Tuesday: Growing by Giving
The Dead Sea marks the earth’s lowest elevation. At 1,388 feet below sea level, it ranks as the world’s lowest sea. The river Jordan flows out of the Sea of Galilee and winds its way through the Jordan Valley until it dead-ends in the Dead Sea.
The hot, dry climate, with the intense sunlight and desert conditions, causes the water to evaporate quite rapidly. Since the Dead Sea’s salt and mineral content is 33.7 percent, little survives in its waters. There are no fish, no plants; only some microbes and bacteria at the bottom.
Image © Lifeway Colletion at Goodsalt.com
In our Christian lives, if the grace of God that flows into our lives does not flow out to others, we will become stagnant and all but lifeless like the Dead Sea. As Christians, that’s not how we are to live.
Read John 7:37-38 and Luke 6:38. In contrast to the Dead Sea experience, when believers receive the refreshing streams of living water from Christ, what is the natural result?
“God could have reached His object in saving sinners without our aid; but in order for us to develop a character like Christ’s, we must share in His work. In order to enter into His joy — the joy of seeing souls redeemed by His sacrifice — we must participate in His labors for their redemption”. — Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 142.
“Those who would be overcomers must be drawn out of themselves; and the only thing which will accomplish this great work, is to become intensely interested in the salvation of others”. — Ellen G. White, Fundamentals of Christian Education, p. 207.
We grow as we share with others what Christ has done in our own lives. Considering all that we have been given in Christ, what but only the most abject selfishness could keep us from sharing with others what we have ourselves been given? Meanwhile, if we fail to share our faith, our spiritual life will become as stagnant as the Dead Sea.
| What have been your own experiences in witnessing to others, praying with others, and ministering to the needs of others? How have these experiences impacted your own faith and walk with the Lord? |
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Most of my working life has been involved in Church work. I was a high school teacher for 16 years and then smithed to College teaching for nearly 30 years. Consequently most of my "outreach" has been directed towards our young people. During that time I was also involved in external study and research in secular institutions in the area of computer science. Sharing the gospel in both arenas was quite different. On the one hand I was dealing with young people, most of whom had an Adventist background, but like most people their age and reached the stage where they were flexing their individuality and making choices about their beliefs. On the other had I was dealing with people who, for a large part were unchurched, and some of them were highly critical of Christianity because they had seen the hypocrisy that so often ambushes peoples perspective of Jesus.
I do not claim to have any magic bullet for spreading the Gospel. I cannot claim to have the sort of heart changing, intellect challenging Bible Study in my arsenal of tools to use to challenge the skeptics and rebellious. I don't know when I learned that compassion and understanding, friendship in the time of need, the characteristics of salvation that Jesus taught were really the most important part of "spreading the Gospel".
This statement comes straight after the beatitudes and is a stark reminder that Christianity is about changing the flavour of life. Christianity is not about coercion but about the subtleness of changing the flavour for those who we deal with every day.
I have a colleague and is a friend of mine. She had a lot of problems financial matters mostly, she always told me she keeps praying to God hoping that God will help her out soon. She became active to a prayer meetings on their religion and she even invited me to attend one of their meetings. It came to a point that she told me that she could not take it anymore and said it would be better if she will die so that all her burdens will be vanished. it was at that moment I told her to give tithes every month and she told me she will try. The next month after that I asked her how is she, she told me I was right in giving tithes. she said she still has problems but she feels lighter, though she feels tired at work but she doesn't feel stressed at all, she found solutions to some of her financial problems and the best part is she is smiling.
before she came to a point where she questioned God why He let those problems to happen to her. God is really a loving savior, He never fails to amaze us though sometimes we are too blinded on our selfish ways. Seeing my friend smiling through tough times made me more eager to share more of the things that I learned about Jesus.
I can testify to tithing. Looking back I don't know how I was able to afford to pay tithe and offering and still able to meet my monthly expenses. I agree there is inner peace which strengthens faith when we trust Him.
