WHAT DOES GIVING LOOK LIKE
Matthew 6:3-4
"But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you."
Over the past nearly 40 years I been so blessed to guide hunters all across North America. Sometimes it was for money and sometimes it was just to give back something to others give so much themselves. Some of my favorite hunters or fisherman have been Pastors and Missionaries. Many of these people have given their entire lives to serve others and serve the Lord. My small gift to them has been a time of rest and refreshment in God's Great Outdoors.
As a little child, in an attempt to teach me the importance of giving, my parents would, on occasion, give me a small amount of change to put in the church's collection plate or in the little church shaped bank that was in our Sunday school class. It was a way to train me to get used to giving back to God, what He had blessed us with. It was a great lesson for a young child. But I was giving away something that wasn't really mine... it was easy. But what is true giving?
Many of us give money to God's work in church or somewhere else? That's great but giving from the heart in other ways can make a difference in the lives of those around you, more than you know. To step up and do something or to serve can make a difference much bigger than money.
A few months ago I was able to thank a friend that has given to me. It hasn't been money or things. He's given in service and patience. When we talked I got choked up as I tried to thank him. He had done more than he could know.
Real servants don't give or serve for the approval or applause of others. They are content to serve for an audience of One. They are content with quietly serving God. Others are just the beneficiary.
The Christian family is like a giant jigsaw puzzle. When the pieces are in the box they make no sense and there is no purpose to the pieces. But when each of those pieces is fit into place with those around it the picture comes into view and it is beautiful. Without being connected to another and served by the next piece each individual is meaningless.
Take the time to give in service to others. Show them the love of Christ by caring and doing.
Today you may be serving in a place where no one can see. No one knows that you are giving of yourself. You're wondering if anybody notices or cares. God knows and He cares. I write every day and to be honest, there are days when I wonder if it makes a difference. Then one day I get a letter or a note thanking me because something I wrote or said changed a life. I drives me to continue to serve and give.
As the verses above says, "your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you."
Help achieve the mission - GIVE today
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