December 10, 1996?
According to a story in “USA Today,” a company called “American Express Gift Cheques” did a survey and discovered that about 1/3 of those who receive unwanted gifts, re-wrap them and give them to someone else. Apparently those in a higher income bracket recycle like this more than those with lower earnings. The article did not mention if these statistics include donations made to rummage sales or charity organizations like the Salvation Army.
Receiving something for nothing is not always as good as it sounds. Boxing Day, many shoppers are not making purchases but returning unwanted items. Most of us appreciate a gift, but if it turns out to be something simply unusable or unwanted, we have few choices.
One option is risky—just give it back to the giver. Doing that could ruin a relationship unless that is less important than keeping clutter out of our basements or garages. Of course, we could keep the gifts and simply store them in a handy place. Sometimes people do that and pull them out for display whenever the person who gave it comes to visit. Others just use it, pretend they like it, and hate themselves for their charade. As the survey says, 30% or more dislike those choices and instead find a way to give their unwanted gifts to someone else.
There is one special gift that someone gave me. I kept it. I wanted it. Furthermore, everyone I know who has this gift, also really wanted it. At the same time, I also deeply desire to give this gift to other people. It is the same for everyone who has ever received it. It is too marvelous; it must be shared. It is the gift of eternal life.
Most who do not have eternal life do not realize it is a gift. They think they must earn it or be very good to have it. They also assume it is something that is available after this life is over, that it describes a duration or length of life. Biblically, this is not so. Eternal life is a quality or type of life. It is the life God enjoys. By its very nature, it is a righteous life. It is also rich and generous, anxious to share itself with others. Perhaps God was even motivated to create us simply so He could share His eternal life with someone else.
Genesis 1 & 2 describe creation. The first person was a combination of the dust of the ground and the breath of God, a living soul, another being who had a vital relationship with the One who gave him life. Genesis 3 describes how sin separated the first two people from God and from the “tree of life.” God calls this separation spiritual death. It includes physical death but goes beyond this life to an eternal separation. As Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death...”
However, human sin did not make God want to stop giving away His life. The same Word that spoke creation and humanity into existence one day became flesh, lived among us, and brought a message of hope. Eternal life is again available to anyone who wishes to receive it. That verse in Romans 6 continues: “...but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ...”
Gifts are free. So is eternal life. “For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not as a result of works, lest anyone should boast.” We do not earn gifts nor can we do anything to deserve this gift.
Gifts are received. So is eternal life. “As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to be called the children of God.” Gifts are immediate. So is eternal life. It starts the moment someone receives Christ as their Savior and Lord. 1 John says: “God has given to us eternal life and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life but he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”
His life is wonderful. It means no death, no separation from Him. It also means righteousness, fullness, generosity. Because we know we cannot lose it, all who have it deeply desire to give it away.
Showing posts with label giving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label giving. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
Wednesday, October 5, 2016
What happened to marriage? .......... Parables 493
November 28, 1995
A popular talk show host says three years in a marriage is a long time. Thousands of couples divorce within five years and many do not make it to their first anniversary.
What happened to marriage? One writer says commitment is the key to make marriage last, combined with seeing ourselves as givers. He says, “too many come to marriage looking for a handout, someone to take care of them, keep them happy, make up their deficiencies. They come with their umbilical cord in their hand looking for a place to plug it in.”
If commitment is key, whatever happened to commitment? Sociologists and psychologists may differ, but at the risk of oversimplification, maybe the problem is the current “if it feels good, do it” philosophy. Commitment eventually means weathering through some tough times. Too many want to leave “for better or worse” out of their vows.
The biggest ingredient in any commitment is seeing ourselves as givers. However, children are now encouraged to be takers. A mother told me her preschooler goes to many birthday parties and although the children are expected to give a gift, they each must go home with one. They even arrive with their hands out asking, “What do you have for me?”
Commitment and being a giver is easy when it feels good. Over a year ago, my husband and I made a commitment to bring my parents into our home and care for them. For several weeks, we discussed both pros and cons of such a move, anticipating some joy and a few difficulties. Although the joy is there, emotional benefits could never keep us going — some days being a care giver is simply not fun.
