A Cup of Cold Water at Christmas: M.A.D. Giving

Jesse:
Hey folks, Jesse here, producer for Go Mad with Doug and Brad. Cup of cold water at Christmas. You might be thinking, wouldn't that just be ice? To which we would respond, yes, but no. After Doug ensures that we give our best non-spiritual gift-giving stories Doug and Brad dive into some practical steps for making a difference with our giving. Jesus told us that our heart will be where our treasure is, and we want to take that seriously How can we be Christ's ambassadors in the realm of our resources? Let's find out and go mad

Brad:
Welcome everyone to another episode of Go Mad with Doug and Brad.

Doug:
Hey, welcome.

Brad:
Man, here we are back again. Jesse with us once again. How's it going, Jesse?

Jesse:
Okie dokie

Brad:
And today we're going to be talking about making a difference through giving. Now we're heading into this Christmas season, but Please don't just view this as a Christmas episode.

Doug:
You're you're lit you're going, okay, I know what this this is about, tithing, this is about operating something We're gonna get a little bit into that, but we're gonna also be talking about some things maybe you don't typically think about, uh some outside the box ways. to give, why is it so important to God? Um and uh some some hopefully some practical advice, especially in a season Uh financial season right now where a lot of people are struggling.

What do we do about that? Wait, what? I I just paid nine dollars for half in a gallon of milk.

So don't look at me like you don't know what's going on.

Brad:
It was organic. Aren't cows organic by nature? Never mind.

Doug:
It's good anyway. It's good anyway because as we as we record this, we're like three days before Thanksgiving and I try to cut back a little bit before I eat on Thanksgiving Day because I eat so much. I haven't eaten in four days.

Brad:
Wow. Wow. That is impressive.

Doug:
And by four days I mean two hours.

Brad:
And that's because of the cost of groceries. There we go.

Doug:
Yeah, to pay for the uh Thanksgiving dinner. We all had to had to do some ramen for a couple months here.

Brad:
So yeah, we're gonna dive on in, but really this is about this is a great season to be looking at How can I be giving? Because a lot of attention is focused there during the Christmas season. But our hope and our prayer is that you will take what we talk about today and you'll be able to say, man. That's gonna be part of my life from now on. That's right.

Doug:
And not just talking about giving money today. Um we're gonna get to some interesting stuff. We might even call this episode a cup of cold water at Christmas.

Oh, I like that. We'll we'll tell you what we mean by that. But first, since we're talking gifts, since we're turning the corner into Christmas time here I'm gonna hit you with the quick one.

All right. Favorite gift gotten, favorite gift given. I want to hear it from both you guys, but a caveat No big spiritual answers here because what always happens when I do something like this is I'll say something like my Star Wars figures and and then like the last the last person goes my Bible.

Brad:
And I go no, that's what I meant. I meant that. So none of that.

I will go with uh let me start. Is that all right, Jesse? Is that right?

Well, last Christmas I gave Sarah my heart. Okay. And then oh wait, no, wait.

Sorry, that's just a song. Um We are two eighties, man. You're getting all wham and George Michaele.

So George Michael.

Doug:
I don't know. That's a word.

Brad:
So here we go. I think for me, one of my favorite gifts I've given, I actually, I didn't know you were asking us this today. Right.

I'm wearing it right now. One of my favorite gifts is this Incredibles jersey, not just because it says the Incredibles on the front and it's an awesome jersey on the back. It says the number five, and I basically fancy our family as the Incredibles.

We have the same star. You guys are the husband and wife and the uh you know the oldest daughter, then the two younger sons, and I have the receding hairline that Mr. Incredible did as well.

Doug:
It really is inc uh incredible.

Brad:
There you go. So do you want these together? I should have thought of a different word.

Doug, you're on a podcast for Pete's sake. Do you want these together or we am I getting back to my what's the best one you've given? So it actually it's a series of gifts and it's basically my wife Sarah.

Uh if you heard our podcast last year around this time. Uh she shared about growing up in Liberia, Africa. And so I have found different things from Liberia to be able to give her over the years.

