Ordinary People Can Do Extraordinary Things
In 2020, Morgan Housel published a book that went on to sell more than 10 million copies worldwide. It was a book he entitled “The Psychology of Money” and he opens with a story about a man named Ronald Read.
If you look up Ronald Read on Wikipedia, you’ll find these words: Ronald James Read (October 23, 1921 – June 2, 2014) was an American philanthropist, investor, janitor, and gas station attendant.
Read was born in Vermont. He was the first person in his family to graduate from high school. That’s even more impressive and interesting when you consider the fact that he had to hitchhike to school each day. For 25 years he fixed cars at a gas station. For 17 years he swept the floors at JCPenney. When he was 38 years old he bought a small two bedroom house for $12,000 and lived there the rest of his life. His wife died when he was 50 years old and he never remarried. He died in 2014 at age 92. That’s when this former janitor and gas station attendant made the headlines.
According to Housel, when Ronald Read died he had a net worth of more than $8 million!
You might wonder, did this guy win the lottery before he died? Was he on the receiving end of some huge inheritance. Surprisingly, the answer was no! He simply saved what little he could, invested it, then waited for decades and watched as his tiny investments compounded into more than $8 million.
And then, he gave it all away.
Sometimes we don’t think we can make a difference. We don’t think we make enough, or have enough, or could possibly do something like Ronald Read.
But it turns out the secret is that there is no secret. Ordinary people really can do extraordinary things. If anything, the life of Ronald Read invites us to consider what might happen if we set aside all our excuses, rationalizations, and reasons why we could never do something like that, and imagine what could happen if we were willing to take what God has placed in our HANDS and set some of it aside for His PLANS.
I want to invite you to think about what could happen if we were willing to give to a God honoring vision. What would happen if a group of ordinary people were willing and able to be a part of something extraordinary?
What if we were to take what God has placed in our hands and redirect a portion of it back into his hands? And by the way, that principle of compounding interest that turned Ronald Read’s small contributions into over $8 million, that same principle is at work in God’s economy.
What we place in his hands will be multiplied in ways we could never imagine.
What Has God Placed in Your Hands?
The question is, what’s in your hands? What has God placed in your hands? What if you take what God has placed in your hands and put a portion of it back into His hands?
There are moments when God places before His people a vision so incredible, so great, that it is bigger than any one person. There are moments when God calls His people to come together and leverage their lives to be a part of something that will OUTLIVE them.
David’s Vision for the Temple
That’s what happens in 1 Chronicles 29. At this point in the story, King David is near the end of his life. He wants to leverage his leadership in his last days for the glory of God. His son Solomon will take his place as King. But David has a vision, something he wants to do for the glory of God that exceeds his ability. He wants to construct a Temple for God. He knows the magnitude of the work ahead. He also knows that the goal, God’s Temple, is worth it. This is a worthy goal. A worthy project. Because God is worthy!
So listen as David casts the vision for the people.
I Chronicles 29:1-20, NLT
1 Then King David turned to the entire assembly and said, “My son Solomon, whom God has clearly chosen as the next king of Israel, is still young and inexperienced. The work ahead of him is enormous, for the Temple he will build is not for mere mortals—it is for the Lord God himself! 2 Using every resource at my command, I have gathered as much as I could for building the Temple of my God. Now there is enough gold, silver, bronze, iron, and wood, as well as great quantities of onyx, other precious stones, costly jewels, and all kinds of fine stone and marble.
3 “And now, because of my devotion to the Temple of my God, I am giving all of my own private treasures of gold and silver to help in the construction. This is in addition to the building materials I have already collected for his holy Temple. 4 I am donating more than 112 tons of gold from Ophir and 262 tons of refined silver to be used for overlaying the walls of the buildings 5 and for the other gold and silver work to be done by the craftsmen.
1 Chronicles 29:3-5 (NLT)
Giving to Something That Will Outlive Us
David has a vision to build a Temple for the worship of God.
He knows that Solomon is young and inexperienced.
He knows that he will not live to see his vision come to fruition.
He knows the work ahead is enormous.
And he knows, the Temple to be built will be glorious.
It has to be. This is not a temple for mere mortals, this is a Temple for the worship of the Lord of Hosts.
David has personally committed his resources for the task ahead. He is personally invested. But don’t miss this, he is casting the vision for something he will not live to see.
Can I encourage you to pause and think about that?
What would it look like for you and me to give to something that will outlive us? To something that will have a generational impact?
An endowment can outlive us and have a generational impact, enabling ministry to be a blessing to future generations.
An Endowment and the Faith of Future Generations
What is an endowment and how does it work? An endowment is a sum of money that is set aside and invested for the long term. Instead of spending the original gift, we can use the investment earnings to help fund ministry year after year. Think of an endowment like a fruit tree. The fruit tree is the endowment, the original gift. But we don’t cut down that tree. We care for it, nurture it, and let it grow. Then year after year, we benefit from the fruit it produces.
Here’s the question, what impact could our generosity have on the faith of future generations?
That’s what David had in mind here. He had in mind the kind of generosity that would impact the faith of future generations.
You could argue that his vision and his generosity then, some 3000 years ago, is still having an impact on our faith today!
Leading by Example in Generosity
David casts the vision. He explains that it is greater than anything any one person could accomplish. He has publicly shared that he is personally invested. And then, he asks this question:
Now then, who will follow my example and give offerings to the Lord today?
1 Chronicles 29:5 (NLT)
Who else will help this vision come to fruition?
David invites the people to be a part. This isn’t required.
This isn’t a part of their tithe.
This isn’t mandatory for membership. This is above and beyond.
