05/16/2019
Are you wealthy? Maybe you are rich in earthly land, goods, and gold, but then again maybe you have been given much spiritually and your treasure is being amassed in heaven. Whichever our fortune is, we should always remember that all we have comes from God, and that His intention is not for us to horde His gifts but to share them. We are not the owners, but just the managers, or stewards of God’s provision.
“As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.”
1 Timothy 6:17-19 ESV
A story, and a movie, come to mind as contrasting examples of using earthly wealth; the first is “A Christmas Carol”, written by Charles Dickens, in which the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge uses cunning and cruelty to become wealthy and treats people harshly. The second is the classic movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” in which George Bailey, who is played by Jimmy Stewart, is a man whose family bank is nearly destroyed by the historic run on the banks during the Great Depression. In the first story Ebenezer Scrooge is shown his life by the Spirit of Christmas, and the results of his hoarding, which brought him to die a wicked, lonely, and hated man. However, George Bailey it shown something very different by Clarence the Angel, and is rescued from his financial catastrophe by the town’s people because of all the good he had done in the past with the wealth, and bank, that he owned. Two very different ways of using what God had given, and the result becomes two very different lives... and outcomes.
These are just two fictional examples, but whether your treasure is purely of this earth, or you don’t have a single possession in life, but have amassed a fortune in heaven... what we do with our God given wealth creates a bridge between the physical world and the spiritual one. And, we are being led to see that these two worlds are not as separate as we might once have thought.
In Genesis we are told that God separated one water into two parts by placing an expanse between... the very same water is simply divided into two, and the expanse that separates them is called heaven... or the sky.
“And God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters." And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.”
Genesis 1:6-8 ESV
Or in a different translation...
“God called the space “sky.” And evening passed and morning came, marking the second day.”
Genesis 1:8 NLT
Despite the expanse that separates heaven and earth, God places portals between the two. In the Old Testament it was first the Garden of Eden, and then the tabernacle. Each allowed God to be in our midst.
“"Thus you shall keep the people of Israel separate from their uncleanness, lest they die in their uncleanness by defiling my tabernacle that is in their midst."”
Leviticus 15:31 ESV
Then, in the New Testament these doorways become Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, and both came to dwell within us, and allowed God to do the same...
“In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him."”
John 14:20-21 ESV
So let’s get back to our fortunes... whatever we do with our wealth, whether it is monetary, or spiritual in nature, results in our having an impact on those around us, and being judged by God... they are dealing with the same waters. For example, when we feed the hungry we are making a physical impact here on earth, but we can also feel in our heart that something more is happening... we are receiving a deposit slip from a heavenly storehouse. We may be giving on earth, but are receiving in heaven.
“Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back. ””
Luke 6:38 NLT
How do we give? How do we share the bounty that God has provided us? How do we pass on a portion of the blessing we have received? Jesus gives us examples in the scripture we call “the Mercies”...
“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.'”
Matthew 25:35-36 ESV
But these are just a few physical suggestions. We are also told to share our spiritual blessings as well. What good does it do you to hoard your faith? What good is it to amass a fortune in heavenly storehouses and not share it too? Remember... it is the same water. This prompted Jesus to give us the great commission..
“And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.”
Mark 16:15 ESV
Your children are “the world”, the guy at work who is lost and needs his life transformed is “the world”, the charlatan that tries to cheat you is “the world”, and the list goes on and on. Sometimes our missionary journey into the world looks pretty insignificant when compared with some of the great missionaries, but what is the value of a single soul that would otherwise have been lost? Are your efforts insignificant after all?
In each of these ways, whether physical or spiritual, we should give. As we do this the physical gift we give becomes spiritual in nature, and the spiritual gifts we share become physical.... they are like the tide... one water coming and going, and then coming back again. Different flows of the very same waters.
If you have been given much then share much, and if you have been given little then share accordingly. It isn’t the amount of your gift... it is the value of your portion to you.
“And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, "Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box.”
Mark 12:42-43 ESV
Paying a tax, perhaps a tithe, or some other expected contribution, is not giving or sharing, because you have no choice in those things. The giving we are talking about here is beyond those things; it is a share of the wealth we have been provided... not God’s, the government’s, or your company’s share. This is personal and is indicative of who we are personally; our faith, our goodness, our mercy, and not funneled through some other entity, but from our hand, and our heart. Do you give this way? Do you give without expectation, and even secretly? Think about this today.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for all that you provide me with, and thank you for allowing me to share those things with the needy in my life. I thank you Holy Father for your blessings that come from my heartfelt giving, and I thank you for the relief I am allowed to provide those who are suffering. I thank you most of all for the spiritual blessings that come from my gifts as they are experienced by those I have given to, and also as they are returned to me by your grace and blessing. Help me Father to have a merciful and given spirit. Help me to reach out to those who are spiritually lost with the gospel of Jesus Christ and a meal from your table, and likewise to those who are physically starving with a meal from my own. All I have has been given me by your hand Lord, and all I give comes from not only my heart, but yours. Thank you for the spirit of giving, and being allowed to feel your pleasure in me as I do. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you my God who provides for me, and allows me to provide for others... who shares and teaches me to share. Praised be your name for the endless bounty of your table, and for those things you place in my hand. Your mercy and grace is your glory, and it shines through me when I stretch out my hand to others. Great are you, and greatly to be praised!
“Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.”
Proverbs 19:17 ESV
Rich Forbes