Giving

Reveal Day 3 Heartache’s Hope

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Psalm 147
Hosea 11:1-8
Isaiah 60:1-7
Isaiah 61:1-4
John 3:14-21

Reveal, Day 3

This will be a tough Christmas for me and my family.
We lost my uncle in February.
My sister, only 48 years old, went to be with Jesus on Easter morning due to Covid-19.
My grandmother is entering hospice care.
Tears come unbidden as I write. 

It’s been an incredibly traumatizing year and for the first time since my dad died twenty years ago, I can physically feel my heart ache. It’s like part of me is missing. Do you know that feeling? I don’t like it, but it’s here to stay for a while.

I anticipate that as Christmas arrives, this ache will be worse. It was my sister’s favorite holiday. Elaborate decorating . . . many gifts lavishly wrapped . . . all born of a genuine love of giving and sharing, especially during Christmas. She was like a bright star in December. I know my holiday, my world, will be a bit dimmer without her.

As I write about heartache, I think about the Israelites. I cannot imagine the pressing ache of waiting, generation after generation, for a promised Savior who would crush the enemy underneath His feet. (Genesis 3:15, Romans 16:20) I have a hard time waiting 17 days for something, so 1700 years seems unimaginable.

They endured so much during those 1700 years. They were exiled several times because they just couldn’t follow God with all their hearts. After one exile, when they returned and were trying to rebuild, rich Israelites took advantage of poor neighbors. They were so ruthless, they accepted their kinsmen’s daughters as payment for taxes! (Nehemiah 5:5)

They should have worked together to help rebuild, not just their city, but also their relationship with God. Instead, they tried to soothe their heartache with money and power over the weak and poor.

And you know what?
Their actions broke God’s heart.
Just read Hosea 11:1-8 again.

Can you feel the hurt and heartache of God? But God is merciful and loving. As He always does, He gave them a way to return to Him, to be His people again:

“If [. . .] my people, who bear my name, humble themselves, pray and seek my face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.”
(2 Chronicles 7:14)

God knows we can only be whole through Him, so He has provided an eternal road back to Him, even when we break His heart.

When the 1700 years was up, God delivered His promise.
But His promise wasn’t just for Israel.
It was for us, too.

Jesus came to “bring good news to the poor [. . .] heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Isaiah 61:1-2)

This promise from hundreds of years earlier was for Jews and Gentiles alike, which includes us. Jesus came to free us from looking to anything or anyone else for freedom and healing because He “is the way, the truth and the life.” Just like the Israelites, we can get caught up longing for something better, instead of looking to the One Who is better.

Let’s face it, living in this world is hard. There is no living without heartbreak and heartache. Sure, it points to the brokenness of the world. But it also points to our own insufficiency: we cannot heal ourselves.

We try, though. We shop, eat all the comfort food, drink, use drugs, isolate, or even deny our pain, but none of these will bring light to our darkness. Similarly, not one idol, power play, or act of rebellion brought light to the Israelites’ darkness. Instead, Jesus came, died, and rose to free us from sin and death. (John 3:16-17) And that’s not even the full picture!

If we look to Isaiah 60, we see God’s full promise to the nation of Israel, and to us. Israel will no longer live in darkness. Jesus will reign there and the glory of God will shine so brightly, darkness will be cast out. Forever. He will draw in other nations, who will find the light they’ve been searching for everywhere else. What a wonderful picture!

Even better, we don’t need to wait for eternity to experience the light and healing of Immanuel, God With Us. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12) Further, if you have accepted Christ, the light of the Holy Spirit lives within you.

Sisters, let us connect with the power of the Holy Spirit.
Let us be radiant and rejoice in Jesus, the light of the world. (Isaiah 60:5)
Until He returns, let us look to Him for our comfort, healing and light.

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Open Day 13 Radical Offering

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Read His Words Before Ours!

2 Kings 4:8-17
Matthew 6:1-4
Matthew 25:42-46

Open, Day 13

Twelve years ago, I met a woman we’ll call “Marcy”.
Marcy’s children and I went to the same school and attended the same church. I knew Marcy’s children better than I knew Marcy, but over the years, we served together in different ministries at church and grew closer.