So I you can still find stuff like that on eBay. And so it's been everything from uh fun t-shirt about being born in Liberia to uh a machete um from Liberia, which I don't know how they shipped that through the mail, but they did it.

Doug:
How do you fill that that out of the customs form? Are there any weapons or anything dangerous in this package? Only gifts. Just gifts.

Brad:
No shipping. Meet me in the alley near and then and then a Liberia license plate and things like that.

Doug:
The Liberia is not in the US.

Brad:
It is not.

Doug:
All right. There you go. Those are good. Jesse, best gift you've uh gotten and given.

Jesse:
Wow. Um The year was 1996-ish. There was a run on Toys of Russes.

Brad:
I thought I was gonna say on the bank, like it's a wonderful life.

Jesse:
And there was a shortage of a particular gaming system called Nintendo 64. That was really the next big thing. And so I got a piece of paper for Christmas that basically said I can't find an N64, but as soon as I do, I'll get you one.

Brad:
That's not where I thought that story was going.

Doug:
Why why can't that be the end of one of these great Christmas movies? Where like like you know remember a Christmas story? He gets It's the rifle you get. Instead it's a piece of paper. I'll get you one. I'll get you one when I find you one, son

Brad:
But I love that you got one. You did get one, right?

Doug:
Four years later, on the fourth of July.

Jesse:
Yeah, that would've been a strange package appeared.

Doug:
Sorry.

Jesse:
Alright, there you go. What's the problem with gift given? Jesse is the worst Christmas guy.

Doug:
Yeah, try to get 'em all excited about Christmas. And it's always something like this.

Jesse:
I am s I am so you know the five love languages. Gifts are at the bottom for me. Not only do I not think of love being given gifts I'm just so bad at it.

Brad:
So he's actually added he's added three to the list above that even. He has the eight love language.

Doug:
I once gave Jesse this incredible t-shirt of the band he likes And he turned around and dumped it in the garbage. And just went thanks. I didn't remember that.

Jesse:
I didn't know.

Jesse:
So I I I've given Many gifts, especially like within my family. We got birthdays and Christmases. I none stand out to me as exceptional because I just find I am not very good at picking excellent gifts. Good news We've got Terra on the line right now to share what the best gift No we don't. That's the My Wife is a top notch gift giver

Doug:
That was a really long way to go to say nothing. That was really funny though. Nothing.

All right. Well So it actually got the same best gift or one of the best. Two different times in my life.

I wanted a Millennium Falcon really badly. Uh I was I was probably eleven years old when it came out, twelve and And I was sure I wasn't getting it got one for Christmas. I was so thrilled.

Well, then my extremely thoughtful son this past Christmas. I haven't seen that. I I we lost that years ago.

I don't have it. And he worked on and got me an original Millennium Falcon with all the parts there, everything working. It was so thoughtful.

It was. Um best gift I've given. Uh well, I got engaged at Christmas, so probably the best gift I've given was my love to my wife for her to enjoy enjoy with For many, many years now.

Why are you gagging? So as we dive into oh wait, the why are you putting your finger down your throat? That's that's gross.

You know what? So let's turn a corner here. I was jumping back into some of the scripture about giving because I knew we were, this was coming up.

There's a lot of talking about this. There is, and it actually Just blew me away again how important this is to God. Not only that, but how much He loves, loves giving.

Why does He love it so much? when we're generous. I think it's because it is the essence of his heart.

Listen to these scriptures. Every good and perfect gift comes from Above. The Father loves to give good gifts to his children and the best one, for God so loved the world that he gave.

his only son as a gift to us, the gift of salvation. So you're never more like your Father, your heavenly father, than when you're giving and when you're giving with a cheerful heart, and especially sacrificially. The best most amazing gift given in history, the gift of God's son, was of course the most sacrificial one.

