Materialism Part III

Matthew 7:11, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, (then) how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!

In my continuation of Materialism I would like to offer as a definition that Materialism is a desire that keeps God from being able to fully bring prosperity into an individual life. With prosperity being that place of not only all sufficiency but an abundance for every good deed. As I set out to define these terms as I struggle with the Holy Spirit and their implications to my life I find myself running head long into the idea of giving gifts.

Mind you I have been raised in the church since birth. I have heard hundreds of sermons on the importance of tithing, and where the tithe goes, and all of that. When I speak of gifts I am speaking of something the tithe includes, but perhaps not with the religiosity of it. My years of tithing was done religiously, and based largely on objective knowledge, guilt, and pride. The result is that tithing did not in and of itself bring prosperity as at the height of my tithing and still lost virtually everything. Outside of giving religiously, and I have never really been a gift giver. I certainly don't walk through a store and think... oh So & So would really enjoy that. I should get it for them. To be truthful when it comes to purchasing my mind mainly focuses on necessity, and that even goes for giving gifts to family members or friends. 

Gary Chapman wrote a book called The 5 Love Languages. In it he surmises that there are five love languages, and that each person receives one or a few better than the rest. Likewise we as individuals speak one or a few languages better than the rest. Those 5 languages are Words of Affirmation, Acts of Service, Receiving Gifts, Quality Time, and Physical Touch. For me I speak Affirmation and Service. On the receiving side I enjoy the same but feel guilt, shame and obligation to receive Gifts, and abhor touch from anyone but my wife and children. And herein lies the problem and the focus of the Holy Spirit in His pursuit to get me over materialism.

The scripture above says the Father “gives.” (think about that)

The Father “gives what is good.” (gifts)

But what is really hitting me in this moment is that this scripture starts with an “if.” Have you ever heard of an if/then statement? If party A will, then party B will… Do you see where I am going? If I… know how to give good gifts (then) how much more WILL your Father… give… If I will give gifts then the Father will give gifts. Think what you want, but that understanding is revolutionary for me. When I know what giving good gifts is, then God will give His gifts... that is what I am seeing in this scripture. 

How can I give gifts if I am unable to receive gifts, and unable to receive them because I wrongly feel it is taking from someone rather than a blessing being made by my Father. This warped thinking of receiving a gift is taking from someone naturally leads to giving a gift as having an element of either needing repayment or feeling like being stolen from. Does that make sense? If I think receiving a gift is taking from someone then giving a gift is taking from me.

God has spent YEARS teaching me to receive gifts. And I can honestly say I have learned more about “receiving gifts” in the past few days than the past eleven years. But a transition has come for me.

Rabbi Lapin said, if you want to be prosperous, you have to be a giver. He said it was important because God’s plan includes financial interaction, but also that giving helps us to unclench our fist. In other words, giving helps us to overcome materialism. Giving helps us keep money in it's proper (good) perspective as spiritual rather than material. 

Up to this point in my life I have dismissed “gift giving” as simply a love language that God did not give me. I never saw a concern for it because after all Gary Chapman correctly points out that not every one speaks gift giving as love. But Christ did give gifts, and if I am to be more like Him then I am going to have to love with gifts as well. 

Today God is saying to me that gift giving is a love language I am going to learn to speak very fluently… in love, not in any hopes of gain. In fact I started my lessons today.

I have $20 in my wallet to give to someone in need. I am going to try to give $20 to someone every week. On top of that, we have a new employee at work. As a gift to him I took him to lunch today and spent and additional $20 as a purposed gift. My boss came in after lunch to talk about the new guy, and I told him I took him to lunch, and we had a good conversation. My boss reached into his wallet and gave me $20.

I thought momentarily, you are trying to steal my blessing. Then clearly the Holy Spirit interjected… no, I am turning your $40 or giving into $60. God made money right before my very eyes.