Just Right

Do you have enough? Do you have extra? Are you willing to share from your extra? Would you like others to share with you from their extra? Have you thought that by helping one another each of us has what we need?

It is countercultural for us to think about sharing with one another when we live in a culture that continues to tell us to acquire more and more. Our mind is set on getting the next new shiny object. We do not even think about those that have next to nothing.

Homelessness and poverty continue to increase in our communities and across our country. The recent pandemic has made it worse. People lost their jobs. Corporations downsized. Businesses learned how to reduce overhead by allowing people to work from home. Some who worked from home were not nearly as productive and were released from their jobs.

True, we see a lot of help wanted signs in business windows. But when you go from a $60 an hour job to a $15 an hour job, you no longer have the means to make your house payment. Think about it. You now make twenty-five percent of what you made before. Something has to give. When house payments are not made, banks foreclose, people are put out on the streets.

Paul tells the church in Corinth to share. He states a truth we do not want to hear. There will be times when we have plenty or extra. Those are times we can share with others. There will be times when we do not have enough. Those are times others can share with us.

I pray we all open our eyes and see what is going on around us. I pray we see the homelessness and poverty in our communities. I pray each one of us will have a heart for sharing from our blessings. Look around your community. See the poor. See the homeless. Be willing to share.

2 Corinthians 8:13-15 Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, as it is written: “The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.”

Freely or Grudgingly

When we share, do we do it freely or grudgingly? When we donate to help the schools, do we do it freely or grudgingly? When we agree to help a neighbor, do we do it freely or grudgingly? When we return a portion of God’s blessing to his church, do we do it grudgingly or freely?

We all share or contribute or donate to a wide variety of causes. If we are a miserly person, we likely do so grudgingly. If we are very giving person, we likely do so freely. Most of us fall somewhere in between.

We have our favorite organizations we donate to. Or we have organizations we feel obligated to donate to. Perhaps we have children or grandchildren in school and feel obligated to donate to their band, arts project, or sports team. We might belong to a club of some sorts and there are dues to be paid, but we go above and beyond to donate toward other projects. How do we feel about donating to the church? Perhaps we feel obliged to donate there, too.

But Paul tells the Corinthians in today’s passage that it is better to give generously (freely) than to give grudgingly. He believed it so much that he sent people ahead of him to prepare the people to give generously. God wants us to give freely. He doesn’t want us to give grudgingly. But he does want us to give.

It all boils down to trusting God, loving God, and changing our attitude. When we fully trust God and truly love God, we give according to his will. When we trust and love God, our attitude will naturally change to match his.  When we know in our heart of hearts that God will never leave us, we give to him our entire being.

I pray we learn to trust God with our entire being. I pray we learn to love God with our whole heart. I pray each one of us has an attitude that matches God’s. Donate freely. Contribute to God’s work. Trust God fully. Love God with your whole heart. Have the attitude of God.

2 Corinthians 9:5 So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given.

Tithing and Loving

Are you only doing part of what God desires from you? Are you tithing as God has stated we should do? Is your love for him a deep, true love? Or is your love superficial and more talk than action? How much of your life are you giving to God?

We all set priorities. For some of us, the top priority is to climb the corporate ladder. For others of us, the top priority is to own our own house. For still others of us, the top priority is to have a lasting marriage with children. All of these are the wrong top priority.

Our American culture tells us all those priorities are good number on priorities. Unfortunately, they are contrary to what we are taught in the Bible. They are counter to God’s desires and his will for us. Make no mistake about it, there is nothing wrong with climbing the corporate ladder, owning our own house, or having a lasting marriage. However, God demands to be first in our lives in all aspects and phases of our life.

Some of us will tithe and think we are done. Again, we are wrong. Take a look at the “woe” Jesus states to the Pharisees in today’s passage. We are expected to tithe AND love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. We are to follow his commands in serving others. We are to be committed to God with our entire life—all we have and all we are.

Tithing can be difficult to do. We may have bills that keep us from giving ten percent today. But that doesn’t mean we can’t work toward it over time. If we have a hard time giving up our money, how much harder it is to give up our possessions and time! We can barely spare a few moments with our family, let alone spending hours to serve the homeless. We can’t possibly give up any of our clothing, it might come back in style in ten years. What are we thinking? It will disappear one day.

I pray we all determine to tithe to God. I pray we determine to give of our possessions. I pray each one of us will decide to give our time to our families and to God as servants of his. Set your priorities carefully. Make God your number one priority. Follow God’s commands. Love God with all you are and all you have.

Luke 11:42 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.”

Scatter Your Gifts

How freely do you share your gifts? Do you share them openly and freely? Or do you hold on to them tightly for your own use? Have you thought that by not sharing you are hurting yourself? Perhaps it is worth thinking about.

Sharing is something most of us are taught as children, especially if we grew up with siblings. We learn to share toys. We learn to share clothes. We learn to share food. We learn that sharing and cooperating with one another makes things go much smoother.

