Generosity in Christian preaching emphasizes heartfelt giving as an expression of devotion to God and care for others, going beyond mere obligation to reflect God's grace (2 Corinthians 9:7). Illustrations often use imagery of small gifts noticed by heaven, the flourishing of a giving tree, and unexpected blessings that reward open-handed kindness (Acts 20:35).
Modest benevolence gives anonymously, avoiding praise and seeking true humility.
One of Baron Rothschild’s peculiarities was to conceal his benevolence. He gave away a great deal of money, but if the one who received it ever mentioned the fact so that it came back to the baron’s ears, he never got any more. His contributions to general benevolence were always anonymous or passed through the hands of others. His name never appeared upon any benevolent list.
Modest generosity can be a quiet, personal act of kindness remembered long after.
* * * * *
There is a beautiful incident connected with the fall of the stronghold of the Cumberland which General Grant was too modest to include in the “Memoirs.” Many years after the event, General Buckner, speaking at a Grant birthday gathering, said: “Under these circumstances I surrendered to General Grant. I had at a previous time befriended him, and it has been justly said that he never forgot an act of kindness. I met him on the boat (at the surrender), and he followed me when I went to my quarters. He left the officers of his own army and followed me, with that modest manner peculiar to him, into the shadow, and there he tendered me his purse. It seems to me that in the modesty of his nature he was afraid the light would witness that act of generosity, and sought to hide it from the world.”--Col. NICHOLAS SMITH, “Grant, the Man of Mystery.”
True generosity may require personal sacrifice even when one has very little to give.
* * * * *
A noble spirit despises pay and money. Garibaldi was always penniless; so, when he had occasion to give, as was constantly the case, he had to borrow or sacrifice personal belongings. Once he brought home an Italian exile, who, he explained, was poorer than himself. “I have two shirts and he has none,” and he proposed dividing. But one shirt happened to be in the wash, so, had he stript off the one on his back, as he was wholly capable of doing, the division would still have been unequal. “I have it!” then exclaimed Garibaldi. “There is the red shirt in my trunk that I haven’t worn since Rome. He shall have that!” A friend, however, intervened, and the Garibaldian red badge of courage was peremptorily rescued. (Text.)
Following Christ’s example means generous forgiveness and restoration beyond mere fairness.
See ACKNOWLEDGMENT; HUMOR AND GENEROSITY; TACT.
GENEROSITY, CHRISTIAN
If business men generally followed the Golden Rule, after the example of Mr. Frank Crossley, the great promoter of London missions, as indicated below, what a different world this would soon become!
One unfortunate man who had put in one of Mr. Crossley’s engines, and found it too small, but was unable to replace it, and was threatened with bankruptcy, found in him a rare benefactor, who not only replaced the old engine by a new and larger one without charge, but actually made up to him the losses in his business which had resulted from his own blunder. That man said to a friend, “I have found a man who treated me just as Jesus Christ would have done!” (Text.)--PIERSON, “The Miracles of Missions.”
Generous giving, even from the poor, powerfully supports the gospel's spread.
Rev. A. J. Potter, the “Fighting Parson” of Texas, tells this:
Holding services at a place one time I took up a collection for the support of missions. There was a poor old lady present who I noticed dropt a $5 gold piece in the hat. I knew she was very poor and not able to afford so much, and thought she had intended to throw in a quarter, but made a mistake. So next day I met her husband and said to him: “Look here, your wife put a $5 gold piece in the hat yesterday; I think she must have made a mistake.” “No, no,” he replied, “my wife didn’t make no mistake. She don’t fling often, but, let me tell you, when she flings she flings.”
It is just such “flings” of the generous giver that lend “wings” to the glorious gospel.
Different motives for giving reveal the giver's spiritual condition and love for others.
First, those who give spontaneously and generously, but only to themselves--auto-givers they might be called.
Second, those who give thoughtlessly, without any real or high motive--givers of the occasion, as it were.
Third, those who give as a sop to conscience and self-esteem; in a species of atonement for the evil they do--penitential givers.
Fourth, those who give as a matter of display, to win public applause for their generosity--theatrical givers.
Fifth, those who give because others give, because they are expected to give, and are ashamed not to give, and therefore give grudgingly--conventional givers.
Sixth, those who give because they feel they ought to give; who give through a sense of duty and not through love--moral givers.
Seventh, those who give in the spirit of Jesus; who give because they love their neighbor as themselves, and above all things desire to help him--spiritual givers.
To which do you belong?
There are lots of men who will sing with gusto in a missionary meeting:
“Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a present far too small,”
but when the collection-plate is put under their nose and they are asked to put their sentiments into cold, hard cash, they drop a five-cent piece upon it with a sigh of regret, which suggests these other well-known lines,
“When we asunder part, It gives us inward pain.”
--E. L. MEADOWS, Pittsburg _Christian Advocate_.
Small denominations can reduce giving, reflecting minimal rather than generous giving.
During the Civil War coins became difficult to obtain, and paper money was furnished in their place, and at one time the lowest denomination was a “five-cent scrip.” The time came when the government minted the three-cent nickel piece. The treasurer of a church, a fine man, who had a brother, a missionary in Siam, said to me, “Pastor, it is very unfortunate that the government should have issued this three-cent piece, because when we had nothing smaller than a five-cent scrip, people put that into the collection, but now, that we have got something so small as a three-cent nickel, our collections will fall off two-fifths!”
Humor can creatively open opportunities to help others in need.
In his “Reminiscences” of the late Sir Henry Irving, says the London Academy, Joseph Hatton gives an anecdote which shows the great actor in the role of a humorist:
A widow of an old Lyceum servant applied to him for some sort of occupation about the theater, whereby she might earn a living. Irving appealed to Loveday, the manager.
“There is absolutely no vacancy of any kind,” said Loveday. “Can’t you give her a job to look after the theater cats? I think we’ve too many mice about, not to mention rats.” “No,” said Loveday, “there are two women already on that job.” “Hum, ha, let me see,” said Irving, reflectively, then suddenly brightening with an idea. “Very well, then, give her the job of looking after the two women who are looking after the cats.” The widow was at once engaged on the permanent staff of the theater.
Friends secretly pay Henry Clay's debt, illustrating kindness and generosity in action.
* * * * *
Henry Clay was at one time considerably distrest by a large debt due to the bank. Some of his friends heard of it, and quietly raised the money and paid off the entire indebtedness, without notifying Mr. Clay. In utter ignorance of what had been going on, he went to the bank one day, and addressing the cashier, said, “I have called to see you in reference to that debt of mine to the bank.”
“You don’t owe us anything,” was the reply.
Mr. Clay looked inquiringly, and said: “You don’t understand me. I came to see you about that debt which I am owing the bank.”
“You don’t owe us anything.”
“Why! how am I to understand you?”
“A number of your friends have contributed and paid off that debt, and you do not owe this bank one dollar.”
Tears rushed to Mr. Clay’s eyes, and, unable to speak, he turned and walked out of the bank.
Generous giving makes one spiritually smaller and joyful enough to enter heaven's gate.
A prosperous member of a church in Scotland had been besought often by his pastor to give to the work of evangelizing the poor in Glasgow, but would always reply: “Na, I need it for mysel’.” One night he dreamed that he was at the gate of heaven, which was only a few inches ajar. He tried to get in, but could not, and was in agony at his poor prospect. Just then the face of his minister appeared, who said: “Sandy, why stand ye glowering there? Why don’t ye gae in?” “I can’t; I am too large, and my pocketbook sticks out whichever way I turn.” “Sandy,” replied the minister, “think how mean ye have been to the Lord’s poor, and ye will be small enough to go through the eye of a needle.” Sandy awoke, and began to reduce both his pocketbook and his meanness by generously lifting forward the cause of his Lord.
We may depend upon it that it is the lifters and not the leaners who have the joy, and the peace, and the triumph of the Christian life.
