Friday: Remember that our Lord Jesus said, “More blessings come from giving than receiving.” (Acts 20:35 CEV) Reflection: Jesus came not JUST to save us, but to teach us how to really live. His early followers took His teachings seriously and put them into practice. They had fewer rights than we do. They had minimal resources compared to us. They didn’t have our freedom or our choices. But sometimes I think they had riches that we can’t quite imagine. They practiced a religion of caring for the sick, feeding the poor, and welcoming the outcast. If they learned that something they were doing wasn’t compatible with Jesus’ kingdom, they gave it up. They shared their lives, their homes, and their resources. When they heard of other churches in need they made sacrifices in their own lives in order to be able to have something to give. These are the practices that bound them together and kept them going in the face of great odds. And when persecution hounded them, the satisfaction they found in living life this way, in believing that God cared deeply for them, was worth dying for. When I read about it, or ponder it, it’s almost hard to believe. Just what did they experience that put everything else in the world in such perspective? We have greater access to Jesus’ teachings now than they did in the early church. We can own copies of the letters they waited for and read aloud, sandwiched with first-hand accounts of Jesus’ life, and thousands of years worth of Jewish literature and history. And living in a culture that is influenced enough by Jesus to believe that all human beings have worth and rights means that some of our neighbor’s values and practices of giving can sometimes surpass our own. It isn’t that I don’t understand and value Jesus’ teachings that we are happier and more satisfied (blessed) when we give than when we receive. The problem is more that I so easily allow the scope of my life to push out the very things that I believe will most satisfy me. I get distracted. I get harried. I get worn out. I even find that guilt costs me less than actually making changes in my big crazy life. I have to find ways to remind myself that giving is worth the hard work of making sure I have enough energy or resources to give. I need to find ways to revel in the areas and times when I have given so that I have the encouragement to keep finding ways to simplify my life so that there’s more of me to give. So that’s my marching orders. What are yours? What step (or baby steps) would put you in a better position to enjoy the happiness and satisfaction that comes from giving? Are there areas where you are generous with your time, resources, energy or attitude that you could give yourself credit for (not to puff yourself up but to encourage yourself to expand from there)? Prayer: Father, today I will meditate on Your words so that success can be unleashed in my life. Today I purpose to do the things I already know to do... Knowing that the path of blessing is in that direction. In Jesus’ Name, amen.
Posted on: Fri, 05 Jul 2013 11:00:00 +0000
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