Be a Conduit, Not a Receptacle

I listened to a sermon the other day, and the pastor used an example I thought was really interesting. The sermon was on the topic of giving. The pastor focused on the benefits of being generous with your time and resources.

The pastor talked our bodies as a metaphor, and he shared about a time when he became incredibly constipated. (I almost lost him at this point, but luckily I stuck with him.)

Then he made the connection. How we handle our time and resources is a lot like our bodies. Our body was made to be a conduit, not a receptacle. We are designed to have our food go in, and then go out. In and out, in and out. Our bodies aren’t designed to just have the food sit in our stomachs indefinitely.

In a similar way, when it comes to our time and resources, we were designed to be a conduit, not a receptacle. We weren’t designed to accumulate money and material possessions, and have them sit there. We weren’t designed to swim in our money like Uncle Scrooge on Duck Tales. Instead, we are designed to work and accumulate money and resources, and then bless others by giving them away.

If we just accumulate money and material possessions, it’s as if our body gets bloated and constipated. We become slow and heavy, tied down to our money and possessions like a slave to its master. It’s not how we’re made to be.

It’s okay to make money and be successful, but the important thing is what happens next. You were designed to be a conduit, not a receptacle. Don’t just hoard your money and material possessions. Work to bless others by giving them away. Get creative. Who can you bless today? Get in the habit of being a conduit, and reap the benefits.