— LOUIS ALBERT BANKS
A humble copper coin is found more often in missionary offerings than a silver dollar.
On one occasion a new silver dollar found itself in the same plate with a penny with the head of an Indian upon it. And the goddess of Liberty looked down upon the Indian, and said: “You miserable, copper-faced, feather-trimmed heathen, what are you doing in this plate, in the same company with me?” And the copper coin, with the Indian’s face, responded: “I am found in a great many more missionary gatherings than you are!”
God entrusts us with blessings to share generously for His glory and our joy.
God has crammed both thy palms with living seed; Let not a miser’s clutch keep both hands tight, But scatter on the desert’s barren need, That fragrant blossoms may reward God’s sight.
God has dipt deep thy cup into his spring, Which drippeth over, it is so well filled; Lend it to some parched life, and let it bring Laughter and song to voices drought has stilled.
God gave to thee His only well-loved Christ, Whose steps have smoothed the road that leads thee home; Tell those whose road is rough, whose way is missed, That He has called all weary men to come.
So shall thy giving set for thee God’s smile, And thine own soul drink deep draughts of His love; Earth’s shadows shall grow bright as heaven, the while A web of glory round thy life is wove.
--_The British Congregationalist._
A stingy man ridicules generosity but gives the least possible, showing true character.
A very self-respecting and self-asserting bon vivant showed his desire to cut down the fees of waiters to a minimum and at the same time to ridicule the whole system. As the waiter held out his itching palm for the gratuity the epicure dropt a cent into it. “Oh, sir, you’ve made a mistake!” blurted out the waiter. “No,” replied the donor, with an air of dignified benevolence; “I never give less.”--TAVERNER, Boston _Post_.
Teaching children selfish saving hinders generosity and true stewardship of resources.
Down with the little toy savings-bank! I believe it teaches children to be selfish. I hate to see a child, a sweet, innocent child, with dimpled hands and a laughing face, clutch the penny or the nickel you give it close in its little fingers, and run first to drop it into the greedy, miserly “savings-bank,” and then come back to thank you. We teach the child to be selfish when we give it a penny to drop in the missionary-box and fifty cents to buy a toy for itself; to dole out a penny a week for charity and keep the savings-bank rattling full. But haven’t I a savings-bank in my home? Indeed I have; and I’d like to see you or any other man, except one of my dear friends the Vanderbilts, pour money into the top of that savings bank as fast as the prince can draw it out of the bottom. That’s the way to run a bank. Make her useful; milk her. “Mr. Speaker,” said the California legislator, “may I ask how much money there is in the State treasury?” The speaker estimated about $40,000. “Then,” said the member, “I move to rake her. What good does the money do locked up? If you don’t spend it, some alderman will get hold of it.”
— ROBERT BURDETTE
Gratitude for God’s blessings leads to generous sharing with those in need.
* * * * *
This helpful poem is from _The Outlook_:
I thank thee, Lord, for strength of arm To win my bread, And that beyond my need is meat For friend unfed. I thank thee much for bread to live, I thank thee more for bread to give.
I thank thee, Lord, for snug-thatched roof In cold and storm, And that beyond my need is room For friend forlorn. I thank thee much for place to rest, But more for shelter for my guest.
I thank thee, Lord, for lavish love On me bestowed, Enough to share with loveless folk To ease their load. Thy love to me I ill could spare, Yet dearer is thy love I share. (Text.)
Researchers John and Sylvia Ronsvalle (Lilly Foundation) examined giving habits from 1968 to 1985. Available after-tax income (and inflation) increased 31%, while the percentage of income given per member to the churches studied (31 Protestant denominations, with 30 million members) actually decreased 8.5 percent.
Sylvia says, "What we found essentially is that people are placing a higher value on their lifestyles than their church." They have more money, but are spending more on themselves and less on the work of God.
Layman finds at least five models of giving in the Bible.
1. Unity model.
Ephesians 4:4-5 points to unity of God and the faith and concludes
(somehow) the value of the list is one dollar. In 1950 dollars (when
he first heard of this model) the pledge would be $5.26 a week.
Author admits there's not much of a theological basis for it.
2. Loaves and fishes model.
After Jesus fed the multitudes, his disciples gathers up the leftovers
so there would be no waste. Likewise some Christians, after paying
all their bills, gather up the leftovers and use this as their gift to
God. Our debtors would not be pleased with leftovers, and neither is
the Lord.
3. Equality model.
Assess each member of the church an equal pledge to cover the budget.
After the Babylonian exile [I think he means the original conquest of
Canaan], the land was divided equally, though not quite equally since
Joseph got two portions. Also, different and unequal talents give us
different and unequal responsibilities.
4. Tithe model.
The law of Moses is very explicit - one tenth. The tithe was in terms
of per cent, while the offering of thanks was in proportion to the
richness of blessing. Some feel 10% is too steep for modern
Christians. [Actually, it is low compared to the burden it placed on
an agricultural subsistence economy.] Make the percentage increase
with time.
5. The Total model.
The rich young ruler was told to give up all he had. It would be a
great challenge to follow it. God places no limits on what he expects
of us. [1430]
*
Human-divine collaboration characterizes all honorable work.
I. Work is good.
A. God is a worker (Creation).
1) Humans, made in God's image, are meant to work.
2) Adam worked while in the Garden of Eden. Gen 2:15
B. Work produces benefits. (John Stott)
1) Work is intended for fulfillment of the worker.
Gen 1:26, Eccl 2:24; 3:22
a) Spiritual work has eternal rewards.
2) Work is intended for provision of the family.
3) Work is intended for the benefit of the community. Eph 4:28
C. All work should be done as unto the Lord.
1) The Puritans declared the sanctity of all honorable work.
a) No separation between sacred and secular.
2) All of life was God's.
The parable of the vineyard workers (Matt 20) offends our sense of fairness. Why should everyone get equal pay for unequal work?
Back in Ontario when the apples ripened. Mom would sit all seven of us down, Dad included. With pans and paring knives until the mountain of fruit was reduced to neat rows of filled canning jars. She never bothered keeping track of how many we did, though the younger ones undoubtedly proved more of a nuisance than a help: cut fingers, squabbles over who got which pan, apple core fights. But when the job was done, the reward for everyone was the same: the largest chocolate-dipped cone money could buy. A stickler might argue it wasn't quite fair since the older ones actually peeled apples. But I can't remember anyone complaining about it.
A family understands it operates under a different set of norms than a courtroom. In fact, when the store ran out of ice cream and my younger brother had to make do with a Popsicle, we felt sorry for him despite his lack of productivity (he'd eaten all the apples he'd peeled that day - both of them).
God wants all his children to enjoy the complete fullness of eternal life. No true child of God wants it any other way.
#2057
*
Sermon in parable series. Workers in the Vineyard
BUT IT'S NOT FAIR!
==================
I. Easy story, but what should we make of it?
A. Summary of parable.
B. Irritating for modern people.
C. Jesus is talking about God, not labor practices.
II. Main point of parable is disputed.
A. The way people get saved.
B. Salvation by grace alone.
C. The mercy of God.
III. God's generosity.
A. Good things God does even for the ungodly.
B. God's standards are different from our standards.
IV. Why is God's mercy so hard for us to accept?
A. Parable, like many others, has two aspects to it.
B. Parable addressed to Pharisees, who rejected Jesus.
C. We tend to identify with first workers, like the Pharisees did.
V. True faith reacts: "Isn't it great that the last workers got
just as much as us?"
A. The need for a generous spirit.
B. Showing grace at work, home, church, etc. #2147
*
A friend of mine named Paul received an automobile from his brother as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office, a street urchin was walking around the shiny new car, admiring it. "Is this your car, Mister?" he asked.
Paul nodded. "My brother gave it to me for Christmas." The boy was astounded. "Boy, I wish..." He hesitated.
