Reason #542
I could barley keep my eyes open through dinner tonight. I couldn't wait to finish eating so I could lay on the couch and rest. I turned on the chick flick I recorded a few weeks ago and watched the first few minutes before dozing off. I had a lot I needed to get done tonight, and none of it got done. Of course, it's still there waiting to be done, so maybe I'll get to it tomorrow. I did wake up in enough time to catch the ending of the movie, so I made myself fold laundry for the duration of the movie. That way, I got at least one thing done.
Yesterday we were challenged about our level giving. Not just money, but things. And not just things, but time. And taking it one step further, not just time but space. Because Jesus commands us to feed, clothe, shelter and serve. Whatever we do to the "least of these" we are really doing for Jesus. But sometimes we don't want to do these things, right? I know it sounds really terrible and tacky to say, but it's true. Because this costs us something. It can be inconvenient, expensive, scary and even hard. It means you have to do something that's not a normal behavior (at least not for the majority of us) and that only happens when we become intentional. But did you ever think that the Lord gave you these things so that you could give them, too? That He didn't give them to you to keep for yourself, but rather, He gave them to you to share? Your finances, your possessions, your home, and your time are things He is giving to you with the hope that you will give them away. And really, when we do this, although we are serving one another, we are ultimately serving God. Nothing we have is ours anyway. It all belongs to Him, and we wouldn't have it if He wasn't so generous to give it to us in the first place.
I like to think of myself as a giving individual. I love serving at the soup kitchen with our Sunday school class. I am all for inviting friends over to eat or taking a meal to someone who is sick. I don't mind opening my home for social gatherings, bible studies, or football game parties. I was taught to share, as we all were, because sharing means caring and no one likes a stingy person. But sometimes God asks us to give more. Not just to give what we are comfortable with giving or what we're used to giving, but to go beyond that. To give big, to give in a way we normally don't. Truth be told, the majority of my giving is through finances because that is the easiest one for me. And, the majority of my giving is just what's asked of me. I've never given until it hurts. I've never looked at my life and thought, "how much can I give" rather than "how much do I have to give?" I've never really made a sacrifice to give. Instead, I've given what's easy, what I wanted to give, and I've done it exactly how I wanted to.
And so God is challenging us to give in a way that is unlike any we have before. To not be so concerned about how much we can save, but rather think about how much we can give. And not just money, but time. Space, our things, our talents, and our abilities. Not an easy lesson, but who ever gave and said they wished the hadn't? And, as the old saying goes, it's better to give than to receive.
This is what God has done for us. He has generously given to us. He has given His time, His energy, His resources, and His blessings. And He didn't just give us some, He gave us more than we would ever need. Enough for us, and enough to share. He met our needs so that we could meet the needs of others, and when we remember that, we realize that maybe we don't need as much as we thought we did in the first place anyway.
#542 - Because He gives us more than we need to so that we can help meet needs of others by sharing what we've got.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ - Matthew 25:34-40
Yesterday we were challenged about our level giving. Not just money, but things. And not just things, but time. And taking it one step further, not just time but space. Because Jesus commands us to feed, clothe, shelter and serve. Whatever we do to the "least of these" we are really doing for Jesus. But sometimes we don't want to do these things, right? I know it sounds really terrible and tacky to say, but it's true. Because this costs us something. It can be inconvenient, expensive, scary and even hard. It means you have to do something that's not a normal behavior (at least not for the majority of us) and that only happens when we become intentional. But did you ever think that the Lord gave you these things so that you could give them, too? That He didn't give them to you to keep for yourself, but rather, He gave them to you to share? Your finances, your possessions, your home, and your time are things He is giving to you with the hope that you will give them away. And really, when we do this, although we are serving one another, we are ultimately serving God. Nothing we have is ours anyway. It all belongs to Him, and we wouldn't have it if He wasn't so generous to give it to us in the first place.
I like to think of myself as a giving individual. I love serving at the soup kitchen with our Sunday school class. I am all for inviting friends over to eat or taking a meal to someone who is sick. I don't mind opening my home for social gatherings, bible studies, or football game parties. I was taught to share, as we all were, because sharing means caring and no one likes a stingy person. But sometimes God asks us to give more. Not just to give what we are comfortable with giving or what we're used to giving, but to go beyond that. To give big, to give in a way we normally don't. Truth be told, the majority of my giving is through finances because that is the easiest one for me. And, the majority of my giving is just what's asked of me. I've never given until it hurts. I've never looked at my life and thought, "how much can I give" rather than "how much do I have to give?" I've never really made a sacrifice to give. Instead, I've given what's easy, what I wanted to give, and I've done it exactly how I wanted to.
And so God is challenging us to give in a way that is unlike any we have before. To not be so concerned about how much we can save, but rather think about how much we can give. And not just money, but time. Space, our things, our talents, and our abilities. Not an easy lesson, but who ever gave and said they wished the hadn't? And, as the old saying goes, it's better to give than to receive.
This is what God has done for us. He has generously given to us. He has given His time, His energy, His resources, and His blessings. And He didn't just give us some, He gave us more than we would ever need. Enough for us, and enough to share. He met our needs so that we could meet the needs of others, and when we remember that, we realize that maybe we don't need as much as we thought we did in the first place anyway.
#542 - Because He gives us more than we need to so that we can help meet needs of others by sharing what we've got.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ - Matthew 25:34-40
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