IN HIS BOOK “THE DISCIPLINE OF SERVICE,” RICHARD FOSTER WROTE: “SELF-RIGHTEOUS SERVICE COMES THROUGH HUMAN EFFORT. TRUE SERVICE COMES FROM A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE DIVINE OTHER DEEP INSIDE.
SELF-RIGHTEOUS SERVICE IS IMPRESSED WITH THE "BIG DEAL." TRUE SERVICE FINDS IT ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO DISTINGUISH THE SMALL FROM THE LARGE SERVICE.
SELF-RIGHTEOUS SERVICE REQUIRES EXTERNAL REWARDS. TRUE SERVICE RESTS CONTENTED IN HIDDENNESS. SELF-RIGHTEOUS SERVICE IS HIGHLY CONCERNED ABOUT RESULTS. TRUE SERVICE IS FREE OF THE NEED TO CALCULATE RESULTS.
SELF-RIGHTEOUS SERVICE PICKS AND CHOOSES WHOM TO SERVE. TRUE SERVICE IS INDISCRIMINATE IN ITS MINISTRY. SELF-RIGHTEOUS SERVICE IS AFFECTED BY MOODS AND WHIMS.
TRUE SERVICE MINISTERS SIMPLY AND FAITHFULLY BECAUSE THERE IS A NEED. SELF-RIGHTEOUS SERVICE IS TEMPORARY. TRUE SERVICE IS A LIFE-STYLE. SELF-RIGHTEOUS SERVICE IS WITHOUT SENSITIVITY. IT INSISTS ON MEETING THE NEED EVEN WHEN TO DO SO WOULD BE DESTRUCTIVE.
TRUE SERVICE CAN WITHHOLD THE SERVICE AS FREELY AS PERFORM IT. SELF-RIGHTEOUS SERVICE FRACTURES COMMUNITY. TRUE SERVICE, ON THE OTHER HAND, BUILDS COMMUNITY.”
STEWARDSHIP HAS LONG BEEN THE HALLMARK OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. THE WONDERFUL THING ABOUT CHURCH STEWARDSHIP IS THAT IT ENCOMPASSES MORE THAN MONEY.
WHEN WE SERVE THE WORLD THROUGH CHRIST’S CHURCH, WE ARE NOT ONLY GIVING OF OUR “TITHES AND OFFERINGS,” BUT WE ARE GIVING OF OUR TIME, OUR RESOURCES, AND OUR EFFORT.
AS CHRISTIANS, WE KNOW THAT SERVING CHRIST’S CHURCH IS NOT FOCUSED JUST ON THE AMOUNT THAT COMES OUT OF OUR WALLETS, BUT ON THE SINCERETY OF WHAT IS COMING OUT OF OUR THE DEPTHS OF OUR HEARTS.
“WHAT” IS IN THE HEART WILL ALWAYS BE MORE IMPORTANT THAN WHAT IS IN THE WALLET OR CHECKBOOK. OUR SCRIPTURE PASSAGE TODAY MAKES IT ABUNDANTLY CLEAR TO US THAT WILLINGNESS TO GIVE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE ACTUAL ACCPLISHMENT OF THE GIVING ITSELF.
SIMPLY PUT: THE ATTITUDE OF OUR HEARTS AND THE WILINGNESS OF OUR SPIRIT WILL BE THE CRUCIAL FACTORS IN DETERMINING THE DEFINITION OF PROPER GIVING.
ONE OF THE BEAUTIFUL EXAMPLES OF THIS GIVING COMES FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT ACCOUNT OF GIVING OF GIFT TO BUILD THE TABERNACLE IN EXODUS 35:4-29.
MOSES GATHERS THE PEOPLE AND EXPRESSES TO THEM THE LORD’S COMMAND TO BUILD A TABERNACLE THAT INCLUDES THEIR ASSISTANCE. THE PEOPLE WOULD HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO HOME AND GATHER WHAT IS NEEDED TO BUILD AND FURNISH THE TABERNACL OF GOD.
MOSES SAYS IN VERSE 5, THAT “EVERYONE IS INVITED TO BRING THESE OFFERINGS TO THE LORD….” MOSES GOES ON TO LIST ALL THE ITEMS NEEDED AND THEN GIVES THE PEOPLE THE CHANCE TO REPSOND. THE PEOPLE GRACIOUSLY DO SO.
IN VERSE 20, WE ARE TOLD THAT, “…ALL THE PEOPLE LEFT MOSES AND WENT TO THEIR TENTS TO PREPARE THEIR GIFTS. IF THEIR HEARTS WERE STIRRED AND THEY DESIRED TO DO SO, THEY BROUGHT TO THE LORD THEIR OFFERINGS OF MATERIALS FOR THE TABERNACLE AND ITS FURNISHING AND FOR THE HOLY GARMENTS.”
IN ALL THAT WAS GIVEN AND PROVIDED, THE VERSE THAT STRUCK ME THE MOST WAS VERSE 22, THAT SAYS, “BOTH MEN AND WOMEN CAME, ALL WHOSE HEARTS WERE WILLING.”
THAT’S THE KEY: WILLING HEARTS WILLING TO GIVE! WHAT I LOVE MOST ABOUT WILLINGNESS IS THAT IT HAS NEITHER PRICE LIMITATIONS NOR MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR ACCEPTANCE. IN FACT, WE’RE NOT EVEN TOLD WHAT “IT” IS THAT WE’RE SUPPOSED TO GIVE. WHAT IS GOING TO BE GIVEN IS LEFT UP TO US!
