In 1986, Alan and Eric Barnhart started a crane-and-rigging company. They viewed their company as God’s company, though, and decided to cap their income at the same level as the average middle-class families in their hometown, Memphis, so they could give their money to causes that advanced God’s kingdom. Their company is now worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and yet their salaries have only changed for cost-of-living adjustments. The Barnharts have done what is folly in the eyes of the world: denied their own desires for prosperity in order to follow Jesus (Liz Essley Whyte, “Giving It All,” Philanthropy Roundtable, accessed December 14, 2017).
In what areas of our lives do we need to be willing to make sacrifices? What comforts are we holding too tightly? As followers of Jesus, we must accept and embrace the call to deny ourselves and take up our metaphorical cross.
Source: http://www.philanthropyroundtable.org/topic/donor_intent/giving_it_all1
