From Scarcity to Abundance - graced to give.
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I knew the day was coming, when our youngest grandson, Carter, was going to finally use the one word everyone hoped he would never use. Can you guess the word? Not “no”, MINE.
It happened early this week, when we were sitting at the table. He was eating his dessert, an Oreo cookie, which he has discovered that the center is the best part. He finished eating the center and the outside pieces were laying on the table. I leaned over pretending that I was going to take ONE, when out of the blue he said, that word, the one word we hope he would never speak: “Mine.”
I was sad for him because he left living in the land of abundance and started living in the land of scarcity. As long as a child believes that resources are unlimited they live with an “abundance mentality”.
An “abundance mentality” believes there is plenty for everybody, that there is enough to go around. There is no fear, concern, or worry about having enough. When a child lives with a mindset of abundance, charity, sharing and giving are all natural. Children love to give. But once a child discovers a scarcity mentality it changes his or her thinking. Often times giving goes out the door and is replaced by a “selfish,” me-centered heart, scarcity mentality.
Unfortunately, a scarcity mentality is not limited to children. It affects every age. Hoarders hold on to stuff to the point of obsession. Afraid they won’t have enough, they live to accumulate and refuse to let go of stuff, stuff they often don’t use or even need.
But you don’t have to be a hoarder to have a scarcity mentality. And a scarcity mindset is not always about money or possessions. A scarcity mentality can manifest itself in a whole host of way. Take for example, Time. Time is a limited resource. Each day has 24 hours, 1440 minutes, and 86,400 seconds. In a 24 hour day, if you sleep 7 hours, work 8 hours, spend 90 minutes one person matter, hygiene, showering, getting ready for your day, bathroom matters., 30 minutes driving to and from work, 90 minutes eating, 60 minutes on social media, emailing and texting (that is probably no where near enough), 2 hours a day watching TV, 45 minutes exercising, 15 minutes of daily time with God, 2 hours taking car of children, sorry you just went over your 24 hour day. Am I giving you a scarcity mentality about your time yet.
There has to be a better way to live. How can we leave the mindset of scarcity for the mindset of abundance? In our first reading today from 2 Corinthians 8, the Macedonians were living in the mindset of abundance,
1 We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, 2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, 4 begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints—
The Macedonians were not rich people, in fact, did you notice Paul identified them as living in extreme poverty. Yet, when it came to giving to the needs of others, they were living with an abundance mentality,
“their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity”
They the source for that mindset of abundance was here,
2 Corinthians 8:9 (ESV)
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.
When the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ grace found them, verse 5
2 Corinthians 8:5 (ESV)
5 and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.
Zacchaeus was a greedy, lying, cheating, chief tax collector before he knew the grace our Lord, Jesus Christ. He didn’t get to the place and position as chief tax collector, because of his height. He was a man of small stature. He got to his position by cunning, craftiness, and a deceitful, selfish heart.
When Jesus walked through the streets of Jericho, and called Zacchaeus down from the tree to host a dinner for Jesus in his home, it was then and there he first learned about the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Grace turn his life around from living a life of greed, selfishness, and scarcity to living a life of faith, charity and abundance.
We know that he changed for his actions announced his change of heart,
8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.”
He left behind the scarcity mentality and started living the abundance mentality all because of grace, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Did he stop being a chief tax collector or did he simply become an honest one? We don’t know, but what we do know about Zacchaeus we learn from the lips of Christ.
9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
In His small catechism, Luther said, “Wherever there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.” You can’t have one without the others. If you have forgiveness of sins, you also have life and salvation.
We have been given grace, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Grace calls us away from the land of scarcity to live a life of abundance.
John 10:10 (ESV)
“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
When we live in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, we have forgiveness of sins, we live by faith in hope, the hope of eternal life and that make us rich.
James 2:5 (ESV)
"... rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?
We may not be temporally rich, with riches which that can be lost and will be left behind. Paul reminded a young pastor Timothy,
7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.
You won’t be taking our STUFF with us into heaven. But, Paul confess, when we are rich in faith, he leave the land of scarcity crossover to the land of abundance,
Philippians 3:7–11 (ESV)
7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Jesus had it all before He came down from heaven. He was the eternal Son of God. Yet, Paul declares,
2 Corinthians 8:9 (ESV)
9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.
But the poverty of Christ’s life was more than His life in the flesh, becoming a man. He became poor when He took the debt of our sin as His own debt to pay.
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
This one,
21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Christ emptied Himself of eternity’s abundance to live a life of scarcity for us, so that we might live the abundant life by believing in Him.
We know the grace of our LORD Jesus Christ personally. God has poured into our hearts in our baptism his marvelous grace.
To keep from returning to a scarcity mentality life, Christ invites to His house and table each week to be refreshed in His grace and filled to live a grace-filled, abundant life.
Like the Macedonians, we have come to trust in the promises of our God. Striving,
7 But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel in this act of grace also.
We have been graced by God to give from the heart...cheerfully,
7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
We have been grace by God to give from the heart to give bountifully
2 Corinthians 9:8 (NIV) 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.
WE have been grace by God give to give with a heart of gratitude to God our Father for the gift of Christ His Son.
15 Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!