Victory Series: It’s Time to Share!
Over the past month, we have focused on the theme of stewardship and how we are called to use our talents and gifts to serve others. However, one topic we often avoid when discussing stewardship is finances. Culturally, it is not acceptable to talk about money. I imagine most people feel finances are a private matter. I don’t necessarily disagree, but when it comes to stewardship, the Bible provides some clear guidance on how we are to give.
Instead of writing a blog on this topic, I happen to know someone who has worked through this issue quite well (in my opinion). I had to twist his arm to do this interview, but all joking aside, he has taught me so much when it comes to stewardship of finances. I’m going to be completely transparent here – this is something we have had to work through in our marriage. I tend to hold on a little too tightly to our money. Vern, on the other hand, is quite generous. As a result, I have seen some awesome displays of God’s faithfulness and felt a real-life testimony might be the best way to encourage all of us when it comes to stewarding our finances. I pray you will find our conversation insightful and helpful.
Jackie: Before we get started, give us a quick run-down of your experience in education.
Vern: I am old. This is year 43 for me in education. I spent the first 30 years of my career serving in the field. I started as a high school teacher and athletic coach. Eventually, I moved into administration, serving as a principal, assistant superintendent, and superintendent. I was a superintendent of schools in two districts (12 years in one district and 4 in another). For the last 13 years, I have served as the Director of Educational Leadership for Kagan Professional Development.
Jackie: We all know educators don’t make a lot of money. How were you able to prioritize giving back in the day when you first started and it was difficult to make ends meet?
Vern: I think it is important to note that I was not raised in a Christian household. As such, I did not see giving to the church (either in terms of finances or service) modeled for me. I was saved in college, so I had much to learn about what it meant to be a disciple of Christ. I started reading the Bible and attending Sunday School regularly. Part of what I studied related to finances. In my early years of walking with Christ, a couple of key truths resonated strongly with me. First, everything we have belongs to God. We own nothing. “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it…” (Psalm 24:1). An unhealthy attachment to the things of this world creates selfishness, not selflessness. Keeping this in the forefront of my thinking has made it easy for me to give, even when we did not have much to give. Second, and closely related to the first, is to remember my first love. The Bible is clear on how we should regard our wealth. “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:24). Who or what we love is a choice; I have chosen to love God more than money even during the lean times.
Jackie: Some educators reading this may say they are already stretched thin when it comes to their finances and giving feels scary. I’m sure you felt the same way. What would you say to them?
Vern: There have been many times when I felt stretched through the years. From a practical point of view, I think it is important to pay attention to how we spend our monies. I can think of two specific times in our lives when I was reminded of how critical this is. The first was when we decided to work on our doctoral degrees. Together, it took us three years to both complete our doctorates. During that time we each took a year off work to focus on our coursework (i.e., halved our income) and increased our expenses (i.e., paid rent on two houses for two years and college tuition). The second time occurred during COVID. Both Jackie and I were furloughed for a time, and when we were brought back to work, we came back at 10% of our pay. We did not get back to 100% of our compensation for 1.5 years. Both of these incidents forced us to examine how we were spending our money. We realized we could live on far less than what we were making if we made different decisions about our spending habits. From a spiritual point of view, I can give testimony to this fact—God is faithful. He can be trusted. When we are obedient, God promises to never leave our sides. We made a decision to never forsake the tithe, even during the leanest of times, and God made ends meet. As Christians, we cannot look at our circumstances through the world’s eyes. We must trust God is who He says He is in His Word.
Jackie: You have referenced tithing. In your opinion, is tithing still “required” and is there a difference between tithing and giving?
Vern: As I understand the Bible, we are not obligated to tithe. The tithe was a requirement of the Mosaic Law. Nowhere in the New Testament is there a command to tithe. However, there are commands to give offerings. We are to give voluntarily to support fellow believers, Christian workers (like pastors), and evangelism efforts. No specific amount is commanded, and no percentage is even mentioned. In fact, one of the most beautiful examples of giving recorded in Scripture is the widow’s offering of two small copper coins (Mark 12:41-44). When Jesus saw her offering, He told the disciples, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.” Each person must decide individually how much God is calling you to give. For me, I have always felt called to give a tithe (i.e., 10% of my gross wages) to the general fund of my local church and offerings above and beyond the tithe.
Jackie: When it comes to stewarding your finances, what has surprised you?
