My sickening selfishness

How many times have I come across an opportunity to give, and passed it by because I "didn't have enough money"?  How many times have I wanted to help with a worthy cause, being moved by pictures of small children holding their protruding bellies or sick people with no medicine but didn't do anything about it because "I don't have money"? That being said, of those times that I passed an opportunity by, how often had I, just before then, just bought something for myself? "I don't have any money to give to orphans and widows because I just spent all my money on myself." It sounds so ugly and selfish, so despicable, but it's exactly what happens. How can I possibly continue to love my stuff, my new clothes and bags and guitar and laptop and any other number of things, when I stare into the eyes of a small starving child on a picture and say, "Sorry, I don't have any money to help you. I just spent it all on myself."?


I've been making money from babysitting for something like 3 or 4 years now. For three or four years I have said no. Sure, I've tithed, and even gone above many, many times but almost every time a chance to go even further, to put in my precious coin (Mark 12:41-44), came,  I passed it by, saying I didn't have enough when really I did, having spent it all on myself.


This year, I say no more. This year, I've had enough of my sickening selfishness. This year, I have felt to give half of all my earnings after tithe to God in some way (i.e., a $10 paycheck would be split into $1 tithe, $4.50 for myself, $4.50 to God). Later on in life, I'll have bills to pay, and eventually a family to take care of, and I'll lose the opportunity to give this radically. It's unrealistic to think that a grown adult could give half their earnings away, unless their earnings were extremely high and living cost low. I'm taking this year to be completely crazy. I'm doing something most would call a little extreme. But that's okay. God deserves so much more than just 10% of my money.


Young people, I challenge you to live radically with your money. This isn't a guilt trip; all God requires of you is that you give 10%. However, I challenge you to be a little bit insane and waste you life at the feet of God. Later in life, you won't have the opportunity to give this much. So what are you going to do right now? 


Adults, I challenge you to find a way to give even more. Cancel the cable. Stop drinking coffee. Stop drinking soda. Stop eating out. Anything. The more crazy it sounds, the better. I challenge you to really value God above everything in your life. Once again, this isn't a guilt trip. God only requires 10%. But here's my question for you: do you want to be a little bit crazy for the cause of the Gospel?


I'm finished with my selfishness. Are you?