Generous, Day 13 - Synergy

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 1 Tim. 6:6-10

The simple life has figured out synergy. Synergy is the idea that when two things are brought together that they can do more together than they could ever do apart.

This passage reminds us that we brought nothing into this world and we will take nothing out.  We are travelers who are here for a moment and then gone.  Our lives are but a mist that comes and goes, a dot on the line, a drop on the pond of eternity.

We are told that living for the moment is a temptation and a trap that plunges people into ruin and destruction.   Doing so will cause us to not only lose focus, but in many cases people lose their faith.  In the end, we must all appear before God and give an account of how we lived our life.  According to the Bible, our giving will have an impact on our experience in eternity (Phil. 4:17, Lk. 14:13-14). The person who lived for the moment (focusing on getting rich) will experience a total loss before God.

It takes the synergy of godliness and contentment to fight the love and lure of money (Matthew 6:24, Psalm 37:16, Psalm 119:36-37).   We’ve already talked about contentment in this devotion (see day 3).  Godliness is the pursuit of being like God in our character, actions and priorities. The Bible says that godliness does not come naturally; it is something we train to do (1 Tim. 4:7,8).  The Bible says that as we discipline ourselves for the purpose of godliness, it not only adds value to this life, but also the life to come (Mt. 6:19-21, Luke 16:9).

The simple life is a disciplined life (Prov. 1:1-4). To be a success the athlete makes choices to train daily, consistently and sacrificially (1 Cor. 9:25). Christians need the same level of discipline. We need to have the discipline to live within our means, to stay out of debt or get out of debt (Pr. 22:7, 26,27, Rom. 13:8).   

We need the discipline to Give first, Save second then Live on the rest. When we give first, we show that God is the priority in our lives (Deut. 14:22,23, Pr. 3:9,10).  When we save, we demonstrate discipline and wisdom (Pr. 6:6-8). When we live within our means, we show self control (Gal. 5:23) and that we understand God’s principles and priorities in our lives.

Generosity Challenge (Day 12)- If you have ever taken a financial training class, find your notes or notebook and go through your notes today.  If you haven’t gone through training, go to www.mint.com or some other program and create a beginner budget.  Evaluate your plan.

Sun Valley Church, Used by Permission