My mother holds a biblical philosophy: “No one is ever really happy unless they are doing something for someone else.” She is right, but emotional enthusiasm is an unstable base for decisions. Besides, as personal comfort fades into oblivion, my commitment level trembles and threatens to leave home with it. Some days I am desperate for privacy, or for moving at a faster pace, or for just a break in routine, yet commitment argues — you decided to do this! The decision to do something for others is always a matter of the will, not feelings.
Long term marriages work because there is a will to make them work and because each decides to give 100%. Giving is not a fifty/fifty, I-will-if-you-will proposition. Jesus would agree. He set His will to do the will of His Father (not a bad goal for couples) and determined that He would be a Giver, even if it killed Him.
And it did. As He anticipated the horror of the Cross, He sweat drops of blood and asked His Father if salvation could be accomplished some another way. Nevertheless, He added, “Not My will but Thine be done.”
Jesus obviously saw Himself as a Servant, totally willing to do whatever His Father asked. He fulfilled the role promised by the prophet Isaiah: “... My righteous Servant will justify many, and He will bear their iniquities.”
Jesus committed Himself as the Servant of His Father but His commitment was not joyless. The Bible says, “For the joy set before Him... He endured the Cross...” He has a happy heart because He kept His promise and served 100 per cent.
Jesus continues to keep His promises and still offers Himself as Lord and Savior. Those who unite themselves to Him find that He has His hand out but He is not looking for someone to care for Him. Rather, He cares for those who take His hand, keeps them happy, and makes up their deficiencies. He is the place where the needy can “plug in” — the One who enables couples to keep their vow “for better or worse, until death do us part.”
A popular talk show host says three years in a marriage is a long time. Thousands of couples divorce within five years and many do not make it to their first anniversary.
What happened to marriage? One writer says commitment is the key to make marriage last, combined with seeing ourselves as givers. He says, “too many come to marriage looking for a handout, someone to take care of them, keep them happy, make up their deficiencies. They come with their umbilical cord in their hand looking for a place to plug it in.”
If commitment is key, whatever happened to commitment? Sociologists and psychologists may differ, but at the risk of oversimplification, maybe the problem is the current “if it feels good, do it” philosophy. Commitment eventually means weathering through some tough times. Too many want to leave “for better or worse” out of their vows.
The biggest ingredient in any commitment is seeing ourselves as givers. However, children are now encouraged to be takers. A mother told me her preschooler goes to many birthday parties and although the children are expected to give a gift, they each must go home with one. They even arrive with their hands out asking, “What do you have for me?”
Commitment and being a giver is easy when it feels good. Over a year ago, my husband and I made a commitment to bring my parents into our home and care for them. For several weeks, we discussed both pros and cons of such a move, anticipating some joy and a few difficulties. Although the joy is there, emotional benefits could never keep us going — some days being a care giver is simply not fun.
My mother holds a biblical philosophy: “No one is ever really happy unless they are doing something for someone else.” She is right, but emotional enthusiasm is an unstable base for decisions. Besides, as personal comfort fades into oblivion, my commitment level trembles and threatens to leave home with it. Some days I am desperate for privacy, or for moving at a faster pace, or for just a break in routine, yet commitment argues — you decided to do this! The decision to do something for others is always a matter of the will, not feelings.
Long term marriages work because there is a will to make them work and because each decides to give 100%. Giving is not a fifty/fifty, I-will-if-you-will proposition. Jesus would agree. He set His will to do the will of His Father (not a bad goal for couples) and determined that He would be a Giver, even if it killed Him.
And it did. As He anticipated the horror of the Cross, He sweat drops of blood and asked His Father if salvation could be accomplished some another way. Nevertheless, He added, “Not My will but Thine be done.”
Jesus obviously saw Himself as a Servant, totally willing to do whatever His Father asked. He fulfilled the role promised by the prophet Isaiah: “... My righteous Servant will justify many, and He will bear their iniquities.”
Jesus committed Himself as the Servant of His Father but His commitment was not joyless. The Bible says, “For the joy set before Him... He endured the Cross...” He has a happy heart because He kept His promise and served 100 per cent.
Jesus continues to keep His promises and still offers Himself as Lord and Savior. Those who unite themselves to Him find that He has His hand out but He is not looking for someone to care for Him. Rather, He cares for those who take His hand, keeps them happy, and makes up their deficiencies. He is the place where the needy can “plug in” — the One who enables couples to keep their vow “for better or worse, until death do us part.”
