ACE #7: Your Giving is Not in Vain

A few years back, I had a conversation with one of my former students who was a chaplain for one of the student organizations on campus.  Upon my departure from the office, I said to him, “Alright, make sure you pray for me”.  His response was, “Why should I pray for you?  You make more money than me”.  I just shook my head and told him, “ Yep, there’s a story behind that too.  What I have is not a result of my job, it’s a result of the seeds I’ve sown”.  He looked at me dumbfounded, shook his head, and walked away. 

You hear the preacher talk about tithing, in faith, and giving back 10% to God.  I get that because just like your house, the church has financial responsibilities. And if someone tells you that good ministry is costly...well, it kind of is. I also realize there are things that you give that have little to do with money.

 

1.    You pray for someone because they ask (or maybe they don’t ask) and you do it because you’re led to do it.

2.    You pray for a complete stranger because you see their affliction(s) while they are coming out of the doctor’s office.

3.    You give a homeless person food or a few dollars and not because of their homemade sign, but because you are moved to do it.

4.    You babysit for your neighbor without asking anything in return because you recognize that the parents just might need "a night out".

5.    You carry an elderly person’s groceries to their car because it appears to be a bit of a struggle for them.

6.    You get out of your car to get someone else’s child out of the middle of the street because you recognize the child is in harm’s way.

7.    You see your neighbor’s trash cans in the middle of the street instead of on the curb where they are supposed to be, so you roll said can(s) over to the side of their house.

8.    You take food to the bereaved family down the street because cooking is the last thing on their minds.

9.    You give someone groceries (who you know is in need), but you don’t say a word to anyone.

10. You pay for someone’s dinner…just because.

What I realized is that even when I thought I was down to nothing, God was always up to something and restored everything back because of the generosity and the cheer in which my husband and I have given over the years ...even when it seemed to be an inconvenience.  People have also been generous to us.  We wrote out 160 "thank you" notes after the birth of our child.  The Bible says, “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).  Don't think that God doesn't see what you give. The way that you give to others is the way things will be returned to you. 

In the words of Bishop T.D. Jakes, “Don’t ever think that your prayer, your praise, your giving, and your living is not making a difference!”

 

A Good Measure:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%206:38&version=NIV

Joe Pace - Running Over:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXu7fRNiZs4