Of course Paul knew what he was going to wish for. He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what the lad said jarred Paul all the way down to his heels.
"I wish," the boy went on, "that I could be a brother like that."
Paul was astonished. He asked the boy, "Would you like a ride?"
After a short ride, the boy turned and his eyes aglow, said, "Will you stop where those two steps are?"
He ran up the steps. Then in a little while Paul heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled brother. He sat him down on the bottom step, then sort of squeezed up against him and pointed to the car.
"There she is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didn't cost him a cent. And someday I'm gonna give you one just like it ... then you can see for yourself all the pretty things in the Christmas windows that I've been trying to tell you about."
Paul got out and lifted the lad to the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began a memorable holiday ride.
That Christmas Eve, Paul learned what Jesus meant when He had said:
"It is more blessed to give..."
==========================
By Dan Clark from Condensed Chicken Soup for the Soul, Copyright 1996 by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen & Patty Hansen
#4500
*
A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin, 5, Ryan, 3. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson. "If Jesus were sitting here, he would say, 'Let my brother have the first pancake. I can wait.'"
Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, "Ryan, you be Jesus!"
One day Lucy and Linus had a chicken wishbone and were going to pull it to make a wish. Lucy was explaining to Linus that if he got the bigger half of it his wish would come true. Linus said to her, "Do I have to say the wish out loud?" Lucy said, "Of course, if you don't say it out loud it won't come true."
So Lucy went ahead and made her wishes first. She said, "I wish for four new sweaters, a new bike, a new pair of skates, a new dress and one hundred dollars."
It came time for Linus to make his wishes, and he said, "I wish for a long life for all of my friends, I wish for world peace, I wish for great advancements in medical research."
About that time, Lucy took the wishbone and threw it away saying, "Linus, that's the trouble with you. You're always spoiling everything."
*
Pappy was a pleasant-looking old fellow. He had the whitest hair which he kept neatly cut and combed. His eyes were blue, though faded with age, and they seemed to emit a warmth from within. His face was quite drawn, but when he smiled, even his wrinkles seemed to soften and smile with him.
He had a talent for whistling and did so happily each day as he dusted and swept his pawnshop; even so, he had a secret sadness, but everyone who knew him respected and adored him.
Most of Pappy's customers returned for their good, and he did not do much business, but he did not mind. To him, the shop was not a livelihood as much as a welcome pastime.
There was a room in the back of his shop where he spent time tinkering with a menagerie of his own precious items. He referred to this back room as “memory hall.” In it were pocket watches, clocks, and electric trains. There were miniature steam engines and antique toys made of wood, tin, or cast iron, and there were various other obsolete trinkets as well. Spending time in memory hall delighted him as he recalled many treasured moments from his past. He handled each item with care, and sometimes he would close his eyes and pause to relive a sweet, simple childhood memory.
One day, Pappy was working to his heart's content reassembling an old railroad lantern. As he worked, he whistled the melody of a railroad tune and reminisced about his own past as a switchman. It was a typical day at the shop. Outside, the sun illuminated the clear sky, and a slight wind passed through the front screen door. Whenever the weather was this nice, Pappy kept the inner door open. He enjoyed the fresh air -- almost as much as the distinctive smell of antiques and old engine oil.
As he was polishing his newly restored lantern, he heard the tinkling of his bell on the shop door. The bell, which produced a uniquely charming resound, had been in Pappy's family for over a hundred years. He cherished it dearly and enjoyed sharing its song with all who came to his shop. Although the bell hung on the inside of the main door, Pappy had strung a wire to the screen door so that it would ring whether the inner door was open or not. Prompted by the bell, he left memory hall to greet his customer.
At first, he did not see her. Her shiny, soft curls barely topped the counter. “And how can I help you, little lady?” Pappy's voice was jovial.
“Hello, sir.” The little girl spoke almost in a whisper. She was dainty. Bashful. Innocent. She looked at Pappy with her big brown eyes, then slowly scanned the room in search of something special.
Shyly she told him, “I'd like to buy a present, sir.”
“Well, let's see,” Pappy said, “who is this present for?”
“My grandpa. It's for my grandpa. But I don't know what to get.”
Pappy began to make suggestions. “How about a pocket watch? It's in good condition. I fixed it myself,” he said proudly.
The little girl didn't answer. She had walked to the doorway and put her small hand on the door. She wiggled the door gently to ring the bell. Pappy's face seemed to glow as he saw her smiling with excitement.
“This is just right,” the little girl bubbled. “Momma says grandpa loves music.”
Just then, Pappy's expression changed. Fearful of breaking the little girl's heart, he told her, “I'm sorry, missy. That's not for sale. Maybe your grandpa would like this little radio.”
The little girl looked at the radio, lowered her head, and sadly sighed, “No, I don't think so.”
In an effort to help her understand, Pappy told her the story of how the bell had been in his family for so many years, and that was why he didn't want to sell it.
The little girl looked up at him, and with a giant tear in her eye, sweetly said, “I guess I understand. Thank you, anyway.”
Suddenly, Pappy thought of how the rest of the family was all gone now, except for his estranged daughter whom he had not seen in nearly a decade. Why not, he thought. Why not pass it on to someone who will share it with a loved one? God only knows where it will end up anyway.
“Wait...little lady.” Pappy spoke just as the little girl was going out the door -- just as he was hearing his bell ring for the last time. “I've decided to sell the bell. Here's a hanky. Blow your nose.”
The little girl began to clap her hands. “Oh, thank you, sir. Grandpa will be so happy.”
“Okay, little lady. Okay.” Pappy felt good about helping the child; he knew, however, he would miss the bell. “You must promise to take good care of the bell for your grandpa -- and for me, too, okay?” He carefully placed the bell in a brown paper bag.
“Oh, I promise,” said the little girl. Then, she suddenly became very still and quiet. There was something she had forgotten to ask. She looked up at Pappy with great concern, and again almost in a whisper, asked, “How much will it cost?”
“Well, let's see. How much have you got to spend?” Pappy asked with a grin. The child pulled a small coin purse from her pocket then reached up and emptied two dollars and forty-seven cents onto the counter. After briefly questioning his own sanity, Pappy said, “Little lady, this is your lucky day. That bell costs exactly two dollars and forty-seven cents.”
Later that evening as Pappy prepared to close up shop, he found himself thinking about his bell. Already he had decided not to put up another one. He thought about the child and wondered if her grandpa like his gift. Surely he would cherish anything from such a precious grandchild.
At that moment, just as he was going to turn off the light in memory hall, Pappy thought he heard his bell. Again, he questioned his sanity; he turned toward the door, and there stood the little girl. She was ringing the bell and smiling sweetly.
Pappy was puzzled as he strolled toward the small child. “What's this, little lady? Have you changed your mind?”
“No,” she grinned. “Momma says it's for you.”
Before Pappy had time to say another word, the child's mother stepped into the doorway, and choking back a tear, she gently said, “Hello, Dad.”
The little girl tugged on her grandpa's shirttail. “Here, Grandpa. Here's your hanky. Blow your nose.”
“The liberal soul shall be made fat; and he that watereth shall himself be watered” Proverbs 11:25.
We'll be “fat” when we become liberal. That is, we will be prospered, and we will grow... the one who gives shall also get... “Give and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down, and running over.”
1. WE NEED TO BE LIBERAL IN OUR PRAISE OF GOD. “God inhabits the praises of His people.” “Let all the people praise thee, O Lord.” We ought to be liberal in praise.
We can praise the Lord because He is our Owner. He is the Lord of life. We can say again, “He has made us and not we ourselves. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.” We can celebrate the truth of God's ownership...
We can praise the Lord for His power. Psalms 62:11 states that “power belongs unto the Lord.” Climb a mountain one day and look at the big, solid boulders or ledges. He placed the mountains in their place and the valleys where they are. God is the omnipotent Lord. He can do all things. We praise Him for His power.