Friday, June 24, 2016
Biblical Giving .................. Parables 449
November 29, 1994
The following joke appeared in a church bulletin: “I dreamed that the Lord took my Sunday contribution and multiplied it by ten and this became my weekly income. In no time, I lost my color TV and had to give up my car. My family went hungry and I couldn’t meet my house payment. What can a fellow do on $10 a week?”
As a child, I noticed when a collection plate was passed in church they put fabric on the bottom to muffle the sound of coins. Occasionally someone put in dollar bills. That seemed like a lot of money to me. How times have changed.
Today’s churches often operate with large budgets. For the most part, the money is used to send missionaries out, serve needy people in the community and maintain the educational and other ministries of the congregation. However, when giving or tithing are mentioned, the first pictures that form in some minds are large buildings, ornate decor, velvet choir robes and pastors who drive limos and live in 3500 square foot houses.
Irresponsible spending does happen but severely contrasts a biblical concept of giving. God’s purpose is not so some might wear fancy clothes and others be drained of their life earnings. The Apostle Paul puts it this way: “Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, as it is written: ‘He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little.’”
It does not matter if the money collected is called donations, offerings, or tithes (based on 10% of one’s income). What is important is that two groups are responsible for what is done with it—those who collect it and those who donate it. Paul’s request in Corinthians illustrates how it should work...
Christians in one area put aside money for others who were experiencing financial need. He planned to come and collect it but added: “Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem. If it seems advisable for me to go also, they will accompany me.” Those who gave went with the gift or sent it with people they trusted.
Second, whatever money is given brings benefits both sides, the giver and the receiver. The benefit to the recipient is fairly obvious, however the giver is also blessed. Paul again writes: “Brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.... For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints” (2 Corinthians 8).
Notice these people considered giving a privilege and even begged to do it. For them, the motivation came from God who was directing their lives. Paul said, “They gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us, in keeping with God’s will.”
People who yield their lives to God understand the blessedness of receiving. They have received the ultimate gift. As Paul says, they “know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.”
Anyone who receives God’s gift of everlasting life responds with generosity because they now enjoy eternal riches. Anything compared to that is small change.
The following joke appeared in a church bulletin: “I dreamed that the Lord took my Sunday contribution and multiplied it by ten and this became my weekly income. In no time, I lost my color TV and had to give up my car. My family went hungry and I couldn’t meet my house payment. What can a fellow do on $10 a week?”
As a child, I noticed when a collection plate was passed in church they put fabric on the bottom to muffle the sound of coins. Occasionally someone put in dollar bills. That seemed like a lot of money to me. How times have changed.
Today’s churches often operate with large budgets. For the most part, the money is used to send missionaries out, serve needy people in the community and maintain the educational and other ministries of the congregation. However, when giving or tithing are mentioned, the first pictures that form in some minds are large buildings, ornate decor, velvet choir robes and pastors who drive limos and live in 3500 square foot houses.
Irresponsible spending does happen but severely contrasts a biblical concept of giving. God’s purpose is not so some might wear fancy clothes and others be drained of their life earnings. The Apostle Paul puts it this way: “Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, as it is written: ‘He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little.’”
It does not matter if the money collected is called donations, offerings, or tithes (based on 10% of one’s income). What is important is that two groups are responsible for what is done with it—those who collect it and those who donate it. Paul’s request in Corinthians illustrates how it should work...
Christians in one area put aside money for others who were experiencing financial need. He planned to come and collect it but added: “Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem. If it seems advisable for me to go also, they will accompany me.” Those who gave went with the gift or sent it with people they trusted.
Second, whatever money is given brings benefits both sides, the giver and the receiver. The benefit to the recipient is fairly obvious, however the giver is also blessed. Paul again writes: “Brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.... For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints” (2 Corinthians 8).
Notice these people considered giving a privilege and even begged to do it. For them, the motivation came from God who was directing their lives. Paul said, “They gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us, in keeping with God’s will.”
People who yield their lives to God understand the blessedness of receiving. They have received the ultimate gift. As Paul says, they “know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.”
Anyone who receives God’s gift of everlasting life responds with generosity because they now enjoy eternal riches. Anything compared to that is small change.
