"Which Pie?" Mission's Devotional- Day 2

✤DAY 2✤

"Which Pie?"

Deuteronomy 10:14

To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest 

heavens, the earth and everything in it.

II Corinthians 9:8

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at 

all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every 

good work.

For the past forty years Eunice Pike has worked with the 

Mazatec Indians in southwestern Mexico. During this time she 

has discovered some interesting things about these beautiful 

people. For instance, the people seldom wish someone well. Not 

only that, they are hesitant to teach one another or to share the 

gospel with each other. If asked, "Who taught you to bake 

bread?" the village baker answers, "I just know," meaning he has 

acquired the knowledge without anyone's help. Eunice says this 

odd behavior stems from the Indian's concept of "limited good." 

They believe there is only so much good, so much knowledge, so 

much love to go around. To teach another means you might drain 

yourself of knowledge. To love a second child means you have 

to love the first child less. To wish someone well by saying

"Have a good day" means you have just given away some of 

your own happiness, which cannot be reacquired.

When it comes to money for Kingdom work, we are often like 

the Mazatec Indians. We think in terms of limitations. We are 

limited by what is in our pocketbook, our bank account, or our 

investment portfolio. We are also limited by past performance, 

present reality, and future expectations. Whether as an individual 

or as a church, we tend to think we know how big the pie is and 

what will happen if we take a slice out of it. When we do that, 

we fail to consider that the pie may be much bigger than what we 

envision.

Our Scripture readings for today remind us of two simple truths. 

First, God is owner of everything. Second, he is the source for all 

that we have or hope to have. King David sums up these truths 

up as he prays, “Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and 

the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in 

heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are 

exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you 

are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power 

to exalt and give strength to all. Now, our God, we give you 

thanks, and praise your glorious name. But who am I, and who 

are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as 

this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only 

what comes from your hand.” (1 Chronicles 29:11-14)

As we consider the Faith Promise, one of the things we 

recognize is, unlike the tithe or our regular giving to the church, 

Faith Promise giving is not based on our known assets or current 

budget. Rather, our giving is based on what God will provide, 

often in surprising and varied ways. As you continue these 

meditations over the next several days you will come to a better 

understanding of what that means. The salient point for now is 

that we serve a God who is limitless. If there is any constraint on 

Him at all it may be the degree to which we trust Him and place 

our faith in Him. Therefore, when it comes to Faith Promise 

giving we should be looking at His unlimited pie instead of our 

restricted one.

Contemplation

Do I need to take a fresh look at the greatness and goodness of 

God and His unconditional love for me?

Prayer

Father, I acknowledge your greatness, power, glory and majesty. 

Free me from any propensity to focus on things that divert my 

attention away from your unlimited goodness, grace, and mercy. 

Amen

Produced by: The Mission Society