And David leads by example. Listen to what happens next…
Giving Freely and Wholeheartedly
6 Then the family leaders, the leaders of the tribes of Israel, the generals and captains of the army, and the king’s administrative officers all gave willingly. 7 For the construction of the Temple of God, they gave about 188 tons of gold, 10,000 gold coins, 375 tons of silver, 675 tons of bronze, and 3,750 tons of iron. 8 They also contributed numerous precious stones, which were deposited in the treasury of the house of the Lord under the care of Jehiel, a descendant of Gershon. 9 The people rejoiced over the offerings, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord, and King David was filled with joy.
1 Chronicles 29:6-9 (NLT)
David led with generosity.
Then the leaders led with generosity.
Then the people rejoiced because they gave freely and wholeheartedly.
The people gave, then David praised God.
Everything We Have Has Come From God
10 Then David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly:
1 Chronicles 29:10 (NLT)
“O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, may you be praised forever and ever! 11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. 12 Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength.
1 Chronicles 29:10-12 (NLT)
13 “O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name! 14 But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us!
1 Chronicles 29:13-14 (NLT)
If we want to be generous people and live generous lives, isn’t it good to remember that everything we have comes from God. Everything we give to God we are really giving back to God.
David says:
“who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you?”
Absolutely everything belongs to God and comes from God. We have been entrusted as stewards. He is the Giver of every good and perfect gift. (James 1:17)
David keeps on praising God. He says…
Our Lives Are Brief, but Our Giving Can Last
15 We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace.
1 Chronicles 29:15 (NLT)
16 “O Lord our God, even this material we have gathered to build a Temple to honor your holy name comes from you! It all belongs to you! 17 I know, my God, that you examine our hearts and rejoice when you find integrity there. You know I have done all this with good motives, and I have watched your people offer their gifts willingly and joyously.
1 Chronicles 29:16-17 (NLT)
18 “O Lord, the God of our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, make your people always want to obey you. See to it that their love for you never changes. 19 Give my son Solomon the wholehearted desire to obey all your commands, laws, and decrees, and to do everything necessary to build this Temple, for which I have made these preparations.”
1 Chronicles 29:18-19 (NLT)
20 Then David said to the whole assembly, “Give praise to the Lord your God!” And the entire assembly praised the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and they bowed low and knelt before the Lord and the king.
1 Chronicles 29:20 (NLT)
David cast the vision.
He personally gave to the vision.
Then the people gave to the vision.
And then, they worshiped!
Everyone gave. Everyone worshiped.
And in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign as King, after David had died, the people began to build the Temple (1 Kings 6:1).
Ordinary people came together to be a part of something extraordinary.
Do you want to be a part of something extraordinary?
The Lasting Impact of Faithful Giving
I read a story recently about a man who, very early on in life, he and his wife decided to tithe. For them, it started with writing $40 checks each week. In those early days, it wasn’t easy. But they were faithful. $40 a week is about $2000 a year. That may not sound like much to some, but for them, it was a lot. Over a five year period, that $40 a week turned into a $10,000 gift. Over time, they were blessed. They made more and they were able to give more. And somewhere along the way, he realized that they had given over $100,000 to the church!
You might not think you could give $100,000 to the mission and vision of the church.
But could I ask you to consider what God has placed into your hands and ask yourself, what can you put back into His?
I also want to acknowledge, some of you are under financial hardship. There is no pressure to give. Giving for some will look different than it does for others.
It is pretty exciting to consider what could happen if we all shared this mentality and decided to give to the mission and vision that God has given us.
If you gave $2000 a year for the next five years, that’s $10,000 for a God-honoring vision.
If you gave $5000 a year for the next five years, that’s $25,000 for a God-honoring vision!
If you gave $10,000 a year for the next five years, that’s $50,000 for a God-honoring vision.
And you can keep doing the math. But here’s the point…
How many people could we provide a place to stay when they or their loved one travel for medical treatment?
How many churches could we be a part of planting?
How many people could we send on mission trips?
How much could we set aside in an endowment to impact the faith of future generations?
What kind of generational impact could we have for the Kingdom of God if we gave?
People Are the Mission
Sometimes we are called to build literal buildings, like when Solomon and the people of Israel built the Temple. It is exciting to see brick and mortar go up. But we always understand, brick and mortar are never the mission.
People are the mission. The glory of God is the mission.
The mission is seeking and saving the lost. The vision we are casting and being called into is about building for the Kingdom.
We want to see God’s Kingdom Come, and His will be done in us, and through us, for the sake of those around us.
Jesus said:
“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”
Matthew 6:33, NLT
Consider this encouragement…
Our Hands, His Heart
This is what happens when we give to a God-honoring vision:
We ask God to use what He has placed in our HANDS to accomplish what is on His HEART.
We give freely.
Then, we worship wholeheartedly.
We build faithfully for the Kingdom of God and for the glory of God.
Giving to the One Who Has Given Everything for Us
What if we gave? That’s the question to consider. What if we gave like Israel gave for the building of the Temple? What could God do in us? What could God do through us?
Here’s what we know is true, when we give, we give to the One who has already given Everything for us! Not only has He supplied all our needs and generously given us everything we have, God gave us His one and only Son.
In Romans 8:32, the Apostle Paul reminds us of this Gospel truth:
“Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?”
The greatest gift ever given, the greatest sacrifice ever made, happened some 2000 years ago when God the Father gave us His one and only Son for us. Jesus willingly sacrificed His life on the cross so that in Him we might have the forgiveness of sin. If that’s all God had ever given us, it would have been enough. But you know like I know, God didn’t stop there. He continues to lavish on us every good gift.
Remember what God has given for you: His one and only Son, Jesus.
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