Give Generously

Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia;

How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.

For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves;

Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.

And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.

Insomuch that we desired Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also finish in you the same grace also.

Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also.

I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love.

For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

                                                                                                                  (2 Cor 8:1-9 KJV)

Because of their faith in Christ who gave himself for all people, the Corinthians gave generously. 

That is the Christian duty. It is not the Christian duty to delegate generosity to others no matter how rich or poor the others might be. It is the individuals and the churches duty to give generously to those in need. It is not our place to decide whether someone is too sinful for us to help. We don't get to question whether they really deserve it or not. We just get to assist the saints in need. However, we must always remember that Jesus did not question whether we deserve his gift of life for us through the giving of his life. He gave his very life even though we most clearly did not deserve it. This, of course does not mean we should send the scam artist on the telephone or internet thousands of dollars. We do need to be careful not to allow them to steal from us so that we have nothing to give to those in genuine need. Be very careful that robbers do not take what should be used to help the poor.

Give generously. The law will, when able, according to the limited abilities of the law will hold those who take advantage of your generosity accountable. Unfortunately, the law is very fallible. The law is not perfect; but, God is. God whose abilities are unlimited will judge and hold accountable those who would lie in order to steal from the mouths of others by abusing your generosity to a point that you have nothing left to give to those in genuine need.

May God help us to love and care for his people. Give generously.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

To Prosper

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
                                                                             Psalm 1:1-3 KJV

This word prosper is an interesting word with more than one meaning. Most often people think of it in relation to be physical wealth; financial success. But, it also means to grow. That growing can mean to get physically strong and healthy or even spiritually strong and healthy. 

Prosperity is not just about having things; but, also about what you are able and willing to give. It is a state of being; whether you are rich in things or not. Some of those who have the most are often the poorest for inside they are empty of any of the gifts of God. They lack genuine love for others. They lack empathy. Always seeking more they lack the peace and joy that only God can give. 

The photo above was taken at a congregation in Michigan. Of what they had, they gave to those in need both generously and cheerfully. They worked together to help and to prosper others; to provide for those in need that others might be comfortable and content and that they might also grow spiritually. I am confident that as they worked to prosper others they also grew in spirit.

May God bless the work of all of our hands that others may also prosper in the Kingdom of God.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Ask For Wisdom

If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you. (James 1:5 NRSV)

This verse from James came to my mind as I was reading the news and some social media this morning. 

Here is a major problem: If someone lacks wisdom, will they be wise enough to ask for wisdom?  Sometimes, it just does not seem like that will happen for some. There are those whose eyes nor their ears nor their hearts nor their minds are open to the truth. So, we must ask for wisdom for others as well as for ourselves.

God grant that we should receive the wisdom and the courage to accept the truth of His Word.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Serenity

"If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you."  (James 1:5 NRSV)

Every now and then, as I attempt to fix the things that I cannot fix, I am reminded of the serenity prayer that was written by Reinhold Niebuhr.  
     

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

The courage to change the things I can,

And the wisdom to know the difference.

It is difficult to watch others suffer. Sometimes we can help them. Sometimes, we cannot do anything except to pray for them. Sometimes, we lack the wisdom to know the difference so we go about spinning our wheels trying to fix that which only God can fix. And... sometimes in the spinning of our wheels we end up making things worse.

Wisdom will help us to determine what we can and should change and what we must trust to God alone. When God gives us the knowledge and the wisdom of how we are to proceed, it would be very wise indeed to follow His directions. Ignoring what God has taught or told you (whether directly or through others) is definitely not wise.

May God grant us all the wisdom to listen to Him and the courage to do what He asks of us and go where He would send us.

God's Peace - Pr. J

For All The Saints; Give Thanks

St. Paul wrote: "You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us; for the rendering of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows with many thanksgivings to God." 2 Cor 9:11-12

Today is all Saints Day; a much uncelebrated holy day. Most congregations, if they celebrate this holy day at all will put it off until that one hour that they worship the Lord on Sunday.

Today, much of the church on earth remembers all of the saints who have left this world; who are no longer with us. But, it does not hurt to remember and celebrate those saints are still alive in this place. In St. Paul's second letter to the Corinthians he is thanking and blessing the people who have been generous in assisting with the needs of the saints. So, we remember those who through words and deeds have introduced us to our Lord, Jesus the Christ, and all that he has done for us. We remember those who have supplied us richly with the word of God and have helped us to follow in the way which we should go.

Where would the church on earth be if it were not for all of those saints that have gone before us and are still with us? Where would the church be if it had not been for the teachings and the fellowship of those first disciples and of the many that came after them? There would be no church on earth without all of the saints; because, no one would hear the word; no one would know what our Lord has done for us. 

Christ has worked through many to help us on our journey; to bring us closer to God; to help build up our faith by sharing the Word with us. They have and continue to give much for the sake of the Body of Christ. Some have given food and shelter. Some have fed us with the Word of God. Some have given even their whole lives for us. Today and every day, we give thanks to God for those saints who have so generously given of their love and their lives!

Let us give thanks for the generosity and the willingness of others to make Christ known to us and to all of the world.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Give Generously and Joyfully

And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very 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 Lord’s people. And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

                                                                                                     2 Corinthians 8:1-7 NIV

Churches around the world are dying; particularly in North America and in Europe even while Christianity is spreading by leaps and bounds in many other countries. The question is why. During this month when we focus on stewardship, I cannot help but consider that it is because congregations that are growing may be growing because they are busy generously and joyfully reaching out to others with both the richness of the Gospel as well as helping to meet the physical needs of others in their communities. 

The early church grew by leaps and bounds and if we take a good look at that church they were not focused on themselves. They were focused on doing the mission that Jesus had left us with; going into all the world. A church that has turned inward and is only concerned about it's own needs is no longer a church of God. 

Imagine for a moment that the first followers of Jesus decided to worry only about their own well being; play it safe and stay within their little spaces or upper rooms. There would be no church today. Christianity would have died with the Apostles. Not a one of us would be saved. Not a one of us would be children of the Most High God!

St. Paul encourages the church to not only share the riches of the Good News of the Kingdom; but, to give generously out of love to advance that Kingdom. It is for the sake of the gospel that we give - that all people might know the love of God through Jesus Christ. Our mission is; after all, to proclaim the gospel to all people and that is not a small job. There have been times over the years when I've heard excuses for withholding offerings like "The church needs  a new (you name it) or we just don't have enough to give or until the council or the pastor gets their priorities straight, I'm not giving any more." The truth of the matter is that congregations do not exist to serve themselves. They exist to serve Jesus. They exist to reach out with the good news of his love for all people whether that is in word or deed. If they are hungry; whether it be, for spiritual or physical food; feed them. Just as Christ fed the multitudes with the word and with loaves and fish; he continues to feed them through the church; through you. Do not withhold your offerings because of self-serving thoughts that we ought to serve ourselves before our neighbor. Nothing that Jesus did was for love of Himself. All that He did was for the love of all people. His first followers selflessly gave of their time, what finances they had, the various gifts that God had given to them. They did not withhold anything; except for maybe Ananias and Sapphira who met with a very unhappy ending for withholding their offerings and lying about it (Acts 5:1-11)  If we expect the church to grow as it did in those first years maybe it would not hurt us to try to follow in The Way that they went.  

If Jesus was willing to give his all for us; if those first followers were willing to share all that they had so that the Kingdom of God could be advanced; why wouldn't we? May God help us to give joyfully and generously so that all might see the love of God in Christ Jesus through us.

God's Peace - Pr. J