Rev. Richard Smith
| Acts 20:35 Paul Speaks ‘We must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus himself, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’. II Corinthians 9:7 Paul Writes Each person must give as one decides in one’s heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. |
The question of giving – of sharing our resources, our time and our talents –is inherent in who we are as God’s children and as disciples of Jesus. It mattered to Jesus, to the early Christian movement, and should matter to us. Let me share some thoughts…
We Are Called To Be Servants
You know this as well as I do!
In Mark, chapter ten, we find Jesus laying out for his disciples this servant mindset…”whoever wants to be first must be servant of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve” (10:44-45).
This serving spirit inevitably should lead one to look for ways to give our time, our talents, and our financial resources; in the community and through our church.
In my earliest church appointment, there was an elderly lady with real health issues who found that at the very least she could use the phone to check in on those in the community who were, like her, homebound. Now that’s servant ministry at work.
Generosity Is The Norm
We’re called not just to be cheerful givers, but sacrificial givers; again, with our time, our talents, and our resources.
While persons can debate what a proper spiritual standard for financial giving really is, none of us can debate that our giving decisions should cost us something. If it’s easy for Pat and me to give a certain amount of our time or our finances, how have we been servants?
Sadly, sometimes in our giving decisions we’re serving ourselves more than we are others.
Finding The Greater Needs Is A Worthwhile Venture
What agencies or groups within your community are truly addressing matters of poverty, homelessness, educational inequity, etc.? Get information about these. All are more than willing to have conversations about how they make a real difference.
For causes beyond the local community, it’s awfully easy to find oneself giving to organizations which are not really good stewards of our gifts; too much going for administration. I suggest you check out “Charity Navigator” for its noteworthy rating of national and international organizations.
Step Up As Life Blesses You
Whatever you and I are now doing, we should, unless we’ve had a real lifestyle downturn, be increasing our gifts from year to year. A lot of folks I know just keep it at a safe level or moderate level without prayerfully considering how God would have us step up.
Remember that God told Abraham that he was being blessed so that he himself would be a blessing (Genesis 12:2-3). The same is true of us!!
Give And Serve Cheerfully
We need to keep in mind the privilege we have; the privilege to be a vessel of God’s work; the privilege of honoring Jesus’ call; the privilege of being a means for helping our churches, our communities, our world be better places! That should make each of us smile!!
Recognize It’s An Act Of Gratitude
While giving and serving are an inherent part of being faithful to God’s will and to Jesus’ expectations, they also are ways we express our gratitude!
We each are blessed! We each are touched by God’s amazing grace and love!
How do we express our gratitude?
Not just with words, but with self-giving lives!
