Published 10/11/19
By Greg Johnson
What If...
It’s your birthday... your favorite time of the year. Not only does it mean you are one year older, but you will also score a lot of great presents from Mom and Dad and friends who come to your party. The best part about this day, however, will be when Mom gives you all of the birthday cards that come in from relatives.
Why? Because they all will have cash in them!
This year you turn ten, so that means that most people will put in ten dollars.
Sure enough, you load up on cool presents. And when Mom brings out the stack of cards she’s been collecting from the mailman, you think for sure you have hit the jackpot. There turns out to be eighty-five dollars in them!
You write thank-you notes to everyone, and then you have the pleasant task of figuring out how to spend it all. Should it be new clothes, some CDs, a pair of rollerblades, or a new putter for Dad?
That’s when Dad took you aside for “a little talk” about money. He says, “There are a million different things you can spend your money on, but there are only two ways to invest it.
“The first is by giving at least 10 percent back to the Lord. It doesn’t matter where you give it; the Lord just doesn’t want you to get too used to thinking all the money you get is yours. He knows it’s important to not get too attached to things like money. Giving your money to good causes is a good way to remember just that.
“The second is by investing in your future. Again, 10 percent is a good round number. That means you give ten cents of every dollar back to yourself. You do that by putting it in a bank where it can collect interest.”
Questions to Think On
• Have you ever heard about the importance of giving and saving portions of the money God gives you? How do you feel about those two things?
• Which do you think will be tougher: giving to God or giving back to yourself? Why?
• Does God need your money, or do you need to give?
• Mom and Dad: Talk about your giving and saving habits.
What Does God Have to Say?
In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has.
Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
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