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By Jody Parry

In a time of economic struggle, one might wonder, do God’s principles still hold true. Is He indeed the same yesterday, today and forever, or is He only good when the economy is good? And, if He is indeed the same, how do we then respond?

The news has been broadcasting that giving has been down recently. ABC News writes, “The Salvation Army says it’s down more than 100 thousand dollars in donations this year and it has a 20 per cent increase in the number of people needing help this year. The reason… the down economy. All service organizations are suffering because of the tight economy.”

During an economic low, should we tighten our purse strings or should we hold tight to Kingdom principles and still give? In Luke 21, a poor widow gave 2 coins which is all she had. Jesus said she gave more than those who were giving out of their surplus. I think we often give out of our abundance especially when we feel secure about our finances. But, I think God goes beyond our surplus and asks us to have the faith to continue to give even when we when we might not have extra. Proverbs 11:24-25NIV says, “One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” In God’s economy if we do not give, we do not gain.

In Mark, a multitude gathered to see Jesus teach. It is recorded to say that there were about 5,000. It came to be a meal time and a boy decided to give the lunch his mom had packed for him that day. It was all he had to eat but he gave. Jesus took that lunch and performed a miracle. He was able to take what the boy gave and multiply it to feed all of the people that gathered that day. Imagine if that boy decided that he was hungry and it was all he had so he did not give? The multitude would go hungry for a meal and a miracle would not have been witnessed. Because the child gave, the Lord was able to provide well beyond what just the boy needed. See, we are in the economy of the world, but we do not need to be bound by it.

Recently, I interviewed Darren Tyler, founder of a young adults Bible Study and non-profit called Conduit. The group is made up of anywhere between 10-50 young adults on any given Monday night. These young people know, understand and put into practice the principles of Kingdom economy. They all have a heart to see the poor fed and the captive set free. In fact, over the past 14 months, they were able to raise $50,000. Conduit gives 1/3 of their donations to a project in Haiti under a local church. Through the funds, the project is able to feed, clothe and shelter those in need. It has also provided schooling fees for those who would have otherwise not been able to attend. Conduit was also able to provide the project with a much needed industrial sized stove, a deep freezer and a motorbike. Another 1/3 goes to Place of Hope located in Columbia, TN. Place of Hope provides in-house treatment in a Christ centered environment to bring addicts off the streets and into rehab. The other 1/3 goes to whatever needs or organizations might come up. They have previously given the remaining 1/3 to World Vision and The Hands and Feet Project. All of the money goes out without overhead costs. Everyone who helps in facilitating the needs does it on a voluntary basis. Money has also come from one time donors and church offerings. Recently in Catoosa, OK (a suburb of Tulsa), a small church in a trailer park with maybe 80 attendants gave $720 one Sunday when they heard of the cause. You can learn more about Conduit on Darren Tyler’s blog, www.darrentyler.com.

Luke 25:40 says, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” Even when the economy is bad, don’t we still want to give our best to our Lord? The challenge is on. You cannot out give God, but it sure is and adventure trying.