What a blessing! Who would have thought that telling a despondent person to pay tithe would turn their life around! Praise God!
EG White says our most important mission is to reveal the true character of the LORD to believers and non believers:
Beneficent giving (giving to benefit others) is the basis of true (abundant) life. And true/abundant life is the only kind of life that actually works. Anything else only leads to destruction.
No wonder we grow when we give. Giving is the most foundational principle of life (Acts 20:35).
Christ’s mission trip to this earth
The time He spent on earth. He spent time with the underprivileged people.
We don’t look out for people who are underprivileged.
We have causal relationship with them
He gave a lot of his time with the underprivileged people.
He stopped to relieve the people in need without expecting to be paid back.
He shocked Zacchaeus by saying; I will come to your house today.
You are unique in the mission field of Christ. You are entrusted to fill God created vacuum on this earth which no one else can do it. The expertises you are entrusted to share with others are special and essential. The mission of Christ would be incomplete without your participation.
See Ezekiel 47:1-11. Here we see a prophetic look at the influence of God's people if they are faithful to give what they have received. Notice the “curse” of vs 11.
The Psalmist writes: “He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him”(Ps 126:6). Only by sowing abroad will there be any increase(Prov 11:24-26).
Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.
Ps 17:5
Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings Ps 17:8
See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;....to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments....
the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. BUT if thine heart turn away,...I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish.... Deut 30:15-20
What a wonderful promise to the people of God- the Jews, the Christians.
Growing by Giving
We can be an effectual witness for Jesus by giving. Giving does not only comprised of giving money. A good steward gives their time, talent, opportunity, and means to help others get to know Jesus. Many neglects or overlook the time, talent, and opportunity as a form of money. One can spend hours helping others but many will not equate that time to anything. We can use our talent/s to educate people so as to allow them to help themselves, but many will not equate that to something good being done. All humans were given opportunities to help others but the way some use it is different from others. Many are engaged in ingathering. Some like to go out from door to door as a form of witnessing, while others preferred to stay at home and just give enough money to the church to help out a worthy cost. I might be wrong but ingathering is not only about the money, its about witnessing about the love of Jesus from door to door once a year.
The sower multiplies his seed by casting it away. So it is with those who are faithful in distributing God’s gifts. By imparting they increase their blessings. God has promised them a sufficiency that they may continue to give. “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom.” Luke 6:38.
{COL 85.2}
I have been a recipient of others' giving of their time, talent, opportunities, and means. By his strength, I try using my time, talent, opportunities, and means to help others know about Jesus.
Sometimes people see giving money only for tithe and offering is enough giving of our means. But the bible says we can be doing such but not with the right motive and the Lord does not accept it.
Every day the Lord allows us to come in contact with others as a means of giving them something to know about him. To me, others might be different, I am an extrovert. I see strangers and I will first say hello/good day/how are you today. I will pull them into a conversation about the day/weather etc. Then I will equate it to the love of God and a discussion will start. Witnessing for me is easy. Sometimes that is just what that person needs, someone to talk to. The more we witness by giving of our time, talent, and opportunities, the more the Lord open a was and we come in contact with more people to tell of the Love of God and his soon coming.
But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. 2 Cor 9:6
And all who would bring forth fruit as workers together with Christ must first fall into the ground and die. The life must be cast into the furrow of the world’s need. Self-love, self-interest, must perish. But the law of self-sacrifice is the law of self-preservation. The seed buried in the ground produces fruit, and in turn this is planted. Thus the harvest is multiplied.
(COL 86.3)
While I work for my boss I let people know I am working for a higher boss- Jesus.
Some years ago we made friends with a Catholic home care worker. We thought we could share with her some of the blessings of being Adventists. She showed us by example the meaning of being a true Christian.
She was taking care of a friend of us who needed assistance on a daily basis. She was hired to make sure the man took his medicine and ate his food. She offered to also prepare his food, and volunteered to also clean his home, water the garden, and wash his clothes.
