Are you familiar with the biblical character, Agur? When his name was recently mentioned to me, it definitely didn’t spark the familiarity of a King David or Apostle Paul! But his name is right there at the beginning of Proverbs 30. And his prayer is an incredibly wise one that walks an interesting financial tightrope:
“Give me neither poverty nor riches,
But give me only my daily bread.
Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
And say, ‘Who is the Lord?’
Or I may become poor and steal,
and so dishonor the name of my God.”
Prov. 30:8b-9 [NIV]
I know that when I recite the Lord’s Prayer and ask for my “daily bread,” I’m not often thinking about the potential pitfalls of either end of the financial spectrum—too much or too little. They both have the potential to lead to sin. But the good news is that God knows my needs and has promised to provide for them—even if that provision doesn’t always take the form I desire or anticipate.
This valuable passage was reintroduced to me by a colleague, Todd Harper, who used to serve with me in Campus Crusade for Christ and who now serves as the President of Generous Giving (www.generousgiving.org). Their organizational vision is to “transform the hearts and minds of God’s people for revolutionary generosity that changes our world.”
The reason I’m so encouraged by the ministry of Generous Giving is because they exist solely to help us as believers through our stewardship journey. They don’t solicit funds and don’t allow other organizations to solicit funds at their events. I would encourage you to visit their website and see the wide variety of resources they offer. I have been particularly blessed by the stories of real people and their journeys: http://generousgiving.org/tools-stories. Check out the story of Jess and Angela Correll when you get a chance.
Thanks for going on this stewardship journey with me. The Lord has so much to teach us when it comes to something as precious to us as our financial resources!
Serving Him with you
Rich Dundore
Director of Development, Keynote
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