thanksGIVING!
Luke 10:25-37
Did you ever see “Sesame Street”? There are only a little over 4,000 episodes broadcast thus far. Remember the muppet animal characters: Big Bird, Snuffleupagus, Oscar, the grouch, Elmo, Grover, Cookie Monster? While Big Bird was big, feathery, and comforting, Oscar was small, unkept, and irritating. Snuffleupagus finds his place just because he is big; Elmo finds his place because he is little and cute. Grover lets his imagination run wild while Cookie Monster lets his appetite run wild. Cookie Monster’s motto is something like this: see cookie, want cookie, eat cookie! Many Americans are like Cookie Monster, just a collection of our appetites!
Some one has said that there are only two types of people in the world: GIVERS and TAKERS. Which type are you? While we are told in the Scripture,…
Acts 20:35
“…It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
(NIV)
…do we smile more at the reception of a gift or when we can give something to someone else?
When a young woman’s mother’s office got a fax machine, the daughter suggested sending their correspondence by fax instead of using the post office. Although she told her many times that it’s a faster and less expensive way to communicate, her mother continued to send her mail by weekly letters. On the girls birthday, however, her mother showed that she now has a full grasp of the technology. She faxed her a $100 bill with the note: "Happy Birthday. Darling. You’re right-it is cheaper to fax than to mail. Love, Mom."
This thing called, “thanksGIVING” cannot be passive, anymore than love can be passive! Action must take place so that the recipient KNOWS that you LOVE them. No, “thanksGIVING” is an ACTION word.
How would we ever know how much God loved us if He had not given His Son?
John 3:16
16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
(NIV)
GIVING shows what is really going on in your HEART. You can say you love something but until you put your time, your talents, and your treasure there, no one is ever really quite sure. The arena of giving is the only place where exactly what’s going on in your heart is revealed.
People serve MONEY the way they serve GOD. Why? Because money transfers to its owner certain godlike features. For example, God is omnipotent (all-powerful), but those who possess lots of cash feel omnipotent, as though they can do anything they want. God is omnipresent, but wealth also carries a hint of omnipresence, because the wealthy believe they can go anywhere, anytime. God alone is omniscient (all-knowing), but those who have a lot come to believe they can find out whatever they want.
GIVING reduces GREED. You insult greed, the impulse to acquire or possess more than one needs or deserves, by giving. One of the richest men to ever live, John D. Rockefeller Jr., said: "The poorest person I know is the one who has nothing but money."
Luke 12:15
15 Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
(NIV)
GIVING eradicates FEAR. When you give, you defy the fear that you won’t have enough. If you really believe God owns it all and that he is your source and provider, giving will be a simple matter. Contrariwise, if you believe that what you have is yours and you’re unsure whether God had anything to do with getting it to you, you will hold on to your money for dear life.
GIVING removes us from the SEAT OF THE CONSUMER and places us onto the STAGE OF THE SERVANT.
Luke 10:25-37
25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
26 "What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"
27 He answered: "’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ’Love your neighbor as yourself.’"
28 "You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."
29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
30 In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.
31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.
32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.
34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him.
35 The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ’Look after him,’ he said, ’and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
36 "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"
37 The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."
(NIV)
Three philosophies are displayed here in the actions of the characters in this parable:
The robbers: What’s yours is mine and I’ll take it!
(Verse 30)
The priest and the Levite: What’s mine is mine and I’ll keep it!
(Verses 31-32)
The Samaritan: What’s mine is yours and I’ll give it!
(Verses 33-35) The two silver coins the Samaritan gave the innkeeper was the equivalent of two months room and board!
Do you POSSESS money or are you POSSESSED BY money?
Matthew 6:21
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
(NIV)
Your heart will follow the direction of your giving. According to Jesus, giving keeps your heart in motion toward God and away from material things.
We are never more like God than when we give!
Are you thankful for what God has given to you? Do you deserve any of it? Isn’t it true that…
James 1:17
17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
(NIV)
This being true, why do we hold back our “thanksGIVING”? Am I giving the best I can give? Am I honestly giving God His part? Have you found the grace of thanksGIVING?
2 Corinthians 8:7-9
7 But just as you excel in everything-- in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us-- see that you also excel in this grace of giving.
8 I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others.
9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.
(NIV)
A pastor related this story: Years ago, a little boy named Dustin entered the Smarties stage of life. It might not be in the psychological journals, but there is a time in the development of every child when they are ready to receive their first pack of Smarties. You remember Smarties, a row of multicolored, chalk-like, bite-size candies wrapped in clear plastic, about 10 to 12 pieces in a pack. They are perfect for sharing.
I am not a huge fan of Smarties, but when I saw Dustin come into church with a fresh roll, I just had to ask him if I could have one.
Dustin immediately became my Smarties hero. He peeled out a piece with a smile and handed it over gladly. This was surprising enough, but at that moment, something happened in this little boy’s heart. From that day on, for the next two years, every time Dustin got a pack of Smarties, he took out the first one and set it aside for me. Every Sunday, Dustin would track me down at church and generously offer me one or more Smarties. He did it gladly, with a smile, as if he enjoyed it.
Sometimes Dustin would open a pack of Smarties during the week, but he would still save me the first round, sugary, chalky tablet in his pocket. By the time Sunday came, the Smarty was a little mangy and would have lint and other pocket paraphernalia stuck to it, but he never forgot to bring it for me. In those cases, I thanked him and put it in my pocket so I could "enjoy it later."
Dustin loved Smarties. He also loved his pastor. Every week before the worship service began, Dustin and I shared a time of communion. Jesus was present as we shared a few moments of conversation and partook of some Smarties together.
Somewhere along the way, Dustin’s mother pointed out that the packs of Smarties she bought for him had ten pieces, and she saw this weekly ritual as Dustin’s introduction to tithing. What I saw was a little boy who loved to share and who understood the power of generosity. Since that time, I have asked myself many times, How am I doing with my Smarties?
