Do you remember the drought of 46? Before you answer, I’m not talking about 1946, I’m asking if you recall the famine of AD 46. Josephus mentions it, and Agabus prophesied about it in Acts 11:28.

Agabus is mentioned only twice in Scripture, and both times he is delivering sobering prophecies. In Acts 21 he warns Paul that if he persists in his intent to go to Jerusalem he will be arrested and imprisoned. Then there is his famine prophecy in Acts 11.

Famine comes in variety and by degrees, but fundamentally it is a shortage, need, scarcity, or deficiency. It means your physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual well being is in jeopardy.

It is interesting to note the response to Agabus’ prophecy: Acts 11:29 says, “And in the proportion that any of the disciples had means, each of them determined to send a contribution for the relief of the brethren living in Judea. And this they did, sending it in charge of Barnabas and Saul to the elders.”

God has many options when it comes to meeting our needs. In Acts 11 He chooses the option of drawing on the personal resources of the disciples in Antioch to meet the needs of the disciples in Jerusalem. But while God’s means are limitless, His promise is singular: It is He who meets our needs, by various and sundry means (ref. Phil. 4:19).

Isn’t it interesting that God doesn’t just create surpluses of food and money, but chooses instead to transfer His resources from one disciple to another? From my vantage point it seems more straightforward to just send rain, or to simply print additional money, or make a direct deposit. However, in addition to causing floods and inflation, such action would rob us of the joy in being part of His supply chain.

God’s grace is always consistent in this way: He is intent on including us in His life. Whatever it takes to march through life and eternity together is God’s priority, and He would like for it to be ours as well.

Notice God inspired the disciples to contribute in proportion to their means. In other words, God is not particularly interested in the amount of the gift we give. He is interested in each disciple giving proportionately, and doing so with determination. There is no formula referenced, and He gives no indication of a greater reward for the disciple who gives double what another disciple gives. Contributing is based upon grace. In other words, it is a reflection of the disciple’s heart and is to be proportional based upon individual means.

It is tempting at this time of the year to talk only of money and the year’s end. After all, LGI needs your financial partnership and will benefit from year-end giving for the rest of the year! But to do so would miss the point of Acts 11:29 and compromise the message of grace I wish to point out.

Proportional giving is not a percentage. It is an act of consideration. It is a transfer of funds that your Heavenly Father wishes to include you in making. Giving in proportion to your blessing is not a financial activity but a heart response from God to someone else via you and His activity in your life.

There is famine in various sectors of society, and like Barnabas and Saul, Lifetime Guarantee is carrying much-needed relief. We are discipling Believers laboring to make their Christian lives meaningful. We minister in churches worldwide presenting the extravagant work of Christ at the cross on our behalf. We present God’s heart of grace in meaningful language through a variety of media. We inspire the discouraged to find hope in Christ’s sufficiency. But most of all, we minister grace with transparent, practical, and personal communication.

As 2006 closes, I ask you to contribute to the cause at hand, and I ask you to do so according to the proportion in which God has blessed you. In so doing, you share the joy of transferring God’s grace to others. It is precisely this perspective that ties the heart of grace to the spirit of Christmas!

God bless you, and happy holidays,

Preston Gillham

President, Lifetime Guarantee Ministries

PS It is not the amount of our contribution that matters. God does not need a $100,000 gift any more than He needs a $1 gift. What He does desire is our heartfelt response in proportion to our means and His blessing. What the disciples in Acts 11 grasped, and what you and I must comprehend as well, is that a contribution is simply a transfer of God’s funds from His account in your name to His account at Lifetime Guarantee Ministries.