When we share our gifts, we help ourselves. Do you believe that? You should. We are told in today’s passage that our own righteousness endures forever when we scatter our gifts. We will be lifted in honor for sharing the gifts God has given us.

I remember going to New Orleans after hurricane Katrina to help muck out houses. We went to help others with their recovery. We were blessed more than those folks. We heard their amazing stories. They touched our souls. We experienced amazing togetherness. We saw sights we would have never seen before. And to think we will be blessed beyond that because we scattered our gifts, shared what we could do for others!

Each of us are gifted differently for specific purposes. God’s expectation is that we share the gifts we have been blessed with. I can just imagine him sitting in heaven looking down on us just a parent looks at a child and saying, “Share with your brother. Let your sister play with it, too.”

I pray we all scatter our gifts. I pray we share our gifts in the way God intended them to be. I pray each one of us will recognize our gifts and their purpose, then share them for God’s purposes. Know your gifts. Use them for good. Use them to help others. Share your gifts for God’s purpose.

Psalm 112:9

They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor,

their righteousness endures forever;

their horn will be lifted high in honor.

Charitable Attitude

Are you a charitable person? Do you have an attitude of charity? Are you generous with what you have been blessed with? Will you share your blessings with others? Have you pondered why God has blessed you?

Many of us give to charitable organizations. We may give to organizations to help the homeless, children, or animals. We may give to non-charitable organizations to conduct research, support schools, sports teams, or the arts. But what are we giving?

In most cases, we give money. There is nothing wrong with that. However, which is the better attitude? Give money to feed someone or invite them to your table? It is a change in attitude. We can donate money and be removed from seeing the hunger on the faces of those who will benefit from our donation. Or we can cook a meal and serve those who are hungry, thereby creating a connection and start a relationship. By serving them, we add the human touch.

We can donate money to buy new uniforms for a sports team. But we can have a longer lasting effect on the children by volunteering to coach, by being involved in their lives. We can donate food to an animal shelter. But we can save an animal by adopting them and bringing them into our home.

Each of us has been blessed by God with talents and possessions. He has blessed us so that we may be a blessing to others. There is nothing wrong with donating money, especially when it will be used to help those who are far from us. But it isn’t always about money. Sometimes, it is about donating our time and talents to help others.

I pray we all use our blessings wisely. I pray we donate money when called for. I pray we donate our time and talents when we can to create relationships that have a lasting effect. Have an attitude of charity. Be a charitable person. Share your blessings with others. Be a volunteer. Donate what you have when you can.

Proverbs 11:24-25

One person gives freely, yet gains even more;

another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.

A generous person will prosper;

whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.

Use Your Gifts Wisely

For the past few weeks, we have discussed spiritual gifts. We have covered gifts from apostle to servant, prophet to speaking in tongues, helping to miracles, and many more. Each of us has at least one gift. What are we to do with our gifts?

The Holy Spirit distributes these gifts to us as he determines (1 Corinthians 12:11). He distributes them to equip us for good works and to build up the church (Ephesians 4:12). And, as we see in today’s passage, he expects us to be good stewards with our gifts.

Being a good steward with our gifts is a responsibility. We must be conscious of our gifts. We need to use them conscientiously. It takes work to sharpen the talents and skills we have been gifted by the Holy Spirit with. Will we make the effort to hone our gifts and use them as the Holy Spirit designed them to be used?

Again, today’s passage says we are to use our gifts to serve others. It is especially important to serve our brothers and sisters in Christ. To build up the church, we need to share our gifts with one another. We must use our gifts to teach, preach, heal, comfort, and love one another. As we support, lift up, and strengthen one another, we build up the body of Christ.

Being a good steward requires us to take an inventory of all God has blessed us with and using those blessings wisely. Wise use of those blessings means carrying out God’s plan. To be wise, we must ask God for wisdom and God will grant it (James 1:5). Good stewardship of our gifts pleases God.

I pray we all take inventory of our gifts. I pray we use our talents and skills to build up the body of Christ. I pray each one of us choose to be good stewards of the blessings God has granted us. Know your gifts. Sharpen your skills. Hone your talents. Build up the church. Serve one another. Be a good steward.

1 Peter 4:10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

Healing from God

Do you long for healing? Are you looking for physical healing? Would you like to experience emotional healing? Are you in need of spiritual healing? Would a miracle be welcome? Have you asked for healing and believe it will happen?

We all need healing. We may need physical healing, emotional healing, or spiritual healing. Sometimes we wish for a miracle. Sometimes we just want it to be over with. When we need healing, life can be very challenging.

God has placed people in our midst to help us with healing. God has gifted some with the gift to be doctors, nurses, and caretakers. He has gifted some to be counselors, advisors, and therapists.