We can praise God for His mercy. Micah 7:18 says the Lord delights in mercy. Wow! He has mercy on us. We remember that a publican, a sinful man, walked into the temple one day and prayed. His prayer was brief: “Lord be merciful to me the sinner.” He returned to his house justified. God shows His mercy to us over and over again. He showed mercy to Jonah. When the run-away prophet called out to God, the Lord answered and delivered him.
Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 about some of his converts. Some had been drunkards, some homosexuals, some idol worshipers, and the list goes on. But he also wrote, “And such were some of you, but you are washed, , sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of God.” God showed mercy upon those people and saved them. The Lord is in the business of saving people today. He makes saints out of sinners. He makes Satan's people change into God's people. God is merciful. We can praise Him for His mercy! Thus, let's be liberal in praise to the Lord.
2. WE NEED TO BE LIBERAL IN OUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHERS. We can learn to tolerate and get along with all kinds of people. We may not agree with some. We may be of different persuasions. But we can be liberal in our dealings with and relations with others...
Someone has written the meaningful lines: “To live with saints in heaven will be bliss and glory; to live with saints on earth, oh my soul, that's another story!” We can have good and meaningful relations with others.
We can encourage others. The world around us needs a word to lift them up, to inspire and help. Solomon wrote in 25:11, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.” A framed picture of silver that has golden apples is a beautiful sight. That kind of picture animates and encourages the viewer. So do words that are spoken that warm the heart. They change one's life. All of us speak words. They can be words to uplift, or they can be words to break the spirit. Which will they be?
3. WE CAN BE LIBERAL IN OUR SUPPORT OF GOD'S CAUSE. In the verse before the text in Proverbs 11:24 these words are found, “There is that which scattereth and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.”
We need to be liberal in giving because this honors God. Proverbs 3:9 states, “Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase.” Then the glowing words follow that God will cause our own barns to overflow we goods. He will bless us as we honor Him with our gifts... We worship God with our gifts. All of us need to see giving as an act of holy worship. We honor the Lord as we give back to Him.
We need to be liberal in giving because this helps meet spiritual and material needs to the ends of the earth. The local Church keeps going and thrives in part by the way we support the work where we live.
We need to be liberal in giving because this helps our eternal well being... The Saviour said for us to lay up treasure in heaven. We do this as we give. We have eternal benefits, not just temporal ones, as we share in giving to God's cause. Let's be liberal in giving.
4. WE CAN BE LIBERAL IN OUR WITNESSING TO OTHERS ABOUT JESUS. In the same chapter as the text in verse 30 of chapter eleven we read, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.” Every Christian can be a witness. We can be God's missionaries where we are. We need to testify to God's love in Jesus Christ.
We ought to witness because we have good news to share. In fact, the greatest news in all world history is the story of Jesus. We tell about Jesus. We tell of His death for us. He gave His life for you and me. He shed His blood for our salvation, our redemption. We turn from our sin, we repent. We trust Jesus. We ask Him to save us, to live in our lives as Savior and friend. Then we tell the good news to others that Jesus changes one's life, that He gives eternal life. This is the only lasting good news story in world history. Life unending through Jesus is great news!
We ought to witness because others wait for “His Story,” the story of Jesus. Many people don't understand that they can be saved, that God loves them, that God changes life, that God gives redemption from sin, that the Lord gives holiness and sanctity and joy and unending bliss. Many wait for us to take the initiative and tell them.
One Indian doctor in a Texas city was invited by a member of the First Baptist Church of that town to visit them. Dr. Varshney asked, “You mean to that beautiful building there on the highway?” He was told yes. Then he said, “Well, I didn't think that anyone like me would be able to attend your Church.” Some people may be afraid to come to visit because they don't know that a welcome sign is out for them. Some may think that the Church is a little club for a few members. We need to share, to witness, so everyone can know that God's House is a house for all people.
We can be liberal in our outreach. Are we doing this, or simply mentioning or glossing over the facts on some occasions as we come to mission days or mission offerings. Let's witness -- really spread the news of Jesus.
Let's learn to be liberal, to be generous in every area of life. God will bless the individual and the Church as we learn to think of others, as we give, and give, and give. What will we do about the challenge of being liberal and generous?
__________
Preston A. Taylor
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[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #19257]
Karen Mains distinguishes between Hospitality and Entertaining: Entertaining says, "I want to impress you with my home, my clever decorating, my cooking." Hospitality, seeking to minister, says, "This home is a gift from my Master. I use it as he desires." Hospitality aims to serve.
Entertaining puts things before people. "As soon as I get the house finished, the living room decorated, my house cleaning done -- then I will start inviting people." Hospitality puts people first. "No furniture -- we'll eat on the floor! The decorating may never get done -- you come anyway. The house is a mess -- but you are friends -- come home with us."
Entertaining subtly declares, "This home is mine, an expression of my personality. Look, please, and admire." Hospitality whispers, "What is mine is yours."
__________________
Karen Mains, "Open Heart, Open Home," Cook, 1976
The Junior Sunday School Teacher asked her eight eager 10-year-olds if they would give $1,000,000 to the missionaries.
"YES!" they all screamed!!
"Would you give $1,000?" Again they shouted "YES!"
"How about $100?" "Oh, YES we would!" they all agreed!!
"Would you give just a dollar to the missionaries?" she asked.
The boys exclaimed "YES!" just as before except for Johnnie.
"Johnnie," the teacher said as she noticed the boy clutching his pocket, "why didn't you say 'YES' this time?"
"Well," he stammered, "I HAVE a dollar."
An American Indian one day asked Bishop Henry Benjamin Whipple to give him two one-dollar bills for a two-dollar note. When asked why, the Indian replied, "One dollar for me to give to Jesus, and one dollar for my wife to give."
The Bishop asked him if it was all the money he had. He said, "Yes."
The Bishop was about to tell him it was too much, when an Indian clergyman who was standing by whispered, "It might be too much for a white man to give, but not too much for an Indian who has this year heard for the first time of the love of Jesus."
Shortly after World War II came to a close, Europe began picking up the pieces. Much of the Old Country had been ravaged by war and was in ruins. Perhaps the saddest sight of all was that of little orphaned children starving in the streets of those war-torn cities.
Early on chilly morning an American soldier was making his way back to the barracks in London. As he turned the corner in his jeep, he spotted a little lad with his nose pressed to the window of a pastry shop. Inside the cook was kneading dough for a fresh batch of doughnuts. The hungry boy stared in silence, watching every move. The soldier pulled his jeep to the curb, stopped, got out and walked quietly over to where the little fellow was standing. Through the steamed-up window he could see the mouth-watering morsels as they were being pulled from the over, piping hot. The boy salivated and released a slight groan as he watched the cook place them onto the glass-enclosed counter ever so carefully.
The soldier's heart went out to the nameless orphan as he stood beside him. “Son...would you like some of those?” The boy was startled. “Oh, yeah...I would!” The American stepped inside and bought a dozed, put them in a bag, and walked back to where the lad was standing in the foggy cold of the London morning. He smiled, held out the bag, and said simply: “Here you are.”
As he turned to walk away, he felt a tug on his coat. He looked back and heard the child ask quietly: “Mister...are you God?”
We are never more like God than when we give. “God so loved the world, that he gave...”
From Improving Your Serve by Charles R Swindoll p 52-53
Thomas Samson was a Welsh miner. Each day, he put in long, hard hours at the mine-his life in constant danger-just to earn a meager wage.
One day, the foreman of the mine came to him and said, “Thomas, I’ve found an easier job for you above ground, You’ll have less to do and earn more money. Are you interested?
“Oh, yes.” Said Thomas, “I’m very interested, sir. But, would you consider giving the job to my friend Tregony instead? He isn’t as strong as I am and he’s not able to work as hard as I can. I fear the work below in the mine will shorten his life and I will lose my friend. Might he have this job?” The foreman was moved by Thomas’ generosity and gave the job to Tregony.
