Money is a touchy subject?especially for many Christians. Somehow, we?ve been led to feel guilty for having too many earthly possessions.

I remember when I was working in property sales and the company gave me a new car to drive; not just an ordinary vehicle, but a sports convertible, plus a mobile phone?which was still a novelty at the time. In those days I was the youth leader in our church.

The first Friday night after receiving the car, I decided to park it as far away from the church as possible?so no one could see my secret possession. After the youth service, I thought I could leave without anyone following me, but the young people wanted to walk me to my car and have a chat. As I arrived at the car park, about eight youth were still with me; they just couldn?t stop talking. I was reluctant to approach my car or even stand near it. It was getting late, and one young man piped up, ?I guess you should be going.?

That hot summer evening, I had no choice but to walk to my new convertible and flick the lock open. They looked at me and exclaimed, ?Wow! Is that your car? When did you get it?? Sheepishly, I explained it was a gift from my company. They shouted, ?Can we have a ride? Please take the top down!?

I thought, ?Okay, let?s go girl!? I had to face the truth that this was God?s blessing and I didn?t need to make excuses for driving such a stylish automobile.

Your ?Garden?

In truth, the Lord wants His children to be blessed, but He also expects us to work for what we receive. In the beginning, ?the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it? (Genesis 2:15).

God placed Adam in the workplace He provided, then gave him the skills to cultivate the soil and do what was necessary to produce crops. Today, the Lord has also given you a ?garden??the field in which you work. In addition, He has equipped you with the talent and tools to perform whatever is required. Then, in exchange for your efforts, you receive a monetary reward.

Give to Receive?

In God?s economy, there is another requirement?giving. Jesus said, ?Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you? (Luke 6:38).

Some ask, ?Why do we have to give to receive? Isn?t giving by itself enough?? The answer is found in the biblical principle that the law of giving includes receiving. It goes back to Genesis 8:22: ?While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease.?

As long as we are on this planet, the duty to sow and reap will continue. Yet, we are given the choice to either obey or reject this principle.

If this excerpt from my book, Dare to Be Great, has blessed you, please pass it along to a friend. And if you?d like to see what the whole book has to say, it will be in stores in August. You can pre-order it from my online Store.