I\u2019m a pretty smart guy. I know we\u2019re in Australia, and that\u2019s a stupid thing to say, because it engenders feelings of resentment, and the sure knowledge that I\u2019m up myself. However, I want to make a point. I\u2019m smarter than about half the people who are eligible to join Mensa, but we\u2019re in a church, and what good does this do me when I\u2019m pursuing God?<\/p>\n
I have a degree in Computer Science, and my job revolves around rules. I have to know the rules of the programming language that I\u2019m using. I have to know the rules about what can be achieved given the computer hardware with which I\u2019m working. I have to know the rules of the business for which I\u2019m developing software. I have to know (or work out) how to work with the rules to get me to the solution that\u2019s going to be satisfactory for all the parties involved, and I\u2019m really good at this. But we\u2019re in a church, and what good does that do me when I\u2019m pursuing God?<\/p>\n
Have a look at I Corinthians 13:<\/p>\n
1Co 13:1<\/sup> If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. I\u2019m geared to finding the rules, and working by them. I am, for want of a better word, a Pharisee. I would love to know that if I follow the steps, I can be guaranteed a result with God. I would love to know that all it took to live a successful Christian life was to visit two sick people, or two people in prison per month, and pay a tithe. I yearn for salvation by works.<\/p>\n But no. Instead, we have to live by relationship. We don\u2019t have rules to follow, we have love to guide. What kind of soppy lifestyle is this? And what does this have to do with giving?<\/p>\n I want rules and guarantees. I want to know that if I put $10 into the bucket today, I will find $15 cash in my bedside drawer this evening. Or even in two weeks time. I want to know that if I transfer my tithe into the Church\u2019s bank account on Wednesday, I will find an anonymous transfer into my account a bit later that is either 30, 60 or 100 times greater than what I transferred. I mean, don\u2019t people say from the pulpit that we\u2019re promised something like that?<\/p>\n But it doesn\u2019t work like that. Why not? I don\u2019t know, but it probably has something to do with God\u2019s economy. Because he\u2019s more interested in you than your money. Because your wellbeing depends not on your wallet, but your heart.<\/p>\n Lk 6:38<\/sup> Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I want rules and guarantees. I want to know that if I put $10 into the bucket today, I will find $15 cash in my bedside drawer this evening. Or even in two weeks time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cairns-family.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cairns-family.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cairns-family.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cairns-family.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cairns-family.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.cairns-family.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":225,"href":"https:\/\/www.cairns-family.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24\/revisions\/225"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cairns-family.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cairns-family.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cairns-family.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n1Co 13:2<\/sup> If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
\n1Co 13:3<\/sup> If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.<\/p>\n