The Well
The Well |
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Connecting Hope to the Hurting | |
Friday
August 15, 2008
All the believers were of one heart and mind, and they felt that what they
owned was not their own; they shared everything they had. And the apostles gave
powerful witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God's great favor
was upon them all. There was no poverty among them, because people who owned
land or houses sold them and brought the money to the apostles to give to others
in need.
For instance, there was Joseph, the one the apostles nicknamed
Barnabas (which means "Son of Encouragement"). He was from the tribe of Levi and
came from the island of Cyprus. He sold a field he owned and brought the money
to the apostles for those in need.
Acts 4:32-37
One of the songs that used to be sung in the little church where I first got
to know the Lord was, Remind Me Dear Lord. The first verse went,
"The things that I love and hold dear to my heart,
are just borrowed,
they're not mine at all.
Jesus only let me use them to brighten my life,
so remind me, remind me dear Lord."
Yes, sometimes we need to be
reminded that nothing we think we own is really ours. Everything belongs to
God!
We have lost the sense of urgency these early Believers had. They didn't care about owning a prettier home than their brother or sister. All they cared about was getting the Good News out to everyone. As a result, they were strengthened in their faith and the Kingdom was expanded. So, what about us? What are we to do?
Well, I for one cannot attest to having great wealth. In the past ten years I can't tell you how many times we've had to borrow from Peter to pay Paul. Every month we sit and wonder where the money will come from for our mortgage payment. Yet, we're still here!
God wants us to share what we have – not what we don't have. For me that means I share the grace that He provides for me. I share the hope that He has showered on me through the hard times of my life. That's what we can do - we can share what we have!
As I read today's passage again, the Lord showed me that Barnabas sold "a field" he owned. Now, he probably had several fields, but he sold one of them to help the community. He encouraged others by giving what he had to give. That is what God wants us to give – what we have.
If you have extra time for prayer – give that to your church or another ministry. If you have the ability to write – give that to your church or another ministry. Do you understand? I hate yard sales! I personally believe that if we have extra – we need to give it away – not sell it!
Maybe if we had the sense of urgency the early Believers had we would give more instead of trying to attain more – just a thought!
Father, help us learn that it's not what we have that will last eternally, but that which we give away!