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
Generosity is evidence of faith .................. Parables 415
April 5, 1994
A former major in the Canadian armed services shared how different his financial affairs became when his spiritual life changed. He said at one time, neither he or his wife were walking with God, even though they considered themselves Christians. During that time, no matter how hard they tried, they had trouble making their money last from payday to payday and were always in debt.
Eventually, a crisis turned them in a God-ward direction. After that happened, they became convinced they should be giving a portion of their income to the needy, toward missions, and to their church, yet it was impossible. How would they have enough money?
Nevertheless, they decided to be more generous. God would supply their needs. This man was happy to say it was not many years before they were completely out of debt and they had a substantial savings account besides.
The Bible teaches several things about money, especially our attitude towards it. Greed, selfishness, hoarding, and withholding from those in need is condemned. Instead, God wants His people to give generously to others and be wise managers of what is left.
The Bible also teaches that the more a person’s life is given to obey God and do His will, the more generous that person becomes. In fact, it says faith can be measured by generosity: “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical need, what good is it?”
A common concept among those who do not go to church is that all a church wants from people is their money. That might be true for some but it certainly is not true for all congregations, nor is it biblical. Almost every church I have ever attended took an offering, had a budget, and gave out tax receipts simply because there are expenses involved in managing a local church, but their focus was never on money but on needs.
Even in our wealthy country, there are needy people. In Edmonton alone, there are homeless, hungry, and helpless folks who freeze in the winter, eat from garbage dumpsters, and must be cared for by others more fortunate.
Some criticize the church for lack of social action without realizing that even the simplest help given comes with a price tag. If the people who attend socially-involved churches do not give generously (both time and money) who can be helped?
Jesus stood with His disciples watching people give. Some were wealthy and gave great sums. One was a widow who only had two coins. She gave both of them. Jesus commended her rather than those who had lots and gave only a portion. She gave all she had.
Paul said, “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” Because God is interested in the reason we give, no one should be forced to give, or sent on a guilt-trip if they cannot.
The Bible teaches that God wants us to know Him, to know He is generous and will take care of us. When we have faith in Him, we are set free to help others without worrying about ourselves. He says, “You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and... your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.”
The person who trusts God still has a responsibility to know where their money goes, but when we do trust Him, He will make sure we have enough.
A former major in the Canadian armed services shared how different his financial affairs became when his spiritual life changed. He said at one time, neither he or his wife were walking with God, even though they considered themselves Christians. During that time, no matter how hard they tried, they had trouble making their money last from payday to payday and were always in debt.
Eventually, a crisis turned them in a God-ward direction. After that happened, they became convinced they should be giving a portion of their income to the needy, toward missions, and to their church, yet it was impossible. How would they have enough money?
Nevertheless, they decided to be more generous. God would supply their needs. This man was happy to say it was not many years before they were completely out of debt and they had a substantial savings account besides.
The Bible teaches several things about money, especially our attitude towards it. Greed, selfishness, hoarding, and withholding from those in need is condemned. Instead, God wants His people to give generously to others and be wise managers of what is left.
The Bible also teaches that the more a person’s life is given to obey God and do His will, the more generous that person becomes. In fact, it says faith can be measured by generosity: “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical need, what good is it?”
A common concept among those who do not go to church is that all a church wants from people is their money. That might be true for some but it certainly is not true for all congregations, nor is it biblical. Almost every church I have ever attended took an offering, had a budget, and gave out tax receipts simply because there are expenses involved in managing a local church, but their focus was never on money but on needs.
Even in our wealthy country, there are needy people. In Edmonton alone, there are homeless, hungry, and helpless folks who freeze in the winter, eat from garbage dumpsters, and must be cared for by others more fortunate.
Some criticize the church for lack of social action without realizing that even the simplest help given comes with a price tag. If the people who attend socially-involved churches do not give generously (both time and money) who can be helped?
Jesus stood with His disciples watching people give. Some were wealthy and gave great sums. One was a widow who only had two coins. She gave both of them. Jesus commended her rather than those who had lots and gave only a portion. She gave all she had.
Paul said, “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” Because God is interested in the reason we give, no one should be forced to give, or sent on a guilt-trip if they cannot.
The Bible teaches that God wants us to know Him, to know He is generous and will take care of us. When we have faith in Him, we are set free to help others without worrying about ourselves. He says, “You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and... your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.”
