“Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you (Luke 6:38).”
We don’t only give money. We read in Romans 12:6-8: “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; If it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.” We give from what we receive, and as we give more we receive more.
How do you approach your job, hobby or projects? Don’t we go about it with enthusiasm, plan ahead, work hard, be creative and try to impress. Don’t we have ambition to reach certain goals and levels in our careers and in society? If we are so diligent on the earth, what about our homeland? We are in the world, but not of the world the Bible says.
We should ultimately focus on what God has in mind. If we approach Kingdom needs with the same diligence than we approach our own ambitions, church and the world would be much different, wouldn’t they? Do you realise that God has the same kind of ambitions for His Kingdom than we have for our lives. When we try to reach our goals in life and people don’t want to go along with it as we’d like them to, don’t we get frustrated? How should God feel about your cooperation?
What are you best at with regard to the Kingdom of God and the church? Does the Lord show you wonderful things in the Bible that you’d like to teach others? Make the most of every opportunity to do so. Teach your friends, and colleagues, anybody the Lord shows you. Are you inclined to encourage people, to help and serve people? Are you good at making money and feel the urge to give it away? Go for it and give it into God’s Kingdom as He guides you! Are you inclined to hear from the Lord and feel you should warn the church? Don’t be timid – you must be more obedient to God that to man.
Through the ages the church developed into a structure that moved away from the Lord’s idea of the fivefold ministry in the church that should equip the ordinary Christians to live out their gifts and make a difference (Read Ephesians 4:11-15). Maybe as individual Christians we should take the courage to encourage our church leadership to revive this principle so that the Kingdom in your town may grow.
Where do you want your treasure to be (Matthew 6:19-21, 13:44 and 19:16-21)?
Thank you for the challenge Henry.
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