WHETHER IT IS GIFTS OF GREAT EXTRAVAGANCE OR SIMPLY A “WIDOW’S COPPER COINS WORTH ONLY A FRACTION OF A PENNY” (MARK 12:42), IT IS ALL WORTHY IN THE SITE OF GOD WHEN GIVEN FROM A WILLING HEART.
WHEN IT COMES TO GIVING, WHAT COUNTS IS NOT THE KIND OF OFFERING BUT THE HEART OF THE OFFERER. GIVING SACRIFICIALLY OF WHAT ONE HAS ON HAND, NO MATTER WHAT IT MAY BE, MAKES THE OFFERING ACCEPTABLE TO GOD.
WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM THE CORINTHIAN CHURCH TODAY IS THAT STEWARDSHIP WITHIN THE CHURCH IS NOT DETERMINED ON “HOW MUCH” IS GIVEN BUT ON “HOW” WE ARE GIVING.
THE EMPHASIS IS ON OUR EAGERNESS IN GIVING. ONCE AGAIN, WE ARE EMPHASIZING THE HEART. IT IS WHAT COMES OUT OF THE HEART NOT WHAT COMES OUT OF THE WALLET OR CHECK BOOK.
2 CORINTHIANS 8:2-3, TELLS US, “…THEIR WONDERFUL JOY AND DEEP POVERTY HAVE OVERFLOWED IN RICH GENEROSITY. FOR I CAN TESTIFY THAT THEY GAVE NOT ONLY WHAT THEY COULD AFFORD BUT FAR MORE. AND THEY DID IT OF THEIR OWN FREE WILL.”
WE SHOULD NEVER FEEL PRESSURED TO GIVE. WE SHOULD NEVER BE SHAMED OR FORCED INTO GIVING JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE MAY BE PRESSURING US WITH A GUILT TRIP OR PLEADING THEIR “CAUSE” WITH CONVICTION.
IF YOU CAN’T GIVE, DON’T FEEL COMPELLED TO GIVE, OR DON’T HAVE THE MEANS READILY AVAILABLE, THEN DON’T! BUT, IF YOUR HEART IS STIRRED AND YOU FEEL THE SPIRIT’S NUDGING OF WHAT IT IS YOU NEED TO DO, THEN GIVE THAT WHICH YOU FEEL.
THE POINT I’M TRYING TO MAKE IS THAT OUR GIVING MUST BE RESPONSIBLE. WE CAN’T GIVE OF WHAT WE DON’T HAVE, SO OUR ONLY OPTION IS TO GIVE OF THAT WHICH WE DO HAVE. GIVE OF WHAT YOU HAVE AND GIVE IT WITH A GRATEFUL HEART.
YES, TO SOME DEGREE THE OLD ADAGE IS TRUE: “GIVE ‘TIL IT HURTS!” BUT, NOT TRUE WHEN THE GIVING STARTS TO HURT OUR FAMILY FINANCIALLY, ETHICALLY, MORALLY, OR SPIRITUALLY. COMMON SENSE AND RESPONSIBILTY CARRIES THIS A LONG WAY!
ACTION WITHOUT THE RIGHT ATTITUDE IS OF NO AVAIL, BUT A GENUINE ATTITUDE INEVITABLY RESULTS IN GENUINE ACTION. THAT IS WHY GIVING IS NOT DUTY FOR DUTY’S SAKE, OR RIGHT FOR RIGHT’S SAKE. IT IS NOT A RESOLUTE ABANDONING OF ONE’S OWN GOOD WITH A VIEW SOLELY TO THE GOOD OF THE OTHER PERSON.
GIVING IS FIRST A DEEPLY SATISFYING EXPERIENCE OF THE FULLNESS OF GOD’S GRACE, AND THEN A DOUBLY SATISFYING EXPERIENCE OF SHARING THAT GRACE WITH ANOTHER PERSON.
THIS IS WHY GIVING IS NOT JUST SOMETHING WE KNOW TO DO, OUGHT TO DO, OR HAVE TO DO, BUT REALLY SOMETHING THAT WE LONG TO DO. GIVING IS A JOY! A JOY THAT BECOMES AN EXTENSION OF OUR JOY IN GOD THAT GLADLY MEETS THE NEEDS OF OTHERS IN THE CAPACITY IN WHICH WE HAVE THE MEANS TO DO SO.
LET US DETERMINE TO BE EAGER TO GIVE OF WHAT GOD HAS GIVEN UNTO US. LET US DO WHAT WE CAN WITH THE MEANS WE HAVE AVAILABLE. LET US DO WHAT WE CAN WITH THE TIME WE HAVE AT HAND. LET US DO WHAT WE CAN WITH THE RESOURCES WE HAVE MATERIALLY, MONITARILY, AND SPIRITUALLY.
IF WE CAN DO THAT MUCH, WE HAVE ALREADY DONE A LOT AND MOST IMPORTANTLY WHAT WE WERE ABLE. JUST REMEMBER, THAT FROM MATTHEW 10:42, IN “THE MESSAGE” TRANSLATION, WE ARE TOLD, “GIVE A COOL CUP OF WATER TO SOMEONE WHO IS THIRSTY FOR INSTANCE. THE SMALLEST ACT OF GIVING OR RECEIVING MAKES YOU A TRUE APPRENTICE. YOU WON’T LOSE OUT ON A THING.”
GO FORTH TODAY IN GOD’S SERVICE DOING WHAT YOU CAN, IN THE WAY THAT YOU CAN, WITH ALL OF THE THINGS THAT YOU HAVE IN EAGERNESS AND WITH THE JOY OF GOD SO AS TO BRING A RICHNESS OF GOD’S LOVE INTO OTHER’S LIVES.