The person who trusts God still has a responsibility to know where their money goes, but when we do trust Him, He will make sure we have enough.
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
Wise Giving ............. Parables 388
September 21, 1993
Siamese twins shared vital organs so one of them had to die that the other might possibly live. Not a happy situation. Aside from the moral and ethical difficulties of the decision made by their parents and the doctors who did the surgery, the father of these twins created another ethical dilemma.
Apparently, money donated by concerned people to pay medical expenses was used for purposes that had little to do with the needs for which they were given. The twin’s father spent some of those funds on drugs to supply a personal addiction. In this case, would those who raised the money have done more good by giving it directly to the hospital?
Granted, anyone under the stresses he no doubt experienced could be expected to make some irrational decisions. We can hope he has found help to overcome his problems. However, this situation raises a question that those who give to charity often have to answer: does giving, in the true sense of the word, mean the recipients can do whatever they please with the gift?
Imagine buying a box of chocolates for another person, only to see them deliberately destroy it. Even if we told them the gift was theirs to do with as they pleased, we might feel a sense of outrage or at least disappointment. However, if the other person had an extreme allergy to chocolate, we would think twice about giving that kind of gift. True giving wants to benefit the receiver, not harm them.
This parallels some questions I’ve had to work through when asked for handouts. We used to live in a former manse next to a large church near a railway yard. At least once a week, people came to my door with one of several questions. If they asked for food, I gave them something to eat out on the large front veranda. If they asked for the pastor (whom I had never met), I gave them a small booklet about the love of God, with the pastor’s home address on the back.
But, if they asked for money, usually making it clear they “needed” it for alcohol, I refused. In that case, I thought my charity would hurt more than help them. Sometimes I would offer a meal instead, but they usually refused my offer. They were not interested in food.
It is not always easy to refuse money to someone who wears rags for clothes and looks as if they have not eaten properly for years. Some may feel it is “unloving” to deny their request; however, I’ve learned to take my cues from God. He “loves us with an everlasting love” yet never grants us that which will bring us harm or destruction.
God is such an excellent Giver because He does love us, but also because He intimately knows us and our needs. If our intentions or plans are unhealthy, He says, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”
This implies two things about giving. Love must be behind the giving, but knowing the recipient and their real needs is part of the process too. For me, it was easy to assess that those asking for booze-money DID NOT need it, but aside from knowing they needed good food and a lot of care, had I opportunity, I would have discovered far deeper needs than those visible on the surface.
Because getting to know needy people is not easy, most of us give through agencies, hoping they understand whether our gifts will be misused, abused, or inappropriate. But face-to-face giving is far better. When we understand hurts and know weaknesses, we realize a gift of several thousand dollars is just too large a temptation for a person with a drug habit.
Siamese twins shared vital organs so one of them had to die that the other might possibly live. Not a happy situation. Aside from the moral and ethical difficulties of the decision made by their parents and the doctors who did the surgery, the father of these twins created another ethical dilemma.
Apparently, money donated by concerned people to pay medical expenses was used for purposes that had little to do with the needs for which they were given. The twin’s father spent some of those funds on drugs to supply a personal addiction. In this case, would those who raised the money have done more good by giving it directly to the hospital?
Granted, anyone under the stresses he no doubt experienced could be expected to make some irrational decisions. We can hope he has found help to overcome his problems. However, this situation raises a question that those who give to charity often have to answer: does giving, in the true sense of the word, mean the recipients can do whatever they please with the gift?
Imagine buying a box of chocolates for another person, only to see them deliberately destroy it. Even if we told them the gift was theirs to do with as they pleased, we might feel a sense of outrage or at least disappointment. However, if the other person had an extreme allergy to chocolate, we would think twice about giving that kind of gift. True giving wants to benefit the receiver, not harm them.
This parallels some questions I’ve had to work through when asked for handouts. We used to live in a former manse next to a large church near a railway yard. At least once a week, people came to my door with one of several questions. If they asked for food, I gave them something to eat out on the large front veranda. If they asked for the pastor (whom I had never met), I gave them a small booklet about the love of God, with the pastor’s home address on the back.
But, if they asked for money, usually making it clear they “needed” it for alcohol, I refused. In that case, I thought my charity would hurt more than help them. Sometimes I would offer a meal instead, but they usually refused my offer. They were not interested in food.