And these are ones that seem to really make a difference in in actually um and actually it and this blows me away that we can make God happy we can bless him When Jesus is is seeing that that um woman who has nothing coming and giving a penny, whatever, a a time a pittance And he's like, she gets it. This guy's giving tons of money.

Brad:
He's doing it in front of everybody, but she gets it. I like what you say there, Doug, just because it's it the what comes what's what hits me about what you're sharing is that there already, as we said, different ways of giving that that are talked about there. That it's not just about we we know that the Bible talks about giving financially, but there are times where it is what are we giving of ourselves?

And even if that is financially, what I love that you said as far as God's smile, I I think that we get a little bit of Feeling that in our hearts when we are giving sacrificially for him because of how he's led us Not because we're just giving because the Bible says giving. I think that's the whole God loves a cheerful giver. He wants us to find joy in what we're doing.

Have you

Doug:
Have you ever wondered just why you feel so incredible when you've given a gift to your child and they just light up about it and you're like giddy even getting it for them and and And or trying to find the perfect gift for your wife, or when you have given sacrificially and you're like, I don't know if I can even really safely give this money, but I know. that this person or is in need, or maybe it's not money that's sacrificial for you, maybe it's time. Uh, but but the fact that I go, you know what, I this hurts a little bit.

I'm still gonna do it because I really believe God is telling me to do it. He loves those kinds of gifts. And and I'll tell you, a lot of us are struggling right now.

Yeah. A lot of this is a a bad time in the economy. So maybe it's a struggle.

To hear us even talk about this because you don't have much. And maybe it's a struggle for you to give even when you do, but in each case, it's all about the heart. The widow that Jesus saw given that small amount blessed him, not because she was giving a lot, because she was giving something out of her poverty.

Maybe you have a lot of money, but you struggle still with giving away because maybe you were poor once And and you remember those times. Or maybe it's just simply a struggle for you. I was talking with my dad about this.

He was an only child and he said he really learned how to be selfish. He had no one to share the stuff with. He said his parents were very much like um Your wish is our command, son.

He said it's not a great way to learn about generosity. But now, okay, so get this. Now he is one of the most generous people I know.

And if you asked him why, it he says it's because he built up his giving muscle. He w there was a time where he was making ninety dollars a week Now, I know money was worth a little bit more than still not that much more. And he said he was convicted I'm going to be tithing on $90 a week.

And he said, I remember just gulping and taking out that nine dollars. And he said, so but by doing that and asking God, give me joy as I do this, he did. And watching the example of our mom.

Um, his awesome wife. It was those things, and now he truly is one of the most generous people I know. So ask for God to give you the gift.

of being a giver. Yeah.

Brad:
Because he'll love to give you that gift too. And I want to uh take a look there for a second because there's uh I I remember talking with friends in college and I've had this conversations it since then, even in the last couple of years, of people talking about tithing. So look at the financial aspects some because sometimes we shy away from that. It's like, oh people are gonna turn off the radio or They're not listening on radio, are they?

Doug:
They're whatever you're listening to, the if you're really hearing this on radio, please contact us. Let us know.

Brad:
So you turn it down and everything because of or you tune out and when your pastor's talking about it at church. Because like we know, we know, but the reality is is that we tie this into God loves a cheerful giver. I've had the conversations where people like Well, I know I'm supposed to tithe, but I can't do it cheerfully, so I don't think God wants me to do it.

And it's like, Well, I shouldn't give this and everything. And the reality is The Lord does want us to give. He wants us to give because he has given to us.

He hasn't given us the this money, these resources to just squander them, to sit on them, to buy the next thing we want. Or even, Doug, you were saying that in the hard times that we're struggling in. Every time we fill up, it's true for all of us, and it's true for everyone listening.

Every time you fill up and every time you buy groceries, you're feeling that pinch. You're feeling like you have less money to work with. But I just want to say that when you prioritize the giving the Lord wants you to do, everything else falls into place.

It doesn't mean that you're going to get that $10,000 check in the mail back to you, but it means That you're gonna have the peace of Christ, you're gonna have his joy because you're walking in obedience.

