2007-05-18
Good Morning Dear Ones,
The Holy Spirit leads me to press on with discussing the five statements of faith in the context of materialism. Just to recap, let me give you the three already discussed. God is Who He says He is. God can do what He says He can do. We are who God says we are. And now, we will look at the fourth one: PHIL 4: 13, "We can do all things through Christ, Who strengthens us."
Does this mean we can all be millionaires? Of course not. However, it does mean that we can examine our lives in this context to see what kind of power God has given us. In this country, one can almost always say that no matter how stressed we are financially, there are always others who have greater need. While this isn't my personal calling, there are many people in our church who are involved in one way or another in work with local and national charities. I find this very compelling, because my own life has been a series of ups and downs materially, from the sublime to the ridiculous, having given and having received. In our congregation, we have a food shelf, participate every year in Franklin Graham's Samaritan's Purse shoe box drive for children, send "Katrina Hope" teams down to help folks who have lost their homes and belongings in Hurricane Katrina in Ocean Springs, MS, and the list goes on. 2 COR 9: 7 gives God's will in the matter of giving. "Each man should give what he has decided in His heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." Over the years, I have tried to give what I could afford-more when I had more, less when I had less, but always something. A few of my favorite causes are Radio Bible Class, Paralyzed Veterans of America, the St. Joseph's Indian School, the American Diabetes Association, Les Feldick Ministries, the Gideons, the American Heart Association, and Easter Seals. Listing charities one donates to isn't enough. There is so much more we can do to help others in need without compromising our own financial security.
RO 12: 4-6 reveals different kinds of gifts for different service to the same Spirit. "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men." God has given each of us a set of talents designed to carry out His work in specific areas. A number of times I have found myself without enough money to donate to a particular cause. Yet I can donate my time and skills. For example, I remember wanting to give money to the Cancer Society but couldn't. So, I connected with some people in our church who sew hats for both children and adults afflicted with that disease who have lost their hair. I love to sew and had the time then. So my donation was to make colorful hats. Later, the lady who guided me into this lost her husband and ended up in assisted living herself. Another lady who teaches a Bible study class where the first lady lives asked me to come and lead that class when she is unable. And there was the first lady right in that class! God certainly knows how to get even the most selfish of believers to find joy in serving others.
The Holy Spirit Who lives with all true believers directs us to God's will through MICAH 6: 8. "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." What is just is to help the less fortunate with time, talents, and material resources one can afford. To do this means to examine our material lives to see if we need to make changes in our priorities. It's as simple as asking oneself: Do I really need to upgrade my motorcycle this year, or should I use some of this money to help a charity which translates Bibles and distributes them in third world countries? Loving mercy is granting help and forgiveness to someone who is struggling with addictions, or welcoming a new person visiting one's church with time and attention badly needed. These are only some examples of the strength Christ gives us, strength we can use when He takes us out of our comfortable zones and brings us the joy of helping others who need us. Walking humbly with God is loving His word so much that we go out of our way to bring it to those who wouldn't otherwise have access to it. We have a young man from our church who is in China teaching English and bringing God's word to a group of people who wouldn't have it otherwise. He and other missionaries all over the world set an amazing example for how we can be missionaries wherever God plants us. And it should occur to us that when we are busy helping others, we have less time to squander the material wealth God has seen fit to give us. God knows we are imperfect, and He loves us anyway. He is especially pleased when we listen to His commands, examine our lives for wastefulness and sin, and take action to change our ways to conform to His will. Remember RO 12: 1-2, "So then, my brothers, because of God's great mercy to us, I appeal to you: Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to His service and pleasing to Him. This is the true worship that you should offer. Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by the complete renewal of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God-what is good and is pleasing to Him and is perfect."
PRAYER: O Lord, we come before Your throne to appeal to You to give us Your heart and Your wisdom in decision-making about how we use our time and resources. We calm and quiet our souls, so that we can hear Your instruction while we pray. PS 131: 2, "I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; my soul is like the weaned child with its mother; my soul is like the weaned child that is with me." PS 73: 28, "But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all Thy works." With our souls quieted and our hearts ready to receive Your commands, we come to You in humble reverence for Your direction. PS 36: 9-10, "For You are the Fountain of Life; our light is from Your light. Pour out Your unfailing love on those who know you! Never stop giving Your salvation to those who long to do Your will." These Scriptures are written to right our hearts and help them conform to Your standards, which is why we pray with them now. Once You have transformed us from stubborn selfish hearts to hearts which are generous, loving, merciful, just, humble, and kind, You will take joy in us and what we do. We know this, Dearest Abba, and want this for You. You have made Your will clear in PS 37: 27-29, "Turn always from evil and do good, and your descendants will always live in the land; for the Lord loves what is right and does not abandon His faithful people. He protects them forever, but the descendants of the wicked will be driven out. The righteous will possess the land and live in it forever." Wastefulness of our time, talents, and material resources is sinful. We dedicate ourselves to making every effort to eradicate this kind of sin from our lives, with Your much-needed help. In Jesus Christ's name, we pray. Amen.
Next week we will delve into the fifth and last statement of faith in the context of materialism. When I was praying just now, the Holy Spirit gave me REV 21: 27 to put together with PS 37. "But nothing that is impure will enter the city [the New Jerusalem], nor anything one who does shameful things or tells lies. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of the living will enter the city." Should we be afraid of this? Never! Instead, we should consecrate ourselves to serving Him by helping the less fortunate than ourselves. It would be irresponsible of me not to mention my strong belief that the Lord wants a balance in our lives between taking care of ourselves and our families and taking care of others. If we don't care enough for ourselves, we can't really be effective in helping others. If we only take care of ourselves, our lives are barren and lack the production of spiritual fruit-the fruits of the Spirit [GA 5: 22-23]. Will God lead each of us to right balance? You bet He will. Will God allow us to know the joy that comes from serving others, if we do this? You bet He will. Will God direct us on how to use the talents He gave us to produce spiritual fruit? You bet He will. God has made salvation possible for us through the suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ-"the First among many brothers" [RO 8: 29]. From as far back as 1000 BC to 700 BC, PS 132: 17-18 was written. And here are God's words: "Here [in Zion or the New Jerusalem], I will make One of David's descendants a great King; here I will preserve the rule of My chosen King. I will cover His enemies with shame, but His Kingdom will prosper and flourish." This message is an invitation from the Holy Spirit for all of us to join God's chosen King in His Kingdom –by God's own time schedule and in His perfect way.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn