Blessed to be a Blessing

This blog post was written by a friend of ours. They requested not to be cited since they work in countries where being a Christian is a high risk. We are so thankful for this blog, and hope that you too will be blessed.

Moving From Scarcity to Abundance
From Closed Hands to Open Hands
From Receiving to Giving

1 Timothy 6:6-21
“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time— God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have departed from the faith. Grace be with you all.”

All too often I live with a scarcity mentality. It doesn’t matter if I am materially poor or financially rich, I only see what I don’t have or what is wrong in the world and fail to see and share the abundant blessing and immense mercy of God that is granted to me each and every day.

The scarcity mentality whispers in my ear that I do not have enough, that God will not provide, and therefore tells me to hold on tightly to whatever I can. This closed handed approach to life can play itself out in relationships with people, the land, and

God. I often choose to ignore other people, using the excuse of not enough time or energy. As a farmer, I can choose to mistreat the land to get a quick gain in the name of satisfying immediate needs. Ultimately these examples highlight a spirit of distrust in God’s faithfulness and provision, and a mistaken pride in myself. I have been tricked into believing that by holding on tightly to time, money, or practices I can provide for my own needs and the needs of my family. God has called His people to care for and steward the earth He has created. He has called us to be faithful with what He has so graciously entrusted to us. Paul even tells Timothy to “guard what has been entrusted to your care” (1 Timothy 6:20). But earlier Paul also reminded Timothy that, “godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that” (1 Timothy 6:6-8). The call to faithfulness and contentment can only be fulfilled in my life in light of my Saviour God who created all things, owns all things, and cares for all things out of His abundant grace. This realization has lead me to pursue a shift from a scarcity mentality to a mindset of abundance.

The abundance mindset reminds me that every breath I breathe is a gift from my creator God. The immense mercy of the promise of eternal life is abundant every day, as is God’s continued grace and forgiveness in my life. In Paul’s first letter to Timothy, I am reminded to “Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 6:12-13). Taking hold of this blessing of eternal life is done in the sight of God, the creator and sustainer of all life. Jesus also teaches his disciples in Matthew 6:26, 28-34,

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?... And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

God demonstrates His faithfulness through the details of His creation. As a farmer, I see this abundant blessing when I watch the rain fall, the sun shine, the plants and trees grow, the cows give birth, and the worms turn food scraps into compost. These are all things out of my control. I can not hold tightly to them and make them happen, but I can recognize God’s provision and prepare the land to receive His rain and sunshine, plant with the cycles and seasons He has designed, and care for the animals He has created so that they are productive and healthy. I have the choice to either focus on all that I lack or open my eyes to see the blessings around me and work with what God has provided, being faithful with what He has entrusted to me. Out of that abundance of grace, mercy, rain, and growth I can then share what I have with others. Directing them to the abundance of God, blessing them with the produce of His rain and sunshine, and speaking of His faithfulness to care for His people. Even when sharing does not make sense in the mentality of scarcity, choosing to act out of trust in God and give is a powerful act of faith.

How can I not open my hands, letting go of the things I have been holding on to so tightly, to receive from God the provision and blessing He has promised? He does not promise that this provision will look like what I want or even think I need, but He promises to abundantly provide for my needs. In Paul’s letter to the Hebrews he says, “be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you’ (Hebrews 13:5). God’s presence and grace in my life and on this earth he has created is abundant!