Sunday, October 26, 1997 In Your Absence:
In this week's lesson, which came from II Corinthians 9:6-15, the Apostle Paul wrote to Christians about the importance of personally sharing their abundance with others. In I Corinthians 16:1, he had encouraged the Gentile churches in the area to collect money to help the needy Christians in Palestine. By trying to help others meet their physical needs and by then encouraging his followers to do the same, Paul was demonstrating a couple of very important Bible teachings. In Matthew 22:37-39, when Jesus was asked to identify the Greatest Commandment, He told His listeners that they should love the Lord with all their heart, mind, and soul. He followed that admonition by instructing them to love their neighbor as themselves. We might sometimes believe that this kind of biblical love is simply to think and say good things about one another, but my opinion is that Paul and Jesus were both talking about a type of love which is considerably more committed. Paul would probably even say that real Christian love is always accompanied by real Christian giving.
Paul told those in the Corinthian church that generous giving pleases God. He told them that their faithful giving would help others meet their needs and that, in return, their own needs would be met. He concluded by saying that generous giving produces generous results and that it leads people to praise God. Christians who choose not to share their abundance with those in need sometimes claim that their own poverty gets in the way, but is this response really valid for those who have trusted Christ? Are we not to do all that we can to bring those around us to the Lord, even if on occasion that does mean making some sort of sacrifice? In Colossians 3:1-2, the Apostle Paul encouraged the Christians at the church in Colosse to seek heavenly things while they dwell on this earth. As Christians, our priorities would be well-defined if they revolved first around Christ and then around others. Because Jesus died for all, those who know Him should be trying to reach others for Him. Proverbs 11:30 says that the soul winner is wise, and this remark also applies to Christians who have turned away from the allurement of this world's riches in order to minister to others for the cause of Christ. In Matthew 20:25-28, Jesus taught that it is better to minister to others than it is to be ministered to by others. My prayer is that each of us will let the Holy Spirit internalize this truth into our hearts.
Many times, sharing and giving involves money and possessions, but it does not always. When Paul taught Christians to share, he was not limiting his remarks just to financial matters. Sometimes, we can work heavenly magic in someone's hurting heart merely by sharing a smile or by saying a kind word. The key is not to give a lot of money or to not give a lot of money. In my opinion, the key is to commit ourselves and our possessions to Christ for the sole purpose of reaching others for Him. When we try to always apply dollars or to never apply dollars, then I believe that we are missing the point. As Jesus taught in the above passage from Matthews 22:37-39, let us begin by loving our heavenly Father and others as we should. Then, once we have gotten past that very big, very important hurdle, let us continue to do the work of the Lord by allowing the Holy Spirit to show us how we can minister to others. If you know Jesus as your personal Savior, then you probably already know that you have been greatly blessed. Therefore, as the Holy Spirit leads you, pass that blessing on to someone else.
Tom of Spotswood"He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." (I John 5:12)
"And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13)
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