It is not always easy to refuse money to someone who wears rags for clothes and looks as if they have not eaten properly for years. Some may feel it is “unloving” to deny their request; however, I’ve learned to take my cues from God. He “loves us with an everlasting love” yet never grants us that which will bring us harm or destruction.
God is such an excellent Giver because He does love us, but also because He intimately knows us and our needs. If our intentions or plans are unhealthy, He says, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”
This implies two things about giving. Love must be behind the giving, but knowing the recipient and their real needs is part of the process too. For me, it was easy to assess that those asking for booze-money DID NOT need it, but aside from knowing they needed good food and a lot of care, had I opportunity, I would have discovered far deeper needs than those visible on the surface.
Because getting to know needy people is not easy, most of us give through agencies, hoping they understand whether our gifts will be misused, abused, or inappropriate. But face-to-face giving is far better. When we understand hurts and know weaknesses, we realize a gift of several thousand dollars is just too large a temptation for a person with a drug habit.
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
You cannot out-give God .............. Parables 300
January 14, 1992
The propane tank rental was due but I didn’t have the $50 necessary to avert repossession. I had been struggling to earn a living sewing and selling wildlife paintings so I could stay home to support my two small children. It was in this narrow place, a new Christian alone against threatening poverty, that God taught me a lesson I’ve never forgotten.
Prior to the propane tank crisis, I had realized my sinfulness and came to the Lord in humiliation. Mortified by some of the things I had done, I had a deep desire to please Him but I knew I could not earn eternal life — that is a gift. Grateful for it, along with the forgiveness He offered, I sought to become all He wanted and intended I should be.
He showed me His promise regarding the daily concerns of life: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. These things referred to food, clothing and other needs (not greeds). At that point, my luxuries were in a rather barren fridge, hanging in an nearly empty closet, and sitting out in the yard in a bullet-shaped silver fuel tank.
At this point, I’d not looked around and noticed there were other people prospering while I was not. Had I done that, I may have been angry at God and needed to read Psalms 37: “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way... for evildoers shall be cut off; but those who wait on the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.”
Nevertheless, verse 16 of that Psalm was a truth God wanted me to learn: “The little that a righteous person has is better than the riches of many wicked.” I was learning to appreciate the simple necessities. Even though my meager income only allowed $7 a week for groceries, God saw fit to fill my freezer through the generosity of others who knew Him. He showed me I did not need to “be ashamed in the evil time, And in the days of famine I would be satisfied” (Psalms 37:19).
In the years since those tough early days of my Christian walk, I have seldom if ever worried about having enough. God taught that lesson well — and honored His promises. My husband was deeply in debt when we were married but we paid off that debt, by the grace of God. Later, when he became a Christian, God taught Him that if he would trust the Lord and be generous with what God had given, God would continue to meet every need. We have learned that we cannot out-give God. Whatever we do to help out someone in need, God pours in the supply.
Sometimes I have wondered if this abundance will last... and God always takes me back to the lesson. He supplies all our NEEDS, according to His riches. With the Psalmist, I can say, “I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread” (37:25).
The principle of Matthew 6:33 is simple: As His children seek Him (not wealth), and seek His righteousness (not some exalted human goodness but the goodness that comes from a deep relationship with Jesus Christ), He will take care of all our needs (again, not greeds).
The propane tank? Shortly after the bill arrived so did a letter from a woman I had never met. She wanted me to paint a portrait of her dog and cat. Not an unusual request but what she included with her order was very unusual. It has never happened before or since. She sent what she thought would be an appropriate payment — in advance! The amount was $52.50, enough for the pressing needs — the tank rental, and a canvas on which to put the paint!
The propane tank rental was due but I didn’t have the $50 necessary to avert repossession. I had been struggling to earn a living sewing and selling wildlife paintings so I could stay home to support my two small children. It was in this narrow place, a new Christian alone against threatening poverty, that God taught me a lesson I’ve never forgotten.
Prior to the propane tank crisis, I had realized my sinfulness and came to the Lord in humiliation. Mortified by some of the things I had done, I had a deep desire to please Him but I knew I could not earn eternal life — that is a gift. Grateful for it, along with the forgiveness He offered, I sought to become all He wanted and intended I should be.