Marcy and her family live in a beautiful home, her husband has a solid job, and from the outside looking in, it appears that Marcy has everything she needs and even wants. That’s all pretty surface-y, but I’m guessing we can all imagine someone with Marcy’s lifestyle.

However, I know something else about Marcy….
I know she and her husband live out selfless generosity.
All without saying anything to anyone.

The only way I could possibly know this is if I were a benefactor of their open-handed generosity… which I am.
Marcy has opened her home over and over as a welcome place for discipleship, worship, blessing, celebrating, and feeding others. Including me.
I’ve watched Marcy open her arms to people of all walks of life… sometimes she doesn’t remember their names, but she never forgets a face! That Marcy would literally give the shoes off of her feet to someone… and she has.

My mom once told Marcy the shoes she was wearing were adorable and that I would love them. Finding out we wore the same size, she literally took her shoes off of her feet, handed them to my mom, and told her to give them to me.

Marcy’s husband has used his profession to assist my parents on the mission field at no cost to them. Together they bought my entire cart full of Christmas gifts when we ran into one another at Target, where they were purchasing food to serve to parents with sick kiddos.  This couple have poured themselves out to love others in countless ways as they have discipled, mentored, and given away what they had for others. Marcy told me once that nothing they own is actually theirs, it all belongs to God. 

The reason we’re even calling her “Marcy”, is because many of the times she has given to me, she has sworn me to secrecy. She and her husband live out Matthew 6:1-4 with extravagance! While I could go on about this couple and their generosity, they would humbly remind me that living with open hands and hearts is simply the means by which they are called to further the Kingdom.

Marcy reminds me of a woman in the Bible whose name also isn’t mentioned… perhaps because her heart was so similar to Marcy’s. She wasn’t concerned about being remembered only about living generously.

This nameless woman is known as the “Shunammite Woman”.
Like our friend, Gaius, she isn’t well known, but from Scripture, we do know she was wealthy, married, and perhaps most importantly:
she used hospitality to love others well.

The benefactor of her gifts was a prophet named Elisha.
Elisha and this woman somehow met when he visited her town. She insisted on feeding him. (Which I can only laugh at because I literally try to force-feed my brother every time he visits. “Are you hungry? No? Are you sure? Here, I made spaghetti last night, let me just reheat some for you. I also have salad and brownies and coffee and the lesser-known sparkling water, Bubly!”)

The Shunammite Woman must’ve been a pretty decent cook, because after their first encounter, Elisha stopped by her house to eat every single time he visited. I can’t imagine the conversations that occurred, but there is no doubt that Elisha shared about the One True God, Yahweh, with this woman and her husband. Before long, the Shunammite Woman referred to Elisha as a ‘holy man of God’ and had a room built just for him on the roof of their house. They fully furnished the room and welcomed Elisha and his servant readily.

Many of us have guest rooms and happily welcome visitors throughout the year, but to actually construct an entire room specifically for a guest-turned friend is radical.
Elisha wasn’t family.
This wasn’t a neat Airbnb designed for income off of Elisha.
This was love and hospitality and generosity.

After becoming aware of the work the One True God was doing through Elisha, they used what they had – a rooftop – to support God’s Kingdom work in their community.
Expecting nothing in return.

I’ve been writing this Journey study while sitting in my church’s building watching the hustle and bustle of daily church activities occur. Just a moment ago, friends of mine who are empty-nesters, came over to chat and I asked why they were here on a Thursday morning. “Oh, we have four camp counselors staying at our house and we told them we’d come see them at camp today!”
Open handed generosity.

This same couple has opened up their home again and again for Kingdom work.
After becoming aware of the work the One True God is doing, this couple used what they had – a home with empty rooms – to support God’s work in our community.

Sisters, it doesn’t take much for us to demonstrate incredible hospitality like Marcy, the Shunammite woman, or my empty-nester friends.
Each are using what they have – their homes, their love for people, and their love for the Father – to further the work God is doing.