Thomas continued to work hard, and when another above-ground position opened, the foreman again approached Thomas about the job. This time, he accepted the offer. Thomas and Tregony went on to work side-by-side for two decades.
________
Source: 3ABN eNews, http://www.3abn.org
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[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #1578]
Most Christians have read the biblical story of Ruth a dozen times. For many of us, it stands out as one of the most compelling narratives in the Old Testament. Some dismiss Ruth as a simple love story. But in her new book, The Gospel of Ruth, author Carolyn James compellingly challenges that narrow view.
James writes that Ruth’s “loyalty to Yahweh prompts her to challenge the religious status quo and lead others into a whole new realm of allegiance to Yahweh that carries early hints of the teaching of Jesus.” Ms. James goes so far as to say that Ruth herself “embodies the utter difference the gospel makes in us and in our relationships with others, generations before Jesus was born.” Carolyn James hammers this theme home through every facet of Ruth’s life.
Here’s just one example. You may remember how Ruth goes one day to glean in the fields of Boaz. The ancient welfare system of Israel dictated that Israelites were to leave the corners of their land and the edges of their field un-harvested for widows, orphans and aliens. While many people in the days of the judges had long since abandoned keeping this aspect of the law, Boaz had not.
Now Ruth has sworn herself to care for her mother-in-law, and so she goes to Boaz’s field and does something bold: She asks Boaz’s foreman if she can glean behind the harvesters as they worked.
When informed by his foreman what Ruth was doing, Boaz certainly could have kicked Ruth off of his land. Instead, he talks to Ruth and allows her to gather grain with his own servant girls.
As James writes, “Sometimes newcomers have a way of showing us we’ve settled into a narrow, precise obedience — a tidy conformity to the law — that falls far short of what God really intends.”
James goes on to show us that Jesus, another outsider to the religious establishment, did exactly the same. “The Sermon on the Mount,” she writes, “knocked down the walls that religious living had constructed around God’s law and pointed to a way of living that goes beyond the letter of the law to the spirit.” While the letter of the law in Ruth’s day simply permitted the poor to glean, the spirit of the law was that the poor and the vulnerable should have enough to eat.
“God meant for landowners like Boaz to wrestle with such basic questions as, How big is a corner? How wide is an edge? ... How much will I leave behind for the poor?” writes James.
Into the midst of tight-fisted legalism, Boaz explodes on stage and gives Ruth permission not only to glean among the workers, but he offers her the protection of his field hands and the privilege of drinking from his wells. He also blesses her in God’s name. Boaz will take this generosity even further in the chapters that come. In this, he foreshadows Christ, who would give himself in the ultimate display of lavish generosity.
How far will our generosity extend today — you and me? Are we content to hang on to the letter of the law or are we willing to follow Christ’s example? Perhaps, we’ve grown content in writing a check that is exactly 10 percent of our income and dutifully putting it in the offering plate as it passes each week. Meanwhile, we’ve shut our eyes completely to the needs of modern-day Ruths.
________
Copyright (c) 2008 Prison Fellowship Ministries. Reprinted with permission. "BreakPoint with Chuck Colson" is a radio ministry of Prison Fellowship Ministries.
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[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #9603]
Soviet Pastor Richard Wurmbrand, the author of TORTURED FOR CHRIST, suffered terribly for the Lord. Yet he said that even while in prison, he saw fellow Soviet believers practice generous giving. “When we were given one slice of bread a week and dirty soap every day, we decided we would faithfully ‘tithe’ even that. Every tenth week we took the slice of bread and gave it to the weaker brethren as our ‘tithe’ to the Master.”
My Source: BEACON
Vol. XXVII, 9/14/98
A Publication of Bellview church of Christ
… … … … … … .
Author: Charles Box
… … … … … … .
THE CHEERFUL GIVER
God gives plain and clear instruction on acceptable giving. He teaches both concerning the manner and the amount to be given. God is a giver and He expects His children to give. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). The cheerful giver opens his life to many blessings from God. “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again” (Luke 6:38). Let us learn to be cheerful givers:
THE CHEERFUL GIVER SOWS BOUNTIFULLY…
“But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully” (2 Corinthians 9:6). Our giving must be a matter of generosity and not grudging obligation (2 Corinthians 9:5). The result of bountiful giving is the windows of heaven being opened and an abundance of blessings being poured out; so many the cheerful giver could not receive them all (Malachi 3:8-10).
THE CHEERFUL GIVER PLANS OR PURPOSES HIS GIVING…
Scriptural giving does not happen by accident. It is accomplished by thoughts and design. “So let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). Those who make no plans in their giving offer God only the scraps. God expects and deserves more! Let us prayerfully consider our blessings and give accordingly.
THE CHEERFUL GIVER HAS A PART IN GOOD WORKS…
Christians give generously and many good works are accomplished. “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8). Doors are open for benevolence and evangelism. Liberal, cheerful giving makes possible an abundance of good works.
THE CHEERFUL GIVER WILL INCREASE IN RIGHTEOUSNESS…
There is no greater need than the need for righteousness in the lives of God’s people. God increases the fruits of righteousness in the life of the cheerful giver. “(As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever. Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness)” (2 Corinthians 9:9-10). In cheerful giving Christians come to see righteousness developed in their lives and the lives of others.
THE CHEERFUL GIVER IS A GAINER, NOT A LOSER…
God, in providence, blesses the cheerful giver. “Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your good, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;) Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God” (2 Corinthians 9:10-11). God blesses us with that which will supply the needs of our own family and also bless others through benevolence and evangelism. God will multiply the seed sown. You give cheerfully and God will help you do even more.
THE CHEERFUL GIVER IS A BLESSING TO MANY…
Christians should stand ready to bless saints and all men. “For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God; Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for you liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men” (2 Corinthians 9:12-13). Cheerful giving will lead to God receiving glory. God is glorified when the poor are helped. This glory comes from all who are involved or who know of the things which are done.
THE CHEERFUL GIVER IS MOTIVATED BY GOD’S INDESCRIBABLE GIFT…
The precious gift of Jesus for our salvation motivates our giving. “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Pt 1:18-19). God’s wonderful gift stirs our heart to sincerity and cheerfulness in our giving and our service to others. God has blessed us by giving His Son. Let us be cheerful givers also.
Nothing blesses the life of a Christian more than cheerful giving. “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves tresures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:19-21). The grace of God and His great gift to us demands our cheerful and liberal giving. Does your giving please God?
… … P.O. Box 551, Greenville, AL 36037
"We must not only give what we have; we must also give what we are." -- Cardinal Mercia
So far, so good, Susan thought with a smile, as she checked off another name on her list. The 51-year-old pharmaceutical consultant had spent weeks tracking down former classmates to invite them to a high school reunion.
Plans for a thirtieth reunion had never materialized, so Susan had decided, “Why not have a thirty-third?” She'd undertaken the whole project herself, and every day she grew more excited about seeing old friends again.
There was one person she was particularly interested in reconnecting with: Bennett Scott. She'd recently learned from another classmate that Bennett was gravely ill. He'd suffered from kidney disease for years, and now he was on dialysis every day, waiting for a transplant. I hope he gets a new lease on life soon, Susan thought, as she dialed his number. Her old friend needed a guardian angel, and although Susan didn't know it yet, she would be that angel.
When Bennett had first arrived at their South Carolina school, Susan had hardly noticed him. She was a cheerleader with many friends, and he was shy and sensitive, the new kid in town. But their paths soon began to cross. Both sang in the school chorus, worked on the newspaper and practiced under the same piano teacher. Together, they were voted “Most Talented” in seventh grade, and in high school, they shared the title “Most [t Likely to Succeed.” Their lives seemed intertwined, and as a result they became close friends, singing duets together and seeking each other out in the hallways and lunchroom. “I do hope you won't forget me,” Susan had written in Bennett's yearbook-but after graduation, as often happens, they'd gone their separate ways. Decades later, Susan was divorced and living in Stevensville, Maryland. Her life was filled with friends, travel and a job she loved. Bennett had settled in New jersey with his wife, Sarah, teaching at a college and raising two kids.