There are also times God chooses to grant a miracle. It is not something that happens regularly. For those blessed with a miracle, they are truly blessed. Likely, we have heard of miracles occurring. Perhaps it was a miraculous healing, one the doctors could not explain. Maybe it was a miraculous saving, an accident someone should not have lived through. Or it could have been the dramatic, miraculous turnaround of someone’s life.

Healing of all kinds, whether miraculous, through medicine, or by therapy, all ultimately come from God. He is the One who has gifted people with healing or has granted the miracle. It is God’s wonderful grace that grants us healing.

I pray we all seek God for healing. I pray we give Him the credit in our healing. I pray each one of us trust that God knows what is best for us and our loved ones. Ask for healing. Believe you will be healed. Seek to help heal others. Ask God for the gift you desire. Know that all healing comes from God.

1 Corinthians 12:28 And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues.

Good Gifts

How do you use your talents? Are you aware of the talents you have? Do you seek to hone your skills? Will you use your talents for good? Do you know where your talents come from? Do you know that God has gifted you with them?

We all have a variety of gifts or talents. We may be gifted with athleticism. We may have a gift for music. We may have a gift for serving or helping. We may be a talented organizer. We may be gifted with the ability to learn quickly. We may be a talented artist.

Each talent we have has been gifted to us by God. We do not often think about them in that way. And I dare say we do not often thank God for those gifts. I know I don’t nearly often enough. But we can thank God regularly for them by both thanking him in prayer and by using them to carry the good works he has planned for us.

You see, God has gifted us with a variety of talents for the common good. We are given gifts to serve our community, build up the church, and strengthen the body of Christ. As we use them for these purposes, God is pleased. This is a thanks that speaks louder than our words.

It will not take much looking in our community and churches to see where our talents can be put to good use. There is a lot of hurting people in this world. They need our help. And here is the real kicker—as we help others, we help ourselves the most. So, let’s go use the talents God has gifted us with.

I pray we all decide to use our gifts. I pray we use them for the common good. I pray each one of us will identify and use our gifts to carry out God’s plan and do the good works he has planned for us. Identify your gifts. Use your gifts for good. Use your gifts to carry out God’s plan. Use your gifts to do the good works God has set before you.

1 Corinthians 12: 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.

Interpreting

Can you interpret languages? Do you interpret the signs you see? Do you attempt to interpret what is going on around you? Have you ever used an interpreter? What does interpreting mean to you?

We interpret many things in our lives. On a daily basis we interpret body language. We interpret tone of voice. We may even interpret words or word phrases into something we can better understand. Interpreting is part of who we are.

There is a need for someone to interpret from one language to another. Some of us may be able to interpret a language or two. To be a good interpreter of languages takes a significant amount of learning. You need to know the culture, the meaning, slang or idioms, and maybe even body language or facial expressions.

Being able to interpret spiritual language is not something we can learn. It is purely a gift of the Spirit. We have either been gifted by the Holy Spirit to understand spiritual language or we have not. If there is no one who can interpret the spiritual language, whomever may be able to speak the language should not speak.

We do not see as many speaking with the gift of spiritual language as perhaps there were in the early church. However, there are occasions in which it happens. Yet, if there is no one who can interpret, it does not build up the church, which is one of the main reasons for the church to meet.

I pray we all seek to build up the church. I pray we keep quiet if we can speak a spiritual language and there is no one to interpret. I pray each one of us does our part to strengthen the body of Christ. Interpret if you are able. Be quiet if there is no interpreter. Seek to build up the body. Strengthen the body of Christ.

1 Corinthians 14:26-28 What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God.

Test the Spirits

Have you ever tested the spirits? Have you discerned whether they are from God or are evil? Do you make the effort to ensure you are being led by the correct Spirit? Do you know there are different kinds of spirits roaming this world?

In some ways, our culture has glamorized spirits and deflected the importance of discerning between them. There are television programs that hunt ghosts and are about dead people walking around. This time of year, we see movies about evil spirits, people being chased by them, and sometimes those spirits turning to good.

We are told by the Apostle John to test the spirits. He was not talking about ghosts, but the spirit of another person, as well as evil spirits. On the one hand, he was speaking of testing what other people profess. The belief being it was the inner spirit of a person where their beliefs were held. From their inner spirit, they spoke their beliefs, gave advice, and lived their lives.

On the other hand, he had witnessed evil spirits in the world. He had seen Jesus cast out demons. He knew firsthand that demons existed. I think we have forgotten there are evil spirits roaming the earth and making every attempt to steer us in the wrong direction so as to separate us from God.

John tells us how to discern between the spirits. It is really quite simple. Either the spirit confesses Jesus Christ came into this world or not. The spirit guides us closer to Him or it doesn’t. Much like John’s gospel, he writes in his first letter in black and white terms.

I pray we all ask God for discernment. I pray we test the spirits. I pray each one of us chooses to follow Jesus and the spirits that guide us in His direction. Test the spirits. Discern between spirits. Choose to follow Jesus. Choose to listen to the spirits that point to Him.

1 John 4:1-3 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.