Tuesday, June 2, 2008
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Of course you know McDonald's - the hamburger people? They have to some of the most brilliant marketers in history. They have advertised McDonald's as such a warm, friendly, fun place. I think every child in America wants to eat there! It seems that you're a lousy parent if you don't take them to Ronald's place - to get a Happy Meal - to pick up the toys or cups or whatever from the hottest new movie and to play under the Golden Arches. The other day I was in a McDonald's - just doing research, of course - and I saw another sign of their marketing genius. They wanted to get donations for their hospital where families of young cancer victims can stay. How did they get people to give? They made it fun! Near the counter, they stationed this brightly colored plastic container - it was funnel-shaped with a hole at the bottom and the money would go down into the bottom and into a bank. But if you threw a coin into it, it went into these wide spirals, around and around, down and down the funnel. It was really neat watching your donation spin, and spin its way to its destination - I mean, according to my research.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "Fun Giving."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from 2 Corinthians 9:7, where God describes how He wants us to feel about giving to Him. "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, for God loves a cheerful giver." That word in the Greek is the word we get hilarious from! Give hilariously! McDonald's makes it fun to give. They don't pressure you or guilt trip you into giving to their cause. They provide an opportunity to contribute and then make it fun to contribute!
I'm not recommending that we trade in offering plates for brightly colored funnels that slowly swirl your offering into a bank at the bottom. But I am suggesting that God intended it to be pleasurable and exciting to give to His work! Paul encourages us not to give like it's a spiritual tax we've got to pay - like your dues for being in "God's Club." He says to give with a giant smile. "I can't wait for the next chance to give. I love to give some of what I have to the work of Christ." Honestly, is that how you feel?
How can giving be fun as God intended it to be? First, give it to Jesus, not to a ministry, not to a church, not to an organization. On that day the disciples were challenged by Jesus to find a way to feed those five thousand people, they got a little boy to give his lunch which Jesus multiplied miraculously. I think the only reason the boy gave up his lunch was because it was for Jesus. He actually handed it to one of Jesus' helpers, but he knew it was going to Jesus. That's how we ought to give any offering. When you see the offering plate coming, when you're considering your response to that request from one of God's servants, don't give it unless it is Jesus you're actually giving it to. You can lose the joy for giving it to a Christian organization, but it's always exciting to put it ultimately in the nail-scarred hand of Jesus your Savior - who withheld nothing for you!
Another factor that makes giving fun is thinking about the return on what you're giving. In the verse before the hilarious giving verse, Paul says, "Remember this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly; whoever sows generously will also reap generously." You're building a reward account in Heaven that you can enjoy forever. It will be huge compared to whatever you gave. Plus, for all eternity, you will be celebrating those who were reached for Christ with gifts you gave!
So who needs a gimmick to make giving to God's work fun? Think about the Savior it's for, and the returns it will bring, You won't be able to give without a smile!