Doug:
Yeah, you know, and whatever your belief is about tithing, the reality is So many Americans, the majority of Americans, should be able to even do more than that. It's all it's all about What can I give with a heart that goes? I know that I've been given so much.

And I do think, Brad and Jesse, I think sometimes We think we have less than we do. There are there are folks who and and maybe you're listening to us and going, no, believe me, I don't have much. And of course that is true.

for many. But when you write down all the things that you spend on during the month, then you know, I'm cool with spending six dollars on this coffee and I'm And I'm cool with spending this money on my streaming services and everything. You start to find ways that you really could bless others.

And and I'm not talking about legalism, guys. I'm talking about this. All right, let me let me tell you this.

Um, I was thinking about this as we were talking about um talking about doing a podcast about giving. My son uh was four years old, and this is the first, his name is Taylor, and this is the first verse I can ever remember him uh reciting back and and truly understanding, four years old. And he he I didn't I had forgotten he had heard the scripture.

He had heard it in Sunday school, and he had mentioned it afterwards. And he uh later that day, he had for some reason, he had got he had 50 cents. I mean, it had like 50 cents to his name.

He hands it to me and he says, Can you give this to somebody who needs it? I go, wow, that's amazing, son. Sure.

That's all you have. Are you sure? He says, he says, yes, I want to do that.

Okay. Well, we get to bedtime. And it's dark and it's quiet.

I typically stay in there for a minute or two while maybe they're getting asleep when they were young. And I hear this little Pip squeaky voice cut through the darkness. He goes, Daddy When I gave that fifty cents, did I really just give that to Jesus himself?

And and it really, it really Cut to my heart because you know, we know that scripture. We're familiar with that scripture word. Jesus says, you know, i if you've Whatever you've given to the least of these, a cup of cold water, uh, whatever you've given to the least of these, uh, you have given to me.

But then he also says, what you haven't given. to the least of these. You have not given to me.

And I will tell you, if you really want to change your giving perspective, Do what I did that day. Get your faith back like a child, like Jesus says, and say, if I really believed this. That what I'm giving is to Jesus Himself.

And not only that, but Jesus says, let me tell you what amazing things wait for you in eternity When you give like that, especially sacrificially, get that childlike faith and see if that turns your heart around a little bit.

Brad:
Yeah, I uh for me, I'm gonna be honest, I want to share uh Quick thing here, and then as we said, we're going to talk about some other ways we can be giving and just the heart behind that. Um the the reality is is that okay, so Operation Christmas Child, I love doing it, love doing it as a family, and uh and so Well there were some years that we've done that early on. It was really interesting because you get the list of things that you can pack the boxes.

And this was really kind of that heart checkup for me, Doug, where it was We're sitting there and you're like, okay, so we're gonna start at the dollar store, see what's there, and then it's like, oh, well, they don't have this and this, man. So we gotta go over to Walmart. Oh, that's gonna cost like, man, five or seven bucks for that one item.

And you're like going through that. I'm just like What is wrong with me? I'm I'm wondering about spending a little extra to give a child Not just a great time opening a box of gifts, but they include the gospel in there.

This is helping them show this is helping show them Jesus loves you. And I'm like, so if it's not at the dollar store, I don't know if I can pull this off. It's like, yeah.

But then I look, I know that those that are in my life every day, I'm gonna buy gifts for them and they're gonna be around the tree. And I love doing that So why not do that for others? I love Randy Alcorn's book, The Treasure Principle.

Doug:
If you haven't read it and you're listening, just trust us, go get it.

Brad:
Here are the five main points. God owns everything. I'm his money manager.

My heart always goes where I put God's money. Number three, heaven, not earth, is my home Number four, I should not live for the dot, but for the line. So living for eternity, not just this present moment.

Giving is the only antidote to materialism, which I think is so key. And God prospers me. I love this.

Listen closely. God prospers me not to raise my standard of living, but to raise my standard of giving.

Doug:
Okay. We can stop now. But let's not.

