"For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also the eyes of men." 2Corinthians 8:21
This verse is from the section of chapters that talk about money and offerings in the early church. Paul was seeking to avoid criticism by doing the right thing with a significant financial gift. When you start talking about money and how to disperse it boy do you need to be careful. People can get their nose out of joint about money almost faster than anything can. Seems that Paul wants to make sure that he administers the money in such a way as to please God of course, but also in a way is right in the eyes of men. In essence, he wants to try to make sure that he doesn't offend anyone if at all possible.
Whenever we can, we should try to do that which is right in God's eyes and in the eyes of men. What a bad witness it would be if someone in the church community or the community were offended by how we were stewards of the monies entrusted to us when it could have been avoided. We should always strive to be above reproach when administering the finances of the church. Those resources are God's as is everything and we should be forthright, honest and accountable about the distribution of all funds and resources.
If Paul took 'pains' to make sure to be above reproach, we should also. I always try to think of every dollar the church expends as if it were the Widow's Mite. She gave everything and it shouldn't be wasted, that is for sure. As sure as I am committed to tithe (give 10% of all Dawn and I earn) as a matter of principle. I should be just as committed to principle in how any church monies are spent. Our Church Council is conscientious of this principle also.
Money can be a real source and root of evil and can be a wonderful blessing too. May we seek the Word of God to guide us in how we give and spend what is given that it would be right in God's eyes and in the eyes of men too. Above reproach. Please pray for us as we consider our budget and our ministries, staffing, missions, outreach, expenses and programs for the next fiscal year.
May we be led by Him and His Spirit,
Pastor Fred
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Though this doesn’t pertain to financial handlings, the title of your entry caught my attention. I remember a situation I was in not too long ago where I was faced with doing what “man” wanted me to do or what God wanted me to do. In other words, I had to stop and consider the eyes on which I needed to be focused. God’s? Or man’s? I found myself in the middle of a heated, week long conflict with a loved one, and because I felt God was telling me to back off, leave things alone, and let Him work – I did (totally uncharacteristic of my former self). This made things much worse, at least at the time. Not only was the other person furious at my lack of response, but I was tearfully miserable at the thought of what might come next (it is, at times, a complicated relationship). I finally started to feel peace over doing what I believed God wanted of me, but because of my actions, or in this case, lack of action, the other person was feeling increasingly hurt and angry. “Keep quiet” seemed to be what God continued telling me. “But God, she needs me to say or do something!” I argued back. “You can’t fix this, so just trust Me and let Me work,” was what I got back. So, I let it go. I knew God was working behind the scenes in ways I still don’t comprehend, but at the time this was really hard! Sam and I talked it over and prayed about it, finally coming to the question we both asked of me – “are you going to do what she wants you to do or what God wants you to do?” I chose God, and it was hard to adapt to the course of action He wanted for me – which was no action.
ReplyDeleteI’ve noticed that God is slowly changing the way I respond to people, loved ones who are still uncomfortable with His presence in my life, in particular. Before I knew God, my initial reaction was always to “fix” things, confront things, or blow up in anger trying to make my point (I know, can you believe I struggle with anger/temper problems!?). Now, I keep hearing Him tell me to “be still, know that I am God, and let Me work things out.” I’m noticing lately that He keeps putting me in situations where I have to choose whose eyes on which to focus – His or “man’s,” with man usually being a loved one.
I know your devotional pertained more to doing what’s right in the eyes of both man and God in the financial arena, but what stuck out to me was your following statement: “Whenever we can, we should try to do that which is right in God's eyes and in the eyes of men.” Isn’t it odd that so often lately when I do what’s right in the eyes of God (right as long as I’m perceiving His instruction correctly anyway), I’m being offensive to someone I love? For instance, in the situation I’ve described, when I couldn’t think of anything right, holy, or godly to say, I said only “I love you,” (I figured I couldn’t miss God’s instruction if I just stuck with those three words!) but even that became offensive and seemed not to be enough. Drawing near to God, for me, has meant, in many ways, pulling away from those who have known me best all of my life. Am I getting it wrong or missing something? It seems that conflicts actually arise more frequently now that I’ve grown closer to Him. Should that be? Should there be such a wide gap between what makes His eyes shine and what makes man’s eyes shine? Or, do I just really not have a clue what I’m doing?