What are we to do with God’s blessings?
17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. 1 Timothy 6:17–19
This is wonderfully balanced passage. There are the warnings: Don’t be haughty; blessings are gifts, not wages. Don’t put your hopes in riches; the only hope that we really have is God Himself. Then there are injunctions: Do good, be generous and ready to share. And finally there is the promise: our future hope of our eternal life.
In spite of all of this we often come away from this passage feeling burdened or guilty for even for having God’s material blessings in the first place. Maybe it’s because we missed the description of “God who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.”
God didn’t give us his blessings to make us feel guilty, but rather to use selflessly and enjoy thoroughly. So how do we go about enjoying His blessings? One way, of course, is to enjoy sharing them and blessing others with them. But there’s a second way that often escapes our notice.
One aspect of the Old Testament practice of tithing answers the question. The well-known use for the tithe was to support the Jewish priesthood and the functioning of the temple. But another use (or perhaps another tithe) was to enjoy and share the tenth of God’s blessing in a great feast in the presence of God!
22 “You shall tithe all the yield of your seed that comes from the field year by year. 23 And before the Lord your God, in the place that he will choose, to make his name dwell there, you shall eat the tithe of your grain, of your wine, and of your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock, that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always. 24 And if the way is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry the tithe, when the Lord your God blesses you, because the place is too far from you, which the Lord your God chooses, to set his name there, 25 then you shall turn it into money and bind up the money in your hand and go to the place that the Lord your God chooses 26 and spend the money for whatever you desire—oxen or sheep or wine or strong drink, whatever your appetite craves. And you shall eat there before the Lord your God and rejoice, you and your household. 27 And you shall not neglect the Levite who is within your towns, for he has no portion or inheritance with you. Deuteronomy 14:22–27 (ESV)
Are you surprised to learn that Israel was to eat their tithe as a feast in God’s presence? You shouldn’t be. This is the same God “who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.”
An illustration may help. Imagine that I’m a little boy and that my Dad has bought me a model train set for my birthday. He gets down on the carpet with me. We assemble it together and have a great time playing with it together. That’s how my Dad planned it. He didn’t give it to me so I could take the box to my room, close the door and play with it by myself. And neither did God.
So when you delight in some blessing that God has given you, don’t go off by yourself and mix your enjoyment with a strong dose of guilt. Enjoy it with God.
What would that look like in practice? Imagine that God has given you the resources to get away from the daily grind and go skiing. Then try this. When you’re at the top of the first slope, pause and say, “Here we are on this slope, Lord. Thank You for this trip to enjoy. Let’s try this together!”
This enjoying God’s blessings with Him. . .consciously bringing Him into your enjoyment. . . may take some getting used to, but in the end it will please God, and strengthen your bond with Him.