Nature vs Nurture
It’s an argument as old as time. Is the person we are today because of our nature or how we were nurtured. I believe the truth to be as simple as, yes. There are natural qualities about our personalities that are good because we have a good God who uniquely crafted us. And there are natural qualities that need to be nurtured in a different direction because of the fallen world we live in. The truth is, our natural inclination is to think about me first. Just watch the little ones trying to take turns. On anything. The slide, the game, the line at school, the activity sheet. They want to be first. It takes years, if not decades for them to be nurtured in a way to think of others before themselves.
When it comes to wealth and budgeting within our own lives, our natural bent is to think of our own safety and security first. That’s what we are taught in school. Find a job to cover your living expenses. Save for the future… But what if God has called us to live and nurture our lives in a different way. To live a life that is financially countercultural. Before Jesus came to earth, the Israelite people needed a lot of direction and rules so that they would be able to follow the new life God would give to them. In Deuteronomy 16, God tells the Israelites that No one should appear before the Lord empty-handed: Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you (Deuteronomy 16:16-17).
The reality for anyone who calls themselves a follower of Jesus is that we have already been given so much. God has made a way for us into a new life. Because of who he is, no matter the odds, the outcome is always the same. The words on the pages. The promise You made us. You still have the final say. You will make a way (Elevation Worship, Make A Way).
Whether it’s our natural feeling to give or if it needs to be nurtured a little more, God has given us so much. And we should return to him proportionally to say, “Lord, thank you for all you’ve done for me.” It’s a form of worship back to the one who gave it all for us. He is the real treasure that will not fade away. He is the treasure we should be investing in. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21).
When it comes to wealth and budgeting within our own lives, our natural bent is to think of our own safety and security first. That’s what we are taught in school. Find a job to cover your living expenses. Save for the future… But what if God has called us to live and nurture our lives in a different way. To live a life that is financially countercultural. Before Jesus came to earth, the Israelite people needed a lot of direction and rules so that they would be able to follow the new life God would give to them. In Deuteronomy 16, God tells the Israelites that No one should appear before the Lord empty-handed: Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you (Deuteronomy 16:16-17).
The reality for anyone who calls themselves a follower of Jesus is that we have already been given so much. God has made a way for us into a new life. Because of who he is, no matter the odds, the outcome is always the same. The words on the pages. The promise You made us. You still have the final say. You will make a way (Elevation Worship, Make A Way).
Whether it’s our natural feeling to give or if it needs to be nurtured a little more, God has given us so much. And we should return to him proportionally to say, “Lord, thank you for all you’ve done for me.” It’s a form of worship back to the one who gave it all for us. He is the real treasure that will not fade away. He is the treasure we should be investing in. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21).
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