Introduction
We’ve kicked off a series on the “Barefoot Disciple,” building on the “Barefoot Investor” concept. While the name leverages marketing, the core focus is different. The “Barefoot Investor” guides you towards financial freedom and a comfortable retirement. The “Barefoot Disciple” aims to free you from selfishness and consumerism, guiding you towards shrewd spending for yourself, your family, and God’s kingdom. It’s a journey that challenges our hearts and how we view money.
The “Barefoot Disciple” aims to free you from selfishness and consumerism, guiding you towards shrewd spending for yourself, your family, and God’s kingdom.
Money Habits: Give Habitually
The Initial Challenge
The “Barefoot Disciple” book, particularly in its initial chapters, can feel challenging. It presents habits that may not immediately align with our thinking. The book aims to rewire our hearts, prompting us to consider how we use the resources God has given us for things with eternal implications. The initial habits, like giving habitually, can feel like being thrown in the deep end. However, the book guides you through the process, and most people warm up to it as they progress. The book encourages us to live shrewdly for the kingdom, not just letting the world dictate how we spend our money. The constant pull of greed is a significant challenge, and talking about money is crucial, even though we often avoid it. The “Barefoot Investor” helps with wise financial choices from a worldly perspective, but as Christians, we should be wired differently, with different priorities.
The Importance of Intentional Planning
The habit of giving helps break the heart of greed. Our attitude activates our giving. Intentional planning helps combat greedy impulses. The church in Corinth had planned giving, and Paul encouraged them to give weekly. This planned, intentional giving helps combat our impulses. We all experience impulses that undermine our best plans. We’re encouraged to give regularly, making it a habit. Budgeted giving is setting aside money to give. The book suggests starting by sponsoring a child or allocating money to your church. Setting up automatic payments is an easy way to make giving a habit. Intentionality helps combat impulse. A cheerful heart helps combat the reluctance that comes with generosity. Paul says, “You must each decide in your heart how much to give and don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure for God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”
Intentional planning helps combat greedy impulses.
The Impact of Giving
Inspiring Generosity
The impact of our giving inspires our giving. We can see the joy of giving a gift by the way it impacts others. Giving is not a transaction but an interaction. It’s not always rewarding, but it is in healthy relationships and ministries. Paul draws on the idea of the impact of our giving in this idea of planting and harvesting. If we plant generosity, we get to harvest generously. Paul gave the example of the church that planted generosity and saw an impact. As we plant generosity, we might see an impact. There are both physical and spiritual impacts. God is also providing and growing a heart of contentment. We need to be clear on what our needs are. In eternity, the only thing we need is a right relationship with Jesus. God provides seed for the sower. God will produce a great harvest of generosity. You’ll be enriched in every way so that you can be even more generous. Giving is truly worship. It is both joyful and a sacrifice. It is an act of obedience and relationship.
Physical and Spiritual Harvest
There is both a physical and a spiritual harvest for us. We see that impact in our lives and there’s a physical and spiritual harvest in others. Paul spells that out quite explicitly. He says, “When we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God.” We see a spiritual impact in them. Two good things will result from this ministry of giving: the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, a physical impact, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God, a spiritual impact. We want to think about how we have a physical impact in this world. Giving to the poor and needy is a way to do that. Pairing giving to physical needs with giving to spiritual needs is a helpful way to increase the impact of our giving. The most generous love we can give anyone is to share with them the greatest joy of all, which is life in Jesus. The heart of the matter is a matter of the heart. Giving is a ministry of grace. God’s grace is the source of our giving. We’re called to be a waterfall of God’s grace. God’s grace transforms hearts. As we invest in God’s kingdom, he grows in us a heart for his kingdom. Giving helps release the grip of greed by helping us treasure Jesus even more.
Giving is not a transaction but an interaction.