It's more. That's Boy, that is so good. You gotta get that book and read it.

It's actually just a real it's actually a small book. You can probably read it in a couple of hours, uh, but it's chock full of great stuff. Um, so maybe you're listening and you go, I have struggled with this my whole life.

I know I should give and not only give, but I should give generously. I mean, let's face it, a real offering costs you something. If if You if you're making ten million dollars and you give someone a hundred dollars, you're not gonna feel that.

Brad:
Thus the best of the lambs, the the spotless ones. Even back to the Old Testament, it's going to cost you something. That's that's good, Doug.

Doug:
It's gonna cost you something. I I've struggled with this in my life, so I'm gonna tell you what I did. And it has helped.

First, memorize some scripture about this specifically and memorize it and and then try to put it into situations in your life, like daily. Um one of them, one person gives freely, yet gains even more. This is God's economy Another one withholds unduly, in other words, doesn't give even though they could, but comes to poverty That's in Proverbs 1126.

And here's a big one. If you want to be free from the prison of selfishness and just and you really struggled with this, listen to this. scripture.

Um and but before I share the scripture, I'm just gonna say real quick. Um and Brad will remember this. There was a time when our family, Brad and I were really little.

I was I was probably six, five or six years old Uh and um we just did not our family did not have any money. It was near the holidays and I still remember there being a little tension in in the house. Not not tension like mom and dad were being mean about things, but could tell that uh there was there w if you went and looked in the fridge, you went and looked in the cupboard, there was literally nothing there.

And I still remember it was close to Christmas, uh uh someone hits the doorbell. And we open the door and there are like eight bags full of groceries. I have never forgotten that and I remember just the joy.

My parents felt that we felt. And it brings me back to that awesome scripture. Another one to memorize.

Proverbs 11. 25. The generous will prosper.

Those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. It's God's economy. It's God's economy.

His promise is when you give sacrificially. We're not talking about the the money preachers on TV that are telling you Send me a hundred dollars and God's gonna send you ten thousand dollars. What we're talking about right now are God's promises where he says, if you will give generously, if you will give sacrificially, I will show you what true generosity is.

by how I operate with you. So giving can actually free you from the prison of selfishness. God will empower you to give.

But like you said earlier, Brad, we yes, be generous with money, but for some of us Real generosity might be being generous with our time. We've got, we're so busy. We have so much to do.

For some people it's time. For some people it's encouragement. Maybe it's awkward for you, like to to um to to share a true compliment with somebody because you go, man, I that's just not how I operate or no one has ever done that for me.

But you can be generous with encouragement. You can actually find three people in a day and give them a specific compliment that I promise you they're gonna remember the rest of the day, maybe the next the rest of the month or their life. So you can be generous, money, time, encouragement.

There's so many ways.

Brad:
Yeah, and I think the the reality is that as we look at who we are in the body of Christ, who we're created to be, and uh like he said, the God's economy is the reality is We aren't supposed to isolate those things. It's not, well, I'll give him my time. I can't really give financially.

I I I'll give of this, but I can't really give of this. He just wants us to give in every area of our life. So Don't try to kind of silo the giving where it's just separated, but I'm going to give God everything.

I'm going to give him my time. I'm going to give of my finances. I'm going to give of these things because again.

These are the things he's given to us. And I know, especially on the on the time front, with as a husband, a dad of three growing children who I love spending time with. And a busy ministry life and everything else that it can be like, well, I don't have time for this.

Well, I don't know if we can do this. And like you said, Doug, it is it's supposed to cost us something, the best sacrifice. So it is sacrificial giving, not just out of the bank account, but in all areas of our lives.

And it was a reminder for me, even as we were talking through kind of what we wanted to cover on this episode and everything, that I was like, Man, Brad, all right, mirror check time.

Doug:
It's like are you must not be a hypocrite? Yeah, it's like I don't want to be really. I don't want to be a hypocrite. So if there was I want to challenge myself.

