Suppose you buy shares of General Motors. What happens? You suddenly develop interest in GM. You check the financial pages. You see a magazine article about GM and read every word, even though a month ago you would have passed right over it.
Suppose you’re giving to help African children with AIDS. When you see an article on the subject, you’re hooked. If you’re sending money to plant churches in India and an earthquake hits India, you watch the news and fervently pray.
As surely as the compass needle follows north, your heart will follow your treasure. Money leads; hearts follow.
I’ve heard people say, “I want more of a heart for missions.” I always respond, “Jesus tells you exactly how to get it. Put your money in missions—and in your church and the poor—and your heart will follow”
- Randy Alcorn, The Treasure Principle, p.44
2 comments:
If you invest money in stocks you watch the stocks to see if you made money Because money is where you find satisfaction. If you are giving money to missions or your church, it's because you have already been satisfied by Him. If your heart isn't satisfied by him then it doesn't matter how much money you give your heart isn't going to be there.Why don't you teach people how to experience God's love and peace and joy and then they would do all these things with out being browbeaten or admonished or made afraid they aren't saved.There probably isn't more than a hand full of people in any church that really experience anything of God because they don't know how and even when they find out how it's so difficult they just give up.The lack of giving or involvement is a symptom.Prayer and meditation on Scripture combined with patiently waiting on God to work on your heart by his spirit is the only thing that changes a persons heart.Until the heart changes, doing the things you are talking about are all meaningless. Your putting the cart before the horse.
I guess I'm trying to say that if peoples hearts are changed by Jesus they don't have to be told to serve or to give and if they're not it won't matter if they are told. The question is "how do you change the hearts of people who are sitting in church pews every Sunday? How do I change my own heart?
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