This Catholic lady is still our close friend even though the man she was taking care of passed away due to his old age a long time ago. We learned from her how to go the second mile even when our duty is only to go one mile only.
To avoid being like the dead sea, we have to grow spiritually and share with other people.The name “Dead Sea” is quite descriptive, because nothing that has life can survive the salty, high mineral content of its waters.If we don’t share the gospel of salvation that has been so graciously given to us, then our spiritual state may be depleted as the illustration of the Dead Sea.
Share with people what Jesus does for you.Then your spiritual life will grow strong.
Luke 6:38; Give and it shall be given to you.
John 7:37, 38; Out of our hearts will flow rivers of living
water.
Caring is the beginning of giving - caring because we love others as we love self; sacrifical giving is taking the extra mile. When we care, we will notice God showing us many opportunities to give. This does not necessarily mean that we give a tangible object.
Before 'giving', we first need to 'give' our caring attention to the lives of others which will then guide us to 'give'(engage) our time, talents, and treasure whenever the Spirit leads us to respond.
There is a better way of giving than through a sense of obligation - prefering to give through the Spirit's prompting because we enjoy giving.
We give when we pay attention to the smallest things - pick up something that was dropped by a stranger; we alert the waiter that gave us too much cash back; we hold the door open for the one following, even when several paces behind us; giving generously to support the diverse mission efforts and not just resting on having given tithes; not requesting to be given a bargain if it comes at the expense of the other party; being ever mindful to not take advantage of others - being helpful in any way that is brought to our attention, period! But it all starts with - caring!
The Spirit might also prompt us to act through intuition; laying on our hearts the urge to get involved without us knowing exactly the reasoning behind it. We need to be ready and willing to engage every time He calls on us.
Among all the various forms of giving is also the giving of prayers and comfort. Unrequested, but prompted by observation or intuition. Our eyes and ears observe many circumstances which will prompt the caring observer to intercede. Giving prayers and comfort in times when we can do no other act. James5:16
Jesus gave us the parable of the talents. Matt.25:14-30.; v. 14: For the kingdom of heaven is as a man traveling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. Luke19:12-27 speaks similarly - the servants had been given a responsibility to invest the goods the master had entrusted to them.
Jesus has entrusted - 'delivered unto us his goods' -, His message of 'service to others' in which ever form the Holy Spirit will prompt it to our heart - anytime, anywhere.
We can never close our eyes, ears or heart when we go about our lives, because God might want us to give at a moment's notice. We need to be always ready to give - to always be caring!
For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven Matt 5:20
But what was the righteous of the Scribes and Pharisees? Throughout the new testament, we read who these people were. Paul even gave a little introduction to who he was in describing himself in Phil 3:5-6. Paul later stated he counted all but dung.
Many of you made some strong points. Christians in giving, gives one's self so others can live. Christ gave all so we can live.
Cant remembered where I read this but it goes like this. The teller/clerk always noticed his line was always longer that the other tellers. The more he tries to do his job to go for lunch or home, others keep coming to him, while the other tellers lines are available. One day he got angry and asked a customer why did you came to me when the other line is much shorter. The answer was, you always treated us with kindness and understanding. Your mannerism is soft and speaks volumes.
Bro Nic, We do not know how far-reaching our actions can reach as Christians when we give of ourselves to help others.
I wentto a Mobile Tescoe Shop and a reluctant lady sorted out my brand new phone.As we chatted she discovered that she remembered me months before at the shop.After sorting out my phone she chatted to me a little about
her life, as I talked God's Faithfulness in wanting to save people.I assured her that God had sent me to her,for I remembered her before coming to the shop.She believed our meeting was providential.We could not shake hands because of Covid19, but I prayed instead.I left her a tract (it's all I had) on SDA's
There is abundant blessing in giving than receiving. I came to realize the more we share with others the precious friend we have found in Jesus, the more we become relieved from the worldly burdens.