saw the antique bi-plane he would say, “Martha, I’d like to ride in that airplane.” Martha always replied, “I know, Stumpy, but that airplane ride costs 10 dollars, and 10 dollars is 10 dollars.”

One year Stumpy and Martha went to the fair and Stumpy said, “Martha, I’m 81 years old. If I don’t ride that airplane I might never get another chance.” Martha replied, “Stumpy, that airplane ride costs 10 dollars, and 10 dollars is 10 dollars.”

The pilot overheard them and said, “Folks, I’ll make you a deal. I’ll take you both up for a ride. If you can stay quiet for the entire ride and not say one word, I won’t charge you; but if you say one word it’s 10 dollars.”

Stumpy and Martha agreed and up they went. The pilot did all kinds of twists and turns, rolls and dives, but not a word was heard. He did all his tricks over again, but still not a word.

When they landed, the pilot turned to Stumpy and said, “By golly, I did everything I could think of to get you to yell out, but you didn’t.”

Stumpy replied, “Well, I was gonna say something when Martha fell out, but 10 dollars is 10 dollars.”

Your dollars are God’s dollars.

Tags: humor, money

Have you ever heard of The Tightwad Gazette? This is a newsletter dedicated to “promoting thrift as a viable alternative lifestyle.” This monthly publication is filled with money-saving ideas such as vacuuming furnace filters and reusing them, or shredding newspaper for cat litter.

Now, I’m all for saving money and looking for a better deal. Many short-cuts to cost-cutting, however, just transfer the cost from one source to another (they really don’t help in the long-run).

But, I think that the Tight-wad lifestyle can ultimately turn into a greedy lifestyle. The biblical principle is that God wants to partner with us and that we are a channel through which God’s blessings flow. If the summary of my life is what I’ve saved, and I can’t take any of it with me, what do I have in the end? What will be the summary of my life?

Remember these wise words recorded in Haggai 2:8: “The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,” says the Lord of hosts.” He already has it all. What are we lacking?

Tags: giving, money, stingy

Several years ago I bumped into an old friend at a funeral home visit. I knew he had a reputation for being lazy and living off his girlfriend’s parents. So I asked him, “Where are you working now?” He replied that he wasn’t working anywhere at the time, he was “waiting on my disability.”

There are four ways you can go after money in this life:
1. Borrow it
2. Beg for it
3. Steal it
4. Earn it

The word “earn” is defined as to introduce something new into existence and to harvest the yield that it produces. When you go to work eight hours a day, forty hours a week, you harvest a paycheck for your time and labor. That is God’s law of sowing and reaping in operation.

Conversely, the welfare system gives a man his food and money without his having to work for it. God’s way is to develop His wisdom in your life so that you will always have the ability to earn money, even if the government system fails.

There should always be provision from the masses for those who cannot work, but if a man hasn’t earned it, he loses self respect and becomes dependent upon others instead of God. Agree or disagree? Is there another side to this?

Tags: money, welfare, work

Competition in the economy drives costs down, right? It sure works in the restaurant and motel businesses. If costs are out of line, people just take their business to the other guy. But, what if like businesses worked together to increase costs across the board. Then the whole principle falls apart.

I visited a patient in the new Parkview North hospital today for the first time since its completion. That’s quite a facility. Everything from the MRI to the urinals is state-of-the-art. And when we get sick, we want the best treatment for our loved ones, right?

But has competition in the health care field driven prices down, or is there an agreed upon strategy among health care providers and insurance companies and government watchdogs to run those prices up so we have to pay far more than other countries for the same care? Who pockets the excess?

I’m all for the best health care treatment, but I smell a rat! What do you think?

Tags: greed, health, money