The Money Diet: Open Hands

 Good morning!

As we've walked through this series together, I hope one thing has become clear.
The goal of a Money Diet isn't simply to get out of debt. It isn't just to have a healthy savings account.
It isn't about becoming wealthy. The goal is freedom. Freedom from worrying every time another bill comes in the mail. Freedom from wondering how you're going to make it until payday.
Freedom to enjoy the blessings God has given you without guilt or regret. But there is another kind of freedom that I believe is even more important. The freedom to be generous.

God actually began teaching me this lesson years ago while I was sitting at a Women of Faith conference listening to Luci Swindoll. She shared how she had struggled with worrying about money and wrestled with God over tithing. She couldn't understand how He expected her to give when there never seemed to be enough. But as she trusted Him, she discovered something that completely changed her perspective. She realized she could never outgive the Lord. That message stayed with me.

Later, I saw that same truth lived out every day in my mom's life. My mom lived a very simple, frugal life. She wasn't someone who bought expensive things or lived beyond her means. But whenever there was a genuine need, she found a way to help. She would bring me the beautiful greeting cards she had received from Boys Town. It was one of the ministries she faithfully supported.
One day she told me, "My mom lived through the Depression. She raised seven children, and she always gave to Boys Town. So I do too." That simple statement has stayed with me ever since.
It wasn't about the amount she gave. It was about her faithfulness. Years later, when I received my first Boys Town letter in the mail, it pulled at my heart in exactly the same way. Today, it's one of the ministries I support too. What started with my grandmother became part of my mother's life, and now it has become part of mine.

Looking back, I realize they were teaching me something far greater than how to manage money.
They were teaching me how to trust God.
Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 9:8,
"And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work."
Notice what Paul doesn't say.
He doesn't promise we'll always have everything we want.
He promises that God will provide what we need so we can continue doing the good work He has prepared for us. That changes everything. Money isn't the goal.Money is simply a tool God places in our hands. The question isn't, "How much do I have?" The question is, "What does God want me to do with what He's entrusted to me?" 

One of my favorite things about not feeling enslaved by money anymore is having the freedom to respond when God places someone on my heart. Sometimes that's contributing to a friend's GoFundMe after an unexpected tragedy. Sometimes it's quietly slipping a little cash or a gift card into a card for someone who is traveling for medical treatments. Sometimes it's simply noticing a need and being able to help. One little habit I've started when I'm traveling is getting up early to go for a run. If I'm in a larger city, I'll often stop beforehand and pick up a few small gift cards from a nearby restaurant. I write on the back, "Jesus loves you, and so do I." If I meet someone experiencing homelessness along my route, I have a simple way to remind them that someone sees them and that God loves them.
The amount on the card isn't what matters. It may only be enough for a meal.

But sometimes a meal, a kind word, and the reminder that someone cares can mean more than we realize. That's what I think biblical generosity looks like. Not giving so people notice us.
Not giving because we have extra. Giving because we've experienced God's generosity toward us, and we want someone else to experience a glimpse of His love through us.

Paul continues in 2 Corinthians 9:11,
"You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God."
I love that verse because it tells us why God blesses us. He enriches us so that we can be generous.
Not so we can constantly upgrade our lifestyle. Not so we can build bigger barns and store up more for ourselves. Not so we can become comfortable while ignoring the needs around us. He blesses us so His blessings can continue flowing through us to someone else.

Jesus warned about the opposite attitude in Luke 12, in the Parable of the Rich Fool. The man looked at all he had accumulated and said to himself,
"You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." (Luke 12:19)
His mistake wasn't that he had planned wisely or saved for the future. His mistake was believing his wealth existed only for himself. His eyes were fixed on bigger barns instead of God's Kingdom.
His hands were closed instead of open. Throughout this series we've talked about debt, planning, and contentment. Those things matter. But they aren't the finish line.

Financial freedom isn't God's finish line.
It's His starting line.
When we aren't consumed by debt...
When we've learned to plan wisely...
When we've discovered contentment...
Our eyes are finally free to look up and notice the people God has placed in front of us.
That's where generosity begins.

A few things to think about this week:

Do I see my money as something I own or something God has entrusted to me?

Has God ever prompted me to meet a need that I ignored because I was afraid?

Am I creating enough margin in my finances to be generous when opportunities arise?

What kind of legacy of generosity am I leaving for the next generation?

Ask God to show you one person you can bless this week.

It doesn't have to be a large gift, it could be a cup of coffee, a note with a small gift card, helping a local ministry, giving to a missionary, or quietly meeting a need that no one else even knows about. 

Remember:

Generosity isn't measured by the size of the gift. It's measured by the willingness of the heart.

Have a great weekend!