Vern: I mentioned earlier that we have always made ends meet. Human logic would suggest otherwise, but I am 64 years old now, and God has always been faithful to provide what my family needed regardless of how much income we had. However, I think what has surprised me the most is how unattached I am to money. It is easy for me to be generous; in fact, it brings me joy. I have made career decisions that some thought were not wise (e.g., not staying in one state to earn a full pension), but when God calls you to go, you go! I never let money be the determining factor in career choices. As I close in on retirement, I can see how God has made it all work. The reality is everything we own will one day end up in a landfill. Choosing to lay up treasures for yourself in Heaven will prevent you from being selfishly attached to the things of this world.
Jackie: We often see giving as something we have to do. Have you ever felt that way? How has your attitude toward giving changed over the years?
Vern: I think when I was a new believer, I viewed giving as an act of obedience. That is true, but it is much more than this. We are told in the Bible to give sacrificially, generously, and joyfully. In fact, the Word says, “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). Was I cheerful when we first began to tithe? I don’t know the answer to that, but what I do know is that as I have habitually practiced giving for many years, I do find joy in it. It is a form of worship for me. Every time I give to the church or to Christian organizations that we support (like Victorious Educator Ministries), I am reminded of how blessed I am. Giving to others causes me to be grateful for how God has provided for me. I think the key for someone who may be struggling with giving is simple—you just have to start giving. You must choose to give as an act of obedience. As you are faithful to do so, your heart changes, and giving becomes joyful!
Jackie: What final words of wisdom do you have for our group?
Vern: How we handle our money is an important part of our spiritual journey. Jesus spoke about money in 11 out of 39 parables; in fact, He spoke about money more than any other topic. We need to pay close attention to the warnings in the Bible about money. “Keep your life free from the love of money…” (Hebrews 13:5). “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money” (Ecclesiastes 5:10). I would encourage anyone who is struggling with giving to spend time in His Word studying this topic. Meditate on His Word, and spend time in prayer with the Father. He can and will change your heart if you are struggling to give. The last thing we should ever say to ourselves is, “I will start giving when I am in a better place financially.” Don’t worry about the amount. Remember the widow, and just start giving. I can give testimony that when you do so, God will respond. “Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of Heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it” (Malachi 3:10). That is exactly what God will do!
Final Thoughts
Although I suspected Vern would have strong thoughts on this topic, I must admit I wasn’t fully prepared for the passion I felt in his words. I have had a front-row seat to his testimony, witnessing his generosity unfold time and time again. Throughout our journey together, his selfless mindset has deepened our faith as God has consistently shown up, often providing what we needed just in the nick of time!
Stewarding our finances is one more aspect of our spiritual journey as believers. I continue to be amazed that when we surrender to God what He has given us (e.g., talents, gifts, finances), God takes what little we have and multiplies it for His glory. We are never wanting but, instead, supernaturally filled. It’s unexplainable but true.
I recognize that giving is something we all must figure out on our own through time in prayer and God’s Word. No one can do it for us. We know, though, that when we earnestly seek God’s guidance, He promises to answer us (Matthew 7:7). I pray this blog has encouraged you to steward your finances in a way that fills your heart with joy!
Next week, December 3, is Giving Tuesday. As a non-profit, Victorious Educator Ministries (VEM) will be participating in this International Day of Giving. As most of you know, VEM believes every educator is on mission! We desire to support, empower, ignite, and encourage educators around the world to live out their Christian faith in the workplace. The field of education continues to change, and we know educators need resources to help them be strong and shine the light of Jesus in their schools. This is why we are excited to announce this year’s release of Dr. Jackie Minor’s book, Taking Jesus to School: The Fruit of the Spirit on Display! Giving Tuesday will help us get this book into the hands of teachers across the country!
Will you consider supporting us on Giving Tuesday (www.victoriouseducator.com/donate)? If you feel unable to give financially, we completely understand; however, we would greatly appreciate your help in sharing our social media posts with friends and family so others can have the opportunity to contribute. Additionally, be on the lookout for a blog post on December 1 entitled, "BIG ANNOUNCEMENT! Join the Movement: Support Christian Educators This Giving Tuesday!" This post will provide more details about our focus and intentions for this fundraising event.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving! We all have so much to be thankful for.
Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over,
will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
Luke 6:38
Comentarios