Brad:
In the middle of uh kind of a uh busy week outs like ma'am, we need to do some stuff together as a family. So even Having this reminder for myself was really key these last few days. So, and again, this is stuff that should carry with you through beyond the Christmas season.

This is not just about a make-a-difference Christmas. It is about Make a difference giving. Let's hit a uh some practical advice here.

Doug:
Um and we're gonna wrap up in a minute, but I I I really feel like we should give a couple of specific ideas. Um how how because this is such a huge issue. It's such a huge spiritual thing.

It's such a battle. Jesus mentions money. I I don't remember how many times, but it's More than just about anything when he's teaching it's always about money because that's where our heart is, where your treasure is, that's where your heart is.

Maybe try this. Um, so if you're if you're bodybuilding and you can bench 300 pounds and you're you go, okay, it's time to work out, and you're benching with 10 pounds. You know what?

10 pounds might be a lot for the next guy, but it's not for you. You're not challenging yourself at all. You're not going to build up your muscles If you want to build up your giving muscles, maybe just try this.

Say, I am going to start here. I know that I should be giving this much, either of my money, time, whatever it is. And every week or every month, like clockwork, Lord, I'm telling you and I'm committing that I am going to up this by a percent or by two percent or by five percent or or a certain amount of time, a certain amount of dollars, so that you actually start to feel the gift that you're giving.

And by by working on those giving muscles It will you're not only going to be giving more and be making more of a difference, and that's of course make a difference Go, Matt. That's what this is all about, about being an ambassador. And boy, are you never, you're never being more of Christ's ambassador than when you are meeting needs on in his name.

And when you are being his hands and feet. So try that time after time after time, and you're gonna see something awesome happen. You're not only gonna be making more of a difference.

You're going to be feeling, I promise you, because God promises you more joy and this this sense that you've never felt. Of of making a greater difference than you have ever made. Take him up on his economy, on his promises, and see if he doesn't deliver on them, because I promise he will.

Brad:
And the action step I would just throw out there as we're wrapping up here is uh something that our uh pastor talks about, and that is Do for one what you can't do for all. A lot of times we can have a need paralysis where there's so many things, especially in today's world, so many things happening that it's like, well, I what can I do? Look for that one that you can make a difference with.

Who's going to be your one that you'll say, whether it's a neighbor or a family member, whoever, to say, I'm going to give to try to make a difference where I can in that one person's life, in that one ministry's life, or whatever it may be. Don't be paralyzed by the need out there. Hone in on the one place that you're like or a couple places where I can make a difference by giving here.

It can be so overwhelming.

Doug:
That is great advice. I I got one more. I I heard of this this cool idea.

Maybe this might work for you this year. It was called uh the Christmas tithe. And it was it was specifically a guy said, This is what I budgeted to spend on Christmas gifts this year.

Um, I'm going to actually take ten percent of that. I'm still gonna be given ninety percent of the gifts that I was going to give I'm gonna take ten percent of it and I'm gonna find um a a person or a place in great need. And I'm going to try to increase my giving in that way.

Brad and I, Jesse, we are not legalists. We are not here. We don't believe in legalism at all.

We can't stand it actually. We're not here trying to preach at anybody, but we're just saying all three of us have had to deal with this each in our lives. And we're hoping that some of this by by giving specific examples and specific ways maybe to get the ball rolling on this.

It might help. Maybe none of these is what will work for you, but but think about it. Give it to the Lord and ask him, what would you have me do?

To become a better and more cheerful giver, and he will answer you, and it's gonna be awesome

Brad:
As we wrap up here, we hope that this has been an encouragement, not just for a make a different season in giving here, but as you even flip that calendar to next year and beyond. that it'll be a good pattern for the rest of your life, how we can give sacrificially. I love what Doug brought up before, Matthew 10, 42.

And if you give Ebon a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded We're giving this cup of cold water this season. So bring that with you wherever you go. Look for who needs me here.

We're praying for you as you go through this season, through these weeks ahead.

Jesse:
So from all of us to all of you, until next time, go man.