"Food" for Thought

I saw our Pastor’s sermon, “Generosity in Giving”, applied the other day while at work.  I don’t normally work up front at the cash registers, but it was very busy, and I got called to help.  The young woman whose groceries I was ringing up looked tired and a little nervous as she watched the subtotal go higher and higher.  After a point, she sighed and asked me to not ring up the rest.  She told me she had to stop there and apologized for having to leave the rest behind for us to put back.  As I took her money and her groceries were being bagged, the woman behind her told me to ring up the “leftover” groceries with her order and to make sure they got into the young woman’s cart with the others.  She would pay for them.  Both the young woman and I had tears in our eyes at the generosity of that woman. The young woman thanked her and left.  As the other woman paid me for her groceries she said she knew a time in her life when she couldn’t afford groceries and now that she can, she was glad to help someone else.  She didn’t have much but she could share.

I saw generosity in giving in that moment.  One had a need, the other had the means. Not only did the other woman meet the need but did it with an understanding of the woman’s situation and with a glad heart to give what she had to help.

Proverbs 11:25 came to my mind as I wandered back to my section of the store. “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.”  Having been on both ends of generosity and getting to witness it at that moment, I felt refreshed, the young woman looked like a weight had been lifted, and I’m pretty sure the woman who showed generosity left with a lilt in her step.  it was a win-win all around!

We don’t need to wait for grand opportunities or worry that we don’t have enough to share, remember the Macedonians, “We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.” They were poor but begged for opportunities to be generous!  Wow!  

I know it should be enough to be generous because God is generous to us, but our giving comes with benefits. 

“A gift opens the way and ushers the giver into the presence of the great.” Proverbs 18:16

“Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.” 2 Corinthians 9:10

“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”  
2 Corinthians 9:8

“You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” 
2 Corinthians 9:11

“’Jesus answered, ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’” Matthew 19:21

Those verses provide us with just a taste of God’s blessings when we freely give what He has given us.  Giving generously is so powerful that even witnessing it is like an overflow of blessings to those around.

Lord, help us to be more aware of opportunities to share what You have given us.  Let us not be hoarders, but givers; all working together to meet the needs of those around us.  May we be like the Macedonian people begging and earnestly seeking for opportune moments to be generous.  You have given us all things and may we, with open hands, give them back to You for we know that we will be enriched in every way and the result will be thanksgiving in You.

Worshiping with open hands and heart with you today,
Lisa

Checklist or Love?

“Marks of the True Christian

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.  Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.  Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.  Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.  Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” (Romans 12:9-15)

When you first read this passage, especially with a header like, “Marks of the True Christian”, you may think it is a checklist; especially for you “check the box” type of personalities. If so, it may look something like this:

Let’s see, “Love one another with brotherly affection.”  I played a prank on our guitarist at church.  Something I would totally do to my brother. Check! 

“Outdo one another in showing honor”. I sent a card and a gift. Check!

“Do not be slothful in zeal”, Hm..zeal means great energy or enthusiasm for a cause.  Oh yeah, I can check that one off!  I was very zealous in regard to the homemade apple crisp my daughter made. 

“be fervent in spirit”. Well, this one needs some work.  Can’t say I have a passionate intensity towards spiritual things all the time.  Work harder, Lisa!

“Serve the Lord”.  Let’s see…I’m on the worship band, am church secretary, and try to work in the produce department of our local store as if I am tending the Lord’s garden, so, check! 

“Rejoice in hope”.  Hope is good!  I rejoice in it!  Check!

“be patient in tribulation”.  Hm…this one is a hard one.  Sometimes.  As long as the tribulation doesn’t last more than my patience.  Check?

“be constant in prayer”.  Oh yeah.  I need all the help I can get.  Check!

“Contribute to the needs of the saints”.  I tithe.  Bake the occasional casserole for someone. Give things away.  Check!

“seek to show hospitality” I let people come to my house on occasion; when it’s convenient; when the house is clean, and the planets are aligned correctly. Check?

“Bless those who persecute you” With gritted teeth at times… Check?

“Rejoice with those who rejoice” I love a good happy dance!  Check!

“weep with those who weep” It just takes one tear in the eye of another and I am undone!  Check!

Now, I know that each one of those things is much more than my responses reflected.  And when I really meditated on each one, I realized that I sometimes fall very short and I my initial response was to tell myself to try harder.  Do better.  Figure this out.  However, the list is not the main point.  The very first verse says, “Let love be genuine, abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.” 

Love.  Love is the basis for the list that follows.  If we focus on loving with a genuine love, all those “marks” will be the outpouring; the fruit.  When we focus on holding fast to God and loving Him with our whole being, loving what He loves, we will naturally love one another, show honor, be zealous and fervent. Everything we do will be with a heart of service to the Lord.  We won’t be able to stop from rejoicing in the hope He has given us. Tribulation will do its work in us while we wait because we know God has our best interests at heart.  We will want to be in constant communication with Him, contribute to His cause, and be a people who bless, rejoice, and weep together.

So, fellow siblings in Christ, don’t focus on the “list” or the “marks” as something you check off or, like me, fret and feel overwhelmed with deficiency, but focus on loving God well.  A love that is authentic and centered on Him so that the “marks” will be evident to all around us.

There needs to be only one thing on that checklist and that is, “Let love be genuine.”  Check?

Learning to love genuinely with you today,

Lisa

Prayer to the Life-Giver

Praise be to God our Father! Our soul waits in quiet expectation and complete rest because You have saved us. There is nothing to fear; our soul is secure in You. May our lives reflect the love and devotion we have for you so that we may bring healing and life to others. Help us to walk in your ways, obeying, honoring, and serving as we hold tightly to You; the One who rescued us into life forever with Him.

(Psalm 62:1; Proverbs 13:17; Deuteronomy 13:4)

Worshiping the Life-Giver with you today,

Lisa

Godly Reward

“…but my words seem so useless!  I have spent my strength for nothing and to no purpose.” Isaiah 49:4a.

Do you ever feel like that?  Like Isaiah?  You work so hard trying to accomplish what you feel is God’s calling on your life and yet you see no results, no rewards, no encouragement, no nothing.  What’s even more interesting to me is right before that verse God had just told Isaiah that he, Isaiah, would bring Him glory.  Obviously, Isaiah wasn’t so sure about that and yet in the second half of verse 4 we see Isaiah’s faith shine.  He says, “Yet I leave it all in the Lord’s hand; I will trust God for my reward.”

Isaiah realized that his reward for his obedience to God was not going to come from man or this sinful world, but from God.   It’s a great reminder that our work on earth is not for others, but for the One who has called us.  Isaiah says in Chapter 50 verse 7 that “because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced.  Therefore I have set my face like a stone, determined to do his will.  And I know that I will not be put to shame.”

I encourage you today to take Isaiah’s example and “set your face like a stone” and persevere in your calling.  God has called each of us for a specific purpose. “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.” (Romans 12:6-8).  And, most importantly, it is all for God’s glory. “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)

So, when things are discouraging and you don’t feel like you’ve made any earthly progress, look to the One who has called you in the first place.  Let Him be your measure and encouragement.  Let Him be your reward.  Be determined to do his will knowing that you will not be put to shame when you serve your God in loving obedience because he is faithful and “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus”. (Philippians 1:6)

Praying that God’s truth about you and your calling will penetrate your heart today and spur you on to worship our truly amazing God!

Serving and worshiping alongside you today,

Lisa