day 1244: Will You Pay 10X?

"Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back."

If I asked if you would pay 10X for something that you could buy for 10 times less elsewhere, I have a very good idea of what your answer would be, "Heck, no!  Who would do that?".  But, you see, we do it every day.  I watched my wife do it and with nothing but a little shrug and laugh made the payment.  And, believe me, she is thrifty.  What in the world would she pay 10X for?  The answer: a banana.  She buys bananas in a bunch at the grocery store for 0.19 per banana.  But on this day, before boarding a plane at SFO she paid $1.82 for one banana.  She is not alone.  We do the same with a cup of coffee.  We can buy a pound of coffee for what one venti latte can cost. And the same is true of all of the food ingredients that we can make a meal at home versus eat out at nice restaurant. The irony is that we only do this with low cost items. For everything else we comparative shop and only allow a small markup.  This is the new dilemma for those industries (especially food) where the DIY, grow it yourself market is booming. If what we produce or make and sell doesn't feel like there is enough "value" (or in the case of bananas and coffee, convenience) we will forever be chasing the lowest cost.  As we create and think about our businesses, finding greater value and offers for the consumer allows for higher price point ratios between what they expect and what they will pay.

We are taught that when we give of our resources through our tithes, that God presses it down and returns the amount given to us.  For many when they read that verse they think that they personally will receive 10X back and try and look at tithing as an investment strategy.  Sure, 10X returns, who wouldn't?  But, those returns from God are for the expansion of the Kingdom. They may not always come back directly to us, but if we give with our heart in the right place, we can expect that He will provide that return and more with what we have given. Will you give for a 10X return for His work?  That's just a very smart move!

Reference:  Luke 6:38 (New Living Translation)

day 601: Give At The Office

In earlier times, before telemarketing, people would come to our front doors and solicit for a good cause. It became a standing line in our culture to avoid giving that we would say, "I gave at the office". There were times that it was true as many companies did, and still do, run campaigns for charities like Easter Seals, United Way,or The Red Cross and their blood drives, etc. So, it is true that we can say, "I gave at the office". The question is, are we giving enough at the office? What I mean is, are we giving enough of ourselves to others? We have all known people who give way more of themselves to others and they do so almost sacrificially and they become known for being the most giving of all. One of the greatest gifts we have is our time. The impact that can be made by giving a few minutes, or an hour, to someone who needs advice, help, or support can be multiplicative. What we think is nothing can be something tremendous and potentially life-changing to someone else. We can also give of our talents. What we can do to help along someone else with our talents is also so important. And of course, we have our treasures to give back. Our tenth that we should tithe to our church is the right place to start if we are wondering how to honor God for what He has given us. When we give of ourselves and what we have not only will others want to follow that example but God will bless. We read in Deuteronomy 15:10, "Give freely without begrudging it, and the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do." How can we become more of a giver that does so without thinking, much less begrudgingly? We can start today by giving a little more of our time, giving a little more of our talents and giving a little more of our treasures. May giving become a habit in all of us!

Reference: Deuteronomy 15:10 (New Living Testament)