He showed me His promise regarding the daily concerns of life: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. These things referred to food, clothing and other needs (not greeds). At that point, my luxuries were in a rather barren fridge, hanging in an nearly empty closet, and sitting out in the yard in a bullet-shaped silver fuel tank.
At this point, I’d not looked around and noticed there were other people prospering while I was not. Had I done that, I may have been angry at God and needed to read Psalms 37: “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way... for evildoers shall be cut off; but those who wait on the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.”
Nevertheless, verse 16 of that Psalm was a truth God wanted me to learn: “The little that a righteous person has is better than the riches of many wicked.” I was learning to appreciate the simple necessities. Even though my meager income only allowed $7 a week for groceries, God saw fit to fill my freezer through the generosity of others who knew Him. He showed me I did not need to “be ashamed in the evil time, And in the days of famine I would be satisfied” (Psalms 37:19).
In the years since those tough early days of my Christian walk, I have seldom if ever worried about having enough. God taught that lesson well — and honored His promises. My husband was deeply in debt when we were married but we paid off that debt, by the grace of God. Later, when he became a Christian, God taught Him that if he would trust the Lord and be generous with what God had given, God would continue to meet every need. We have learned that we cannot out-give God. Whatever we do to help out someone in need, God pours in the supply.
Sometimes I have wondered if this abundance will last... and God always takes me back to the lesson. He supplies all our NEEDS, according to His riches. With the Psalmist, I can say, “I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread” (37:25).
The principle of Matthew 6:33 is simple: As His children seek Him (not wealth), and seek His righteousness (not some exalted human goodness but the goodness that comes from a deep relationship with Jesus Christ), He will take care of all our needs (again, not greeds).
The propane tank? Shortly after the bill arrived so did a letter from a woman I had never met. She wanted me to paint a portrait of her dog and cat. Not an unusual request but what she included with her order was very unusual. It has never happened before or since. She sent what she thought would be an appropriate payment — in advance! The amount was $52.50, enough for the pressing needs — the tank rental, and a canvas on which to put the paint!
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
She gave what she had.........................Parables 002
This week someone told me of his Christian mother and her influence on people. He said, “She gave what she had.”
She had little formal education, was not a Bible scholar, and was not wealthy or famous by the world’s standards. But people who met her were not satisfied with one meeting. They came back over and over again. When she died, hundreds of friends attended her funeral.
What did she have? The man said words like “love” and “hospitality,” however his first statement, “She gave what she had,” seemed to be essential to her attractiveness. The virtues she possessed would have been meaningless to others had she not did something with them. She gave them away.
This woman’s son affirmed that her goodness came from God. He then spoke of God, who also loves, welcomes, and gives. The God of the Bible gives rain, and sunshine, and good for His creatures. He gives grace and strength, and understanding, and wisdom to all who ask Him in faith. The greatest gift of all is that God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, and whoever believes in Him shall not perish but has the gift of eternal life. (John 3:16)
This Christian mother possessed that life. Out of it flowed virtue to bless others. Her son regretted that she could no longer give in this way. However, we rejoiced too, because when God gave what He had, it never stopped by reason of a funeral. In fact, death made possible the most precious of His gifts: the death of His Son meant the gift of eternal life.
She had little formal education, was not a Bible scholar, and was not wealthy or famous by the world’s standards. But people who met her were not satisfied with one meeting. They came back over and over again. When she died, hundreds of friends attended her funeral.
What did she have? The man said words like “love” and “hospitality,” however his first statement, “She gave what she had,” seemed to be essential to her attractiveness. The virtues she possessed would have been meaningless to others had she not did something with them. She gave them away.
This woman’s son affirmed that her goodness came from God. He then spoke of God, who also loves, welcomes, and gives. The God of the Bible gives rain, and sunshine, and good for His creatures. He gives grace and strength, and understanding, and wisdom to all who ask Him in faith. The greatest gift of all is that God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, and whoever believes in Him shall not perish but has the gift of eternal life. (John 3:16)
This Christian mother possessed that life. Out of it flowed virtue to bless others. Her son regretted that she could no longer give in this way. However, we rejoiced too, because when God gave what He had, it never stopped by reason of a funeral. In fact, death made possible the most precious of His gifts: the death of His Son meant the gift of eternal life.
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