Now, he was in danger of losing it all. Susan took a deep breath as his phone began to ring.
“It's so good to hear from you,” Bennett exclaimed. “I wouldn't miss the reunion for anything.” They chatted about their jobs, families and future plans-but Bennett never once mentioned his illness, and Susan didn't want to pry.
But after she hung up, Susan couldn't get him out of her mind-or the ache out of her heart. It's not fair, she thought wistfully, he has so much to live for. She recalled the pride in his voice when he'd told her about his 27-year-old daughter Mindy and his 23-year-old son Stephen, and his dreams of traveling with Sarah someday.
She was flooded with memories of another man whose life had been cut short by kidney disease-a man she'd planned to marry. Susan hadn't been able to save her fiancée' and neither had his doctors. Sometimes her heart still broke for what might have been.
Bennett deserves to take that trip, Susan thought fiercely. He deserves to give his daughter away at her wedding and bounce grandchildren on his knee. Bennett's family should be able to throw him a huge retirement party. And Sarah should have the chance to waltz with him during many more anniversary parties.
Suddenly, Susan was redialing Bennett's number. “Listen,” she told him, “I know you're sick, and I just happen to have an extra kidney I'd like to give you.”
For a moment, Bennett was too stunned to reply. I haven't even spoken to her in years, he marveled to himself. Yet, she's offering me a second chance at life.
But as moved as he was, Bennett couldn't accept it. “Thank you,” he finally replied. “But I couldn't ask you to do that for me.”
“You're not asking, I'm offering,” Susan protested. “And I'm not doing it just for you. I'm doing it for your family, too.”
Still, Bennett couldn't bring himself to accept. In the months before the reunion, Susan repeated her offer over and over, and each time Bennett politely refused.
Then, just before the reunion, Bennett became so sick he was confined to a wheelchair. Doctors told him that without a transplant, he'd die within a few months.
Horrified, Susan redoubled her efforts. “Please let me help!” she begged. At last, Bennett agreed.
Susan arranged to be tested the day after the reunion. She knew the odds were slim that she'd be a match; tests had already shown that Sarah, Bennett's wife, wasn't. Susan also knew that the surgery would be painful and somewhat risky. But somehow, seeing her friend and his wife hugging and singing together at the high school reunion, she felt hopeful. Please let me be a match so they can always be together, she prayed, as the couple tearfully whispered their thanks.
Susan's heart pounded as doctors drew her blood, and she could hardly breathe when the lab called with the results: she was a match! “It's incredible,” Susan was told by the doctors. “We rarely see such a close match, even between siblings.”
Susan tingled all over as she called Bennett with the news. God must be working through me, she thought. That's why our paths crossed again this year. It was meant to be.
Months later, they gripped hands before the surgery. Susan's groggy words when she awoke five hours later were, “How's Bennett?” Doctors told her the transplant had been a success. Thank you God, she thought.
When she visited Bennett at the hospital, he exclaimed, “I feel better already!” Then his eyes filled with tears. “How do you thank someone for giving you back your life?” he asked.
“Just take good care of my kidney!” Susan replied, wiping away tears of her own.
Eva Unga
In his book, Daily Gems, D. L. Moody wrote that after the great Chicago fire of 1871 he went to New York to solicit funds for fire victims. When he arrived, he was introduced to a wealthy man who was
reported to be very generous. Impressed by the great need in Chicago, he gave Moody a large check. He then directed the evangelist to several other men in the area who also gave liberal contributions.
When Mr. Moody was about to leave, he shook his benefactor's hand and said, "If you ever come to Chicago, be sure to call on me. I'll return your favor."
The man responded, "Mr. Moody, don't wait for me to come. Do it to the first man that comes along."
If you find yourself getting miserly, begin to scatter, like a wealthy farmer in New York State that I heard of. He was a noted miser but later he was converted. Soon after, a poor man who had been burned out and had no provisions, came to him for help. The farmer thought he would be liberal and give him a ham from his smokehouse. On his way to get it, the tempter whispered to him: “Give him the smallest one you have.” He had a struggle whether he would give a large ham or a small ham, but finally he took down the largest he could find. “You are a fool,” the devil said. “If you don't keep still,” the farmer replied, “I'll give him every ham I have in the smokehouse.” -- Gospel Herald
As the Cadillac owner walked to his car, he saw a boy about 10- years old staring intently through the windows. Wondering what he was up to, the man put his hands on the youngster's shoulders, pulled gently, and asked him what he was doing. The boy said he was interested in cars and had read a lot about different models. He then told him many details about this particular year and body style.
After a bit, the boy asked, “Mister, how much did you pay for this car?” the man replied, “Nothing. My brother gave it to me.” The boy responded, “I wish . . .” but stopped in mid-sentence. The man chuckled, “You were going to say, 'I wish I had a brother like that.'“ “No, I was going to say, 'I wish I could be a brother like that'. You see, sir, I have a brother who is crippled and I'd like to do a lot of things for him.”
A businessman who needed millions of dollars to clinch an important deal went to church to pray for the money. By chance he knelt next to a man who was praying for $100 to pay an urgent debt. The businessman took out his wallet and pressed $100 into the other man's hand. Overjoyed, the man got up and joyfully left the church. The businessman then closed his eyes and prayed, "And now, Lord, that I have your undivided attention...."
(The wealthy individuals in the temple thought they had the Lord's undivided attention, but a poor widow was there with only a mite ... )
A long time ago a very godly and generous businessman in London was asked for a donation for a charitable project. Very little was expected because the businessman had recently sustained a heavy loss from the wreck of some of his ships. To the amazement of the leaders of the charity, he gave about ten times as much as he was expected to give to the project.
When asked how he was able to give so much in light of his business difficulties the businessman replied, "It is quite true, I have sustained heavy loss by these vessels being wrecked, but that is the very reason why I give you so much, for I must make better use than ever of my stewardship lest it should be entirely taken from me."
Adapted from "George Mueller of Bristol"
The pastor of a large and wealthy church in Texas broke out in laughter in the middle of singing a hymn during the Sunday morning service. After the service was over, his wife asked what could have caused him to do such a thing.
“Well,” he said, “I couldn’t help it. We were singing ‘Take my life and let it be, consecrated, Lord to Thee,’ and I noticed the words of the third verse: ‘Take my silver and my gold, not a mite would I withhold.’ It suddenly struck me, with all the millionaires sitting in the congregation, what if God would answer that prayer right then? Some of them would be very upset and angry with him. I’ve been encouraging them to give their silver and gold for a long time, but they’ve not been willing. But now they’re singing, ‘Take my silver and my gold, not a mite would I withhold.’”
I have never known a generous person to complain about how much money it takes to run a church.
Poor givers gripe about how much it takes; generous givers express concern that they don't do more.
I have never known a family who tithed for any length of time who quit.
I have never known a generous family that was not generally happy.
I have never known a stingy, miserly family that was not generally unhappy about many things.
I have never known a person who was critical of most things, mad about many things, who was generous.
I have come to believe that most people who feel we talk too much about money, never really want to talk about money at all.
Generous people enjoy talking about it.
I have come to believe that there is a direct connection that exists between a person's faith and a person's generosity.
Those who give generously tend to become more faithful; and the reverse is true in both instances.
When candy manufacturer John S. Huyler started out in business, he took Jacob's pledge: “...of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee” (Genesis 28:22). Going to the bank, he opened a special account which he initialed “M.P.” Into that fund he regularly entered a proportionate amount of his income. When anyone asked what the strange label meant, they were told that it stood for “My Partner.” As he kept God uppermost in his mind in all his transactions, his industry grew at a phenomenal rate, and each week the “Lord's treasury” received increasingly large sums. His gifts to worthy causes and private individuals amazed his business associates. These contributions were always accompanied with the request that the donor should not receive any thanks or glory for his actions. He asked each recipient to offer praise to God alone, for he said, “After all, the money isn't mine; it's the Lord's!”
