By Rev. Dean Parker,
Union Baptist Church
As we wake up to a new day every day in our world, today we have to wonder how long will it be before Christ’s return and what must I as a believer be doing until He does. I am convinced that this is the greatest opportunity the church has had in over a hundred years. God is giving us the chance to come together as the true family of God. There is a gospel song that Nancy Harmon wrote and the Hoppers made famous that says, “Turn around don’t look back again, face the new day before you.” I really believe there is a new day before the church to do all it can to get the gospel out in the last hour.
That great English Evangelical John Wesley had a very simple rule about living. He said, “Having First – gained all you can, and Secondly – saved all you can, then – Third you must give all you can.” Some people have called this his financial practice but it was much more than that for John Wesley it was his way of life.
Acts chapter 20 states for the church to do all it can to help, protect, and encourage each other and others. I want us to concentrate on verse 35 in this article. Acts 20:35, “You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Do we believe that it is more blessed to give than to receive? This practice takes a conscious decision on all our part. We must daily decide how we will live each day. We must decide each day how we will spend the day. We should start each day by asking the Lord what we can do that will benefit the kingdom and encourage nonbelievers to accept Jesus. Surely God has proven that He can out give each of us, so the benefit of giving far outweighs the act of receiving.
When we have made a conscious decision to be good stewards and better givers we then have to decide how that is going to look in our individual life. There are three areas of giving that is encompassed in all our lives. Those areas are time, talent and treasures. Some of these areas are easier to be more open with than others. Some of us are more blessed in some areas than in others. These abundant blessings are signs of the Lord wanting to use us in those areas. What area is the Lord trying to encourage you to be your area of giving?
Time is such a valuable asset that we seem to have not enough of. Maybe it isn’t that we don’t have enough time. Maybe it is we aren’t prioritizing our time rightly. I believe that a part of our situation today is a life lesson from the Lord that we take a close look at our life time wise and decide where we need to use time more wisely.
As for talent, I have often said if I could play like “Ms. Judy” I would literally bump Brother Ernie off the piano stool so that I might play. Wouldn’t it be amazing when we return to our church buildings that we would have more people wanting to work and participate than we could actually use. Wouldn’t it be great if we had enough choir members that we would have a different choir every Sunday. Even better would be if we would never again have to beg for people to serve in any area of the church. I know the Lord longs for the day when the believers line up for opportunities to serve.
Lasting as for treasures, do you ever feel like you have more than you need As many people stock piled supplies for our present situation many people are going without. I am sure the statement would be the same today if Jesus were here; the scriptures would still say “He was moved with compassion for them.” My hopes and dreams are that believer begins to make conscious decision about their life that would have lasting value. I know that if each of us could finally say I have given all I could the Lord would finish the task with and for us.
Now I pray, “Lord help us to be moved with compassion so that the world will see we are not about to pass up this great opportunity that is before us. In the power name of Jesus that is still able to heal, save, and forgive we make this our prayer – Amen.