Eating The Goose

​Love you all, praying for you. 
 
I just love God’s Word.  It reveals stupid.  Because sometimes stupid isn’t obvious – when it should be.  Proverbs 12:1 – Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid.  Loving discipline is hard.  Discipline is correction and instruction.  When you’re a child, discipline and instruction come easily (your parents tell you exactly what to do and when, you have no choice, you’re a child.) But as an adult, if you’re a believer, your Heavenly Father sends correction, and instruction – but you’re not forced to sit in your high chair until you finish your green beans – if you choose not to, you just leave.  As an adult – the correction of discipline is tough because correction always starts as verbal, and you only heed it if you receive it.  If you don’t, He’ll send it again, but eventually if you don’t heed, consequence will follow.  As a child, a swat on the diaper, but as an adult, the consequence of unheeded correction is often delayed, but with much higher impact and repercussion – financially and otherwise…  That’s why it’s vital as an adult to heed correction - so you learn to love discipline.  To heed correction: you have to hear, you have to recognized it’s God speaking (in whatever form He chose to communicate to you), you have to recognize that it’s different, than what you have been doing, and you have to decide to change, and then follow through.  As an adult, the instruction part of discipline is equally tough, because it means – you have to humble yourself to sit under His instruction, and then choose to do what He says, over what you have been doing… to develop new actions and new patterns, that don’t come naturally to you, or don’t match your preference or natural tendency.  God’s instruction yields great reward, but only for those who follow it.  So to love discipline (God’s correction and instruction) you have to receive it and follow it.  If you don’t respond… then you really hate God’s correction, you don’t love it.  You place little value on it, instead of considering it a priority.  God says it’s stupid to do that…   It’s easy to get caught up in stupid things.  Stupid is as stupid does, but stupid does as stupid thinks.  As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.  Most people do foolish things (ignorant or intentional), because they’re stuck in their old way of thinking.  They value man’s way above God’s way.  Like the person who eats the goose for dinner – that lays the golden eggs.  How stupid.  Sell the eggs, and you can eat at Chick-Fil-A every night for dinner.   Here’s a challenge of God revealing things…  When talking in generalities, everyone nods their head in agreement, but once you get to the particulars – “Preacher, you done left preaching, and now you’ve gone to meddlin’…”  So what’s this goose thing?  Most people want to live a lifestyle right now that their present income cannot provide, and their present maturity cannot steward.  But they become obligated either with debt which is slavery and a curse, or high monthly expenses which consume their cashflow, and eat their seed. They don’t realize ‘that seven year plan,’ will start now, or will start later, and the longer you wait, the more challenging it becomes.  If a farmer eats all the seed, he can’t plant in the spring.  If people consume all their cash-flow on today’s expenses, and lifestyle, there is nothing to plant for tomorrow.  But worse yet, there is nothing left to give.  You can’t give what you owe to someone else…  If you’ve obligated yourself, you cannot give like you want, you’ve already chosen to owe, to what you’ve already bought, or committed to.  You cannot be a giver, if you owe, certainly you can’t be a hilarious giver, because you have committed to spend what could be used for giving.  If you are living beyond your means, you are not just stealing your seed of saving for the future, you are eating your seed of giving – which is God’s secret to abundance, and eternal reward, in the Spirit and in the natural.  God said. “Give and it will be given to you.  Good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over – will be poured into your lap.  With the measure you use it will be measured unto you.”  Some people would be open to giving, but their measure is already committed to another.  So they cannot give more – and so… they cannot receive more.  Now be careful, if your mind becomes twisted, and you start giving just to receive, you’re not giving, you’re swapping.  And God never says “swap and it will be swapped unto you” He said give, and it will be given unto you.  If you give as God directs – God can bring abundance into your life.  But if you commit all your income, you are spending, not saving, you’re consuming, not giving.  You’re eating the goose – that lays the golden eggs. Giving is the goose.  Praying that you will be content with what you have.  That you will look to become, more than you look to get.  That you will live today in a way that enables you to give and save as God leads… so tomorrow you will be able to give even more, and be free from those lifestyle obligations that limit your giving,  Praying that you won’t be tied down by obligations, but free to do what God will put in your heart to do.  Praying that you will sacrifice and save now, so you will have the resources to do what God tells you to do then!  Praying that you will know God’s seven year plan for you – so you can be free to serve, free to give, free to minister, and your family will be free to do what God puts on your heart to do.  Whatever your dream for today, God has bigger dreams that He wants to give you tomorrow.  Praying that you will think about tomorrow, not just today, that you will ask God what He wants you to do, and sacrifice today in this season, to prepare for what He has for you in the next season.  God’s way is always freedom, always margin, always thanksgiving, always contentment, always sharing, always hope.  Today isn’t everything, and neither is tomorrow.  Just be faithful today, learn to be content today, fully faithful - and it will help you to be faithful tomorrow.  Content is not complacent, saving is not sacrifice, it’s investment.  Giving is not loss, it’s eternal gain, and wisdom.  Praying that you will ask God how He wants you to live today, so you can give what He wants you to give, so you can save like the wise, what God wants you to save, so tomorrow you will be more free, so your house will be filled with rare and beautiful treasures.  So that you will today be Godly with contentment – which God says is great gain!  Praying that you will rejoice, that you will be willing in the sacrifice, that you will be thankful in everything, hopeful, joyful, and prayerful.  That your life will reflect God’s kingdom, God’s giving – because you have a heart for it, ears to hear, and margin for it.  Praying that God’s contentment, wisdom, and obedience, (and the precious possession of each person – diligence) – will lead you to His next provision.  Praying that you won’t let dreams of today, steal the destiny or legacy or freedom - that He has for you.  Praying that you won’t eat the golden goose, nor obligate all the eggs, but that you will trust God for His peace, and His pace for your life, family and ministry.  Praying that you will seek His longer term perspective, so His fruit will be abundant in you in every season.  Ministry is not a title, it’s a relationship – a relationship with God, and a relationship with others.  What kind of relationship? a discipling kind of relationship that leads them to God’s Way not man’s way.  Praying that you will know and choose God’s wisdom – so who you are, and what you do – is something that God’ wants to replicate in others.   
 
Love you all,
dad