2005-11-18
Good Morning Dear Ones,
You'll remember from last week, I mentioned that we are created for God's pleasure. It's not enough to simply know that, which we learned in IS 43: 7 and EPH 1: 4-5. "They are My own people, and I created them to bring me glory...Even before the world was made, God had already chosen us to be His through our union with Christ, so that we would be holy and without fault before Him. Because of His love God had already decided that through Jesus Christ He would make us His sons-this was His pleasure and purpose." We need to understand His will that we seek our approval from Him and not from other people. He makes this clear in RO 2: 28-29 when, through Paul, He talks about a real Jew being circumcised spiritually in his heart, rather than the physical circumcision practiced among Jewish males. Once again, God gives Paul His words to say in GA 1: 10. "Does this sound as if I'm trying to win man's approval? No indeed! What I want is God's approval! Am I trying to be popular with men? If I were still trying to do so, I would not be servant of Christ."
The first God-pleasing change we can make is in a sensitive area, that of giving. We get a view of God's attitude about this in 2 COR 9: 7, "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." The OT economy discusses three types of giving: tithes, free will offerings, and almsgiving. The first mention we have of tithes is in GN 14: 20, when Abram had just come back from his victory at Chedorlaomer with loot in hand. The king of Salem and a priest of the Most High, Melchizedek, went out to meet him in Shaveh Valley, bringing him bread and wine. Melchizedek blessed Abram, just as our pastors and elders bless us today when we take the sacrament. GN 14: 19b-20, "...'May the Most High God Who made heaven and earth, bless Abram! May the Most High God, who gave you victory over your enemies, be praised!' And Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the loot he had recovered." That is the basis of today's churches setting the ideal tithe at 10 % or more of a family's income. This money is to be used for God's purposes, not just the purposes of men.
The next kind of giving is the free will offering. Surely this involves a decision of the heart and should not be by coercion. In the book of Nehemiah, the story of the restoration of the Lord's temple after release from the Babylonian Captivity is told. There had been a prayer of confession followed by the people making an agreement with their leaders. Part of that agreement appears in NE 10: 32, "Every year we will each contribute one-eighth of an ounce of silver to help pay the expenses of the temple." Often people today are invited to a church event, and part of offering that event to God's glory is the passing around of a basket for free will offerings to cover the cost of the event. I'm not sure if I'm correct about this, but it is my belief that free-will offerings often yield more giving than offering a required pre-set amount.
The last kind of giving is almsgiving, that is charitable donations to the needy. In traditional Jewish households, that is one of the three big issues of the Jewish way of life. The others are revering getting an education and placing God as one's first priority in life. In DT 15: 7-11, amidst instructions for the Sabbatical (every 7th year) from God, we get an idea of the ancient Jewish approach to almsgiving. "If in any of the towns in the land that the Lord your God is giving you there is a fellow Israelite in need, then do not be selfish and refuse to help him. Instead, be generous and lend him as much as he needs. Do not refuse to lend him something, just because the year when the debts are canceled is near. Do not let such an evil thought enter your mind. If you refuse to make the loan, he will cry out to the Lord against you, and you will be held guilty. Give to him freely and unselfishly, and the Lord will bless you in everything you do. There will always be some Israelites who are poor and in need, and so I command you to be generous to them." This is not the only place where such a notion is mentioned. In PR 11: 24-25, we read, "Some people spend their money freely and still grow richer. Others are cautions, and yet grow poorer. Be generous, and you will be prosperous. Help others, and you will be helped." One more example is PS 41: 1-3, "Blessed are those who are concerned for the poor; the Lord will help them when they are in trouble. The Lord will protect them and preserve their lives; He will make them happy in the land. He will not abandon them to the power of their enemies. The Lord will help them when they are sick and will restore them to health."
Hypocritical almsgiving, i.e. almsgiving for hidden agendas or personal aggrandizement, is unacceptable to God. Looking for praise, attention, and admiration from others out of publicly giving help to the needy can hardly please God. That is why anyone planning to make donations of money, supplies or service to the needy must first examine his own motives for doing so. Some of the ways of hypocritical almsgiving are giving to get something in return, to get one's name on a plaque, or for to further some other human agenda. Sadly, we see this done often in the Hollywood and NYC entertainment industry, in professional sports, and with other groups today. I'm not saying that these groups don't do good, only that they often have hidden agendas. Often their giving is quite public, and therein lays the problem. MT 6: 1, "Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them," are Christ's words from His Sermon on the Mount.
PRAYER: O Lord, we come before You with all our imperfections, recognizing our need for Your leadership in our lives to live righteously. In today's materialistic society, we seem to want more and more and to give less and less from our hearts. The temptations before us are tremendous. And all the while, there is need all around us. Have we not heard of shortages of blood in times of emergencies? Do we not see our food shelves lacking for some of the basics? Have we turned a deaf ear when requests come for donations to worthy causes? Do we not feel overwhelmed at all the requests made and our need to use discernment in which charities are real and which ones are carrying hidden human agendas? Dearest Abba, you never intended that Your people should be in need. PS 72: 12 reflects this. "For He delivers the needy when they call, the poor and those who have not helper." Woodbury Lutheran Church, the congregation of which I'm blessed to belong, has adopted the city of Ocean Springs, MS-a place devastated in the latest hurricanes. A free-will donation program has been set up to get much-needed supplies and personnel down there in the relief effort. Our church is being blessed beyond our imaginations by using this situation as opportunities for service and generosity. Once again, Dearest Father, You have put me amidst people who are teaching me to be a better person. We have been sending groups down to Ocean Springs every couple of weeks along with money and supplies, and by this You are showing us that giving from the heart really does bless the giver as well as the receivers. Thank You, Father, for once again demonstrating the blessings You promise us will be given. You deserve our praise, worship, and thanksgiving for all eternity. In Christ's name, amen.
Next week, we will look at another God-pleasing change we can make, praying in private. In the meanwhile, be uplifted in knowing that our loving God is also a Promise-keeper. His greatest desire is to set up the conditions in us where He can shower us with blessings. This comes as a byproduct of the sanctification process. And yes, I believe our God enjoys the pleasure we have when He blesses us, as much as we can enjoy what our giving is doing for others. Giving from the heart is a win/win situation with blessings for both the donor and the recipient. DT 10: 17-18, "The Lord your God is supreme over all gods and over all powers. He is great and mighty, and He is to be obeyed. He does not show partiality and He does not accept bribes. He makes sure that orphans and widows are treated fairly; He loves the foreigners who live with our people, and gives them food and clothes." He is hardly a God of fire and brimstone, even through there are times when He feels compelled to punish disobedience against Him. Instead, He is a God of love who instructed His Son to say in JN 13: 34-35, "And now I give you a new commandments: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. If you have love for one another, then everyone will know that you are My disciples." And just think. Each one of us is the recipient of that love.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn