Wednesday, June 1, 2016
May the grace
of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
Philippians 4:23(NLT)
So far this week we’ve seen
that there can, indeed be joy in life, and even in the face of tragedy, and
that it can even make you joyfully-grateful that God allows such things. Further,
Grace makes you a joyful giver
As you know, you Philippians were the only ones who gave me financial
help when I first brought you the Good News and then traveled on from
Macedonia. No other church did this. Even when I was in
Thessalonica you sent help more than once. I don’t say this because I want a gift from you. Rather, I want you to receive a reward for
your kindness. At the moment I have all I
need—and more! I am generously supplied
with the gifts you sent me with Epaphroditus. They are a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is
acceptable and pleasing to God. And this same God who takes care of me will supply all
your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ
Jesus. Philippians
4:15-19(NLT)
Giving is a touchy subject! It is particularly so for those who have not
yet gotten the idea that it is a joy to give.
But giving is never a touchy subject when the right conditions exist:
People give when hearts are touched
I have a friend who manages
to put a few dollars away each month for the purpose of finding God's needy
spot. He prays about this money, that
God will direct him to the need. This is
a heart that is touched with compassion and enthusiasm for the gospel. I can tell it gives him a lot of joy to be
able to give. One church member confided
in me that giving just a dollar or two above her tithe to help a needy child
gave her more joy than anything else she does.
When your heart is touched with compassion for the needs of people, you
give joyfully. But then,
People give sacrificially when the heart is transferred (to God)
There is a difference in the
joy of a gift, and a sacrificial
gift. Paul's pride and joy, the
Philippian group were examples of sacrificial giving. Richard Melick wrote: Their giving was exemplary because they gave
out of 'rock-bottom poverty.[2]
What is it like to give
sacrificially?
A man who had been laid-off
from his job for four years gave his wife a dishwasher at Christmas. What a gift!
But there's more...the old house they lived in had its original wiring,
and could not have handled the required installation. There was no spot big enough in the kitchen
for such a machine. And they had not
been able to meet even the interest payment on their mortgage in six
months. No large box appeared; no new
plumbing or wiring. There was just a
small handwritten note on the branch of somebody's castaway Christmas tree:
"For one
year I will wash all of the dirty dishes in this household. Every one!"
And he did![3]
Now, that's sacrificial (by
most men's standards)! And sacrifice
only comes under the influence of love.
I have a coupon booklet that
I will always treasure. It is from my
three kids. It was given to me one
Father's Day. The kids had no money
because of "U.I.S." (Under the Influence of Seminary). So they gave me 21 different slips of paper
as handwritten credit vouchers. One
voucher was good for a car wash. Another
was good for a "no-gripe lawnmower usage" (I think the girls blackmailed my son into that one.) Still another was for a whole day of kids being good
without Dad having to remind anybody.
I want to tell you, I've never cashed a single coupon; they are too
precious to me. Those kids loved me, and
gave sacrificially. When you transfer
your heart to God you will give sacrificially, and love it!
For You Today
You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road today…have a
blessed day!
Go to VIDEO
[1] Title Image: By Meghana Kulkarni from Pune, India
(Happiness), via Wikimedia
Commons
[2]Melick, Richard R., Jr., THE NEW AMERICAN COMMENTARY, 158
[3]Rogers, Judy, GUIDEPOSTS (Dec 1988)
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