J.L. Kraft, head of the Kraft Cheese Corporation, who had given approximately 25% of his enormous income to Christian causes for many years, said, "The only investment I ever made which has paid consistently increasing dividends is the money I have given to the Lord."
J.D. Rockefeller said, "I never would have been able to tithe the first million dollars I ever made if I had not tithed my first salary, which was $1.50 per week."
___________
W. A. Criswell, A Guidebook for Pastors, p. 154
I was parked in front of the mall wiping off my car. I had just come from the car wash and was waiting for my wife. Coming my way from across the parking lot was what society would consider a bum. From the looks of him, he had no car, no home, no clean clothes, and no money.
There are times when you feel generous but there are other times that you just don't want to be bothered. This was one of those "I don't want to be bothered" times. "I hope he doesn't ask me for any money," I thought. He didn't.
He came and sat on the curb in front of the bus stop but he didn't look like he could have enough money to even ride the bus. After a few minutes he spoke.
"That's a very pretty car," he said.
He was ragged but he had an air of dignity around him. His scraggly blond beard kept more than his face warm. I said, "thanks," and continued wiping off my car.
He sat there quietly as I worked. The expected plea for money never came. As the silence between us widened something inside said, "ask him if he needs any help." I was sure that he would say "yes" but I held true to the inner voice.
"Do you need any help?" I asked.
He answered in three simple but profound words that I shall never forget. We often look for wisdom in great men and women. We expect it from those of higher learning and accomplishments. I expected nothing but an outstretched grimy hand. He spoke the three words that shook me.
"Don't we all?" he said.
I was feeling high and mighty, successful and important, above a bum in the street, until those three words hit me like a twelve-gauge shotgun.
Don't we all?
I needed help. Maybe not for bus fare or a place to sleep, but I needed help. I reached in my wallet and gave him not only enough for bus fare, but enough to get a warm meal and shelter for the day.
Those three little words still ring true. No matter how much you have, no matter how much you have accomplished, you need help too. No matter how little you have, no matter how loaded you are with problems, even without money or a place to sleep, you can give help. Even if it's just a compliment, you can give that. You never know when you may see someone that appears to have it all. They are waiting on you to give them what they don't have. A different perspective on life, a glimpse at something beautiful, a respite from daily chaos, that only you through a torn world can see.
Maybe the man was just a homeless stranger wandering the streets. Maybe he was more than that. Maybe he was sent by a power that is great and wise, to minister to a soul too comfortable in themselves.
Maybe God looked down, called an Angel, dressed him like a bum, then said, "go minister to that man cleaning the car, that man needs help."
Don't we all?
-- Author Unknown
Anthony Parks is a dot.com millionaire who is giving away part of his money. So!
Anthony Parks isn't a 22-year old who graduated last year from Stanford and is now worth three bazillion dollars. Parks never went to college. He is a middle-aged African-American who was raised by his mother in a tough neighborhood in Oakland, California. He has swept floors at a McDonalds, worked as a bellhop, and parked cars for a living.
Parks worked harder and longer than most, and eventually someone noticed. He became an assistant manager and then a manager of a restaurant, a job which he held for several years. Then he got a job with Starbucks, which was just starting to expand, and made some money from stock options. Then he got a job with Webvan, a dot.com startup, and got more stock options. Now he is worth about three million dollars- not three billion- not three hundred million- but three million. He is now giving away one of those three millions.
That is nice, but it isn't really the story. The story is how he is giving the money. He is giving shares of stock to people he met along the way. One is the restaurant owner who saw Park's potential and promoted him to manager. One is a dishwasher who had gotten into trouble while working for Parks. Parks vouched for him and kept him out of jail. They have kept in touch. One is a friend who has a son who shows promise. A few are family members, including a father who didn't stick around to raise Parks and whom Parks has not seen for years. Over the years, Parks has given the gift of attention to many of these recipients. Now he is able to give money too. Currently there are about 75 names on the list, and Parks' advisors are suggesting that he draw the line. Parks is trying, but he still adds a name now and then.
Parks' investment brokers are used to seeing people write big checks to big charities. This is the first time that they have seen someone reach out and touch so many lives so personally. People are noticing. Perhaps other people will follow Parks' example. (George Anders, "A Dot-Com Millionaire Shares His Jackpot," The Wall Street Journal, March 7, 2000, pages B1, B4)
As I was thinking about Anthony Parks and his very special generosity, it struck me that the church has been in the forefront of such personal generosity for centuries. Sometimes the church's generosity takes the form of meals for the homeless- or lunch for a grieving family after a funeral- or a caring shoulder to cry on. But the church gives away millions of dollars too. Denominations collect money to provide relief for earthquake victims in Mexico-and flood victims in Mozambique- and medical care in Nigeria- and sanitary facilities in Haiti.
I don't know if Anthony Parks is a Christian. The Wall Street Journal article didn't say. I am sure that his generosity has a Christ-like character. "Even as you do it unto one of the least of these...."
After analyzing its donor records, a well known charity realized the town's most successful lawyer had never made a contribution. The woman in charge of donor relations phoned him to solicit a contribution. "Our research reveals you have an estimated annual income of about $500,000 and that you give nothing to charity," she said. "Wouldn't you like to give something back to the community?"
There was a moment silence and then, in his best courtroom voice, the barrister replied, "First, did your research also show that my mother lives in a shabby little apartment with medical bills several times her annual income?" Embarrassed, fundraiser stammered, "Ah ... ummm ... no!"
"-or that my brother, a disabled veteran, can't hold a steady job because of his drug abuse?" The stricken representative began to stutter an apology but was interrupted.
"-or that my sister is a single-parent of three?" The humiliated woman, completely beaten, said simply, "I sorry, I had no idea!"
Seeing he was on a roll, the lawyer cut her off again: "So, if I don't give any money to them, why would I give any to YOU?"
What would you do if you wanted to make a difference in the world, leave a mark or put a deposit on a ticket into heaven? Would you think big and pick the flashiest or most grandiose of acts? Or would you quietly persevere every day, doing one personal deed at a time?
Michael Christiano, a New York City court officer, rises every morning at 4 a.m., in good and bad weather, workday or holiday, and walks into his sandwich shop. No, he doesn’t own a deli, it’s really his personal kitchen. In it are the fixings of his famous sandwiches, famous only to those who desperately need them to stave off hunger for the day. By 5:50 a.m., he’s making the rounds of the makeshift homeless shelters on Centre and Lafayette Streets, near New York’s City Hall. In a short time, he gives out 200 sandwiches to as many homeless people as he can, before beginning his work day in the courthouse.
It started 20 years ago with a cup of coffee and a roll for a homeless man named John. Day after day, Michael brought John sandwiches, tea, clothes, and when it was really cold, a resting place in his car while he worked. In the beginning, Michael just wanted to do a good deed.
But one day a voice in his head compelled him to do more. On this cold, winter morning, he asked John if he would like to get cleaned up. It was an empty offer, because Michael was sure John would refuse. Unexpectedly, John said, “Are you gonna wash me?”
Michael heard an inner voice say, Put your money where your mouth is. Looking at this poor man, covered in ragged and smelly clothes, unkempt, hairy and wild looking, Michael was afraid. But he also knew that he was looking at a big test of his commitment. So he helped John upstairs to the locker room of the courthouse to begin the work.
John’s body was a mass of cuts and sores, the result of years of pain and neglect. His right hand had been amputated, and Michael pushed through his own fears and revulsion. He helped John wash, cut his hair, shaved him and shared breakfast with him. “It was at that moment,” Michael remembers, “that I knew I had a calling, and I believed that I had it within me to do anything.”