We don’t need a secure job with a steady income, just an open heart.
Maybe all we have is a pull-out couch, bottomless coffee, or cold water on a hot day.

God takes our willingness,
our open hands,
and open hearts,
and He builds His Kingdom!

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Open Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

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Gospel Day 6 That He Gave

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Read His Words Before Ours!

John 3:16-21
Romans 6:15-23
James 1:16-18
Acts 17:25

Gospel, Day 6

As a kid, I never tired of giving gifts. Each Christmas I would make a list of everyone in my family and begin brainstorming ideas for Christmas gifts. We’re talking grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, everyone!

Naturally, the result of this was that I spent all the money I made throughout the year from my lemonade stand and bake sales on my family at Christmas. I loved doing this!
On occasion, my mom tried to remind me that as a kid, I was not expected to get every single person in our entire family a Christmas gift.
Because I loved giving gifts, I kept at it year after year.

Sadly, though, somewhere along the way, whether it was during my teen years or as an adult, I began losing my fervor for giving.
Rather, I turned my focus to tasting the delight of receiving.

It wasn’t that I’d never enjoyed receiving gifts, but giving had always been more enjoyable for me.
No longer!
I started dreaming of all I wanted to receive for Christmas, or what I wanted to buy myself. Eventually, I began feeling as if I just didn’t have enough money to go around anymore. Over time, I began believing that in order for me to receive everything I wanted, I would need to hold back money for myself.

I’m delighted to share that, although the shift from giver to receiver was a big one in my life, our great God is nothing like me!
He delights to give.
And give.
And give some more.
He, who did not withhold His only begotten Son; how will He not, along with Him, graciously hold nothing back?! (Romans 8:32)
He, the great God of love, freely and fully bestows upon His children lavish love and magnificent grace! (Romans 5:1-5)

This unrestrained generosity is what I am most reminded of when reading the beautiful words of John 3:16.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son,
that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Romans 6:23 further elaborates,
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God
is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

What do these passages tell us about the giving heart of God?
Consider with me for a moment what it requires to give a gift:

You Give Something Up
When you give, inherently, you are not keeping it for yourself. When God the Father gave us Christ the Son, He was giving Him
up on our behalf. He sent Him to earth as the only possible perfect sacrifice, paying our penalty for sin which is death. While God the Son took our sin upon Himself, it was necessary for God the Father in His holiness to turn His face away, forsaking the Son. Imagine the pain! The broken unity which had eternally existed!

Still, He gave.

You Pay A Price
Gifts always come with a price tag. Sometimes it’s giving up what we own, but often it means parting with our money in order to give a special little something. God the Father paid a heavy price in order to give us the gift of His Son. He paid the price of fellowship with His much-loved Son, that we might benefit from His sacrifice for all eternity.

You Demonstrate Selflessness
True generosity, always puts someone before self.
God as Father, Spirit, and Son collectively counted the cost of breaking their unity and taking on the consequence of sin for us. God cared more for us, our opportunity to spend eternity with Him, and our freedom from sin and death, than He cared for Himself. What a powerful representation of the depth of His love for us!

Why Don’t We?
That which stands in the way of us living out sacrificial generosity in everyday life to others as Jesus modeled is pride.
Pride says it’s all about me, my happiness, my needs, and my recognition by others.
All throughout the Bible we read of the destruction that pride and selfishness brings.

David went after another man’s wife.
Judas betrayed Christ in exchange for 30 pieces of silver.
Jonah desperately attempted to flee from God to avoid preaching redemptive forgiveness to his enemies.

Pride is nothing more than the complete opposite of love.
To shower upon others the love of Christ just as it has been lavished upon us requires a willingness to lay down our dark, disgusting sin of pride that we might take on the posture of humility, love, and sacrificial generosity.

Plain and simple, we don’t deserve the gift of Christ.
Not in the least.
But our Lord God loves us so incredibly much that, in the midst of our not deserving Him, He still chose to give us the gift of Christ.

If that won’t fire you up to give the gift of love to someone today, I don’t know what will!

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Gospel Week Two! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Gospel!