With the idea for his sandwiches born, Michael began his calling. He receives no corporate sponsorship, saying, “I’m not looking for an act of charity that goes in the record books or gets media attention. I just want to do good, day by day, in my small way. Sometimes it comes out of my pocket, sometimes I get help. But this is really something that I can do, one day and one person at a time.
“There are days when it’s snowing,” he says, “and I have a hard time leaving my warm bed and the comfort of my family to go downtown with sandwiches. But then that voice in me starts chattering, and I get to it.”
And get to it he does. Michael has made 200 sandwiches every day for the past 20 years. “When I give out sandwiches,” Michael explains, “I don’t simply lay them on a table for folks to pick up. I look everyone in the eye, shake their hands, and I offer them my wishes for a good and hopeful day. Each person is important to me. I don’t see them as ‘the homeless,’ but as people who need food, an encouraging smile and some positive human contact.
“Once Mayor Koch turned up to make the rounds with me. He didn’t invite the media, it was just us,” says Michael. But of all Michael’s memories, working side by side with the Mayor was not as important as working next to someone else…
A man had disappeared from the ranks of the sandwich takers, and Michael thought about him from time to time. He hoped the man had moved on to more comfortable conditions. One day, the man showed up, transformed, greeting Michael clean, warmly clothed, shaven and carrying sandwiches of his own to hand out. Michael’s daily dose of fresh food, warm handshakes, eye contact and well wishes had given this man the hope and encouragement he so desperately needed. Being seen every day as a person, not as a category, had turned this man’s life around.
The moment needed no dialogue. The two men worked silently, side by side, handing out their sandwiches. It was another day on the streets of New York, but a day with just a little more hope.
It's not easy being queen. So it should come as no surprise that monarchs like Queen Elizabeth like to escape London sometimes. On one such occasion, the queen [actually it was Queen Mary: see #14034] asked her chauffeur to take her for a ride in the country. Then she asked him to pull over so she could just take a walk by herself. No crown, no gown - dressed down. So for those golden moments, the queen was just an ordinary lady, taking a walk in the country. She had gone about a mile down the road when this sudden rain shower opened up. The queen knocked on the door of a small hut that was nearby and she asked the lady if she had an umbrella. The lady actually had two umbrellas - a tattered, battered old umbrella and a brand new one. She gave her beat up umbrella to the queen. The queen promised it would be returned the next day. Well, imagine the scene as a uniformed chauffeur pulled up in a royal limousine. He went to the door of the hut and he announced: “I'm returning this for the queen.” Needless to say, the woman was in shock. All she could say was, “If I had known it was for the queen, I would have given her my best!”
Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “Nothing but the Best.”
It's amazing how many people give their least, not their best - to the King, that is. The King. The one an ancient hymn calls the “High King of Heaven.” The one the Bible calls the “King of kings and Lord of lords.” Oh, we'll stand when they sing that in the “Hallelujah Chorus.” We'll really get into singing praise songs to Him, but when it comes to the stuff that really matters in our life, we hold onto the best and give what's left to the King of all kings.
Hanging onto our best - giving the King less than our best - is not a new thing. In our word for today from the Word of God in Malachi 1:13-14, God rejects the offerings His people have been bringing. He had commanded them from the beginning to bring the best of their flocks to Him as an expression of their love for Him. He says: “'When you bring injured, crippled or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices, should I accept them from your hands?’ says the Lord. 'Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord. For I am a great king,' says the Lord Almighty, 'and My name is to be feared among the nations.'“
Later in this same book, God poses this shocking question: “Will a man rob God?” Then He gives the answer. “Yet you rob Me.” When God's people ask how they have robbed Him, He says, “In tithes and offerings.” That's one example of withholding your best from the King - by giving Him the money you have left over after you've spent what you really want to spend on yourself. But there are many ways to rob our King. By giving Him your leftover time, by making Him Lord of the things that don't matter that much to you and holding onto the things you really care about - that relationship, that child, that dream, that favorite thing, that sin. You can rob God by taking on a work for Him and just doing it halfheartedly, by being lazy or irresponsible in getting it done.
So many ways to rob God. So many ways to hold out one hand, offering God some small pieces of your life, and then to keep the other hand behind your back, tightly clinging to what really matters to you. The command of God's Word is unmistakable: “You must present as the Lord's portion the best and holiest part of everything given to you” (Numbers 18:29). Are you? Why should you? Because, as the Bible says, “He did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all” (Romans 8:32). How can I hold onto my best or give it to someone else when God gave His Son for me? It's been said many times, but it says it all: “If He's not Lord of all, He's not Lord at all.”
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Copyright © Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc., PO Box 400, Harrison, AR 72602. Used by permission. Written by Ron Hutchcraft. "Practical Answers to Real Life Issues"
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Not long ago I read this quote: “Every girl has certain needs. From birth to 18 she needs her parents. From 18 to 35, good looks; from 35 to 55, a good personality; from 55 and beyond, she needs cash.”
I don’t know who would agree with that. I do know, however, that every church has certain needs. One of the greatest is a need for “gazelles.”
Read Acts 9:36-41. Dorcas (Tabitha), whose name means gazelle, served in the early church. She was filled with grace and dignity. Her response to Jesus’ great salvation was gratitude shown through her good works. And her generosity flowed out of her love for others. Her works were tangible, practical, and simple; she made coats and other garments for widows and other poor people. It seems there was no one to whom Dorcas wouldn’t extend God’s love and peace.
Dorcas was an amazing woman, whose values concerning material possessions were aligned properly. She understood that everything belonged to God, and that part of her stewardship was to give to others. Her life made such an impact on people around her that when she died her friends sent for Peter to raise her back to life.
As followers of Jesus, we have been called to be salt and light in a decaying and dark world. We are in desperate need for more gazelles–people whose good works flow out of a heart of gratitude for their salvation in Jesus (Ephesians 2:10). We can impact our world with simple and tangible acts of kindness (Luke 10:37) — washing cars, buying lunch, buying and pumping gas, cleaning someone’s yard.
Let’s lock arms and invest our lives in what matters most — serving God by helping people. — Marvin Williams
DESTINATION POINTS
* How can I show God’s love in a practical way today?
* When I die, how do I think people will view my absence, as a loss or a benefit?
* What in life do I value most–things or people?
LINKS: The Best Decision I Ever Made http://www.christianitytoday.com/cl/2002/003/17.18.html
bottom line: Generosity is giving what God gave you.
Nearly fifty years ago, as a kid reporter, I had the opportunity to interview R.G. LeTourneau, the mega-millionaire owner of the great Caterpillar Corporation in Peoria, Illinois. Mr. LeTourneau, a fervent Christian, invented the giant earth-moving machines. He gave 90% of his profit to God’s work and kept only 10% for himself.
He told me that the money came in faster than he could give it away. I remember his quote, “I shovel it out and God shovels it back, but God has a bigger shovel.” My friend, you cannot out-give God.
The late Oswald J. Smith drummed into me, “God will not be your debtor!” Proverbs 11:24 reads, “There is that scattereth, yet increaseth!” Now please note, I am not one of those give-to-get pastors. If I hear one more message on the media to “plant your seed,” which means, “Send us money,” I think I will scream.
No, we give because we love God and His work. Somehow the more we invest in His work, the more we have to invest in His work. It all starts with tithe.
“Aha!” you protest, “I knew you would bring that up.” No, actually I did not bring it up, the Bible did. The tithe goes to your spiritual storehouse, according to Malachi, which basically means your local church.
Tithing means week after week, year after year, a strong record of consistent, faithful returning to the Lord His ten percent. That is not even “giving” since the tithe is His in the first place. I can tell you from fifty years of experience that God blesses those who tithe.
You are listening to one of them! God prospers me not to raise my standard of living, but to raise my standard of giving
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