Good Sunday morning! Ah, or maybe I should say, ouch, waking up with a headache is never fun. Praise the Lord for ibuprofen. One verse seems to be coming at me this morning, 2 Corinthians 9:8. I grabbed a Bible a read the section that verse is in and the verses that speak to me this morning are:
Remember this--a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each make up your own mind as to how much you should give. Don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves the person who gives cheerfully. And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. (2 Cor 9:6-8, NLT)
Yesterday, I wrote about the disasters that befall us and about giving in response. The verses seemed to speak to me in light of our current economic situation. An article in the paper this week reported on our state government's budget problems due to declining revenue. The federal government is running up huge deficits. Local governments have had to cut budgets. People are out of work, and corporations have cut back. All of us, personally or in our organizations, it seems have less to spend than before. Of course, this shows up quickly in giving. People naturally look at the situation and start battening down the hatches and plugging the leaks. According to the Bible though, giving is not a leak in our funds, but a necessity of living for Christ.
Many of our organizations, and we personally, have become accustomed to spending a lot. Times have forced a change in that attitude, but that doesn't mean that the poor should suffer. One way that God provides for the poor is through those who have some left over to share, as we have read in verse 9. Why are we encouraged to give at the start then? If you have the discipline to take care of your needs with what God has given, you will find that you have some left over to share; just as Paul said. However, some of us, and I am one, must give at the start or we will find that somehow we don't have any left over at the end. I don't know about the others, but not all of my spending has always been on needs. I need to do my giving off the top or my wants get in the way. And before we start looking to give up spending on any wants, remember that at the Acme Want Widget factory there may be a Christian family praying that people keep buying a few Want Widgets even in these tough times. The things God seems to speak out against in His Word are not spending and investing, but failing to give and hoarding. Which servant got into trouble in the parable? Not the two who invested their master's funds, but the one who fearfully hoarded his portion. What did the rich man get into trouble for in another parable? Not for being rich, but for only spending on himself and ignoring poor Lazarus entirely.
Another verse in the Bible goes something like: give and it shall be given unto you until your cup is overflowing... actually, I had better look that one up. And the winner is: Luke 6:38 - "...If you give, you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use in giving--large or small--it will be used to measure what is given back to you."
That sounds like a promise from God! Seize upon it.
Bucky
This week I am going to start looking for examples of what the New Earth will be like. The reason is that I don't think that God's creation can be destroyed by sin. I am not going out on a limb in this because I am sitting on part of His creation right now. So what hints might there be to indicate what the New Earth will be like? Today, I'll go with an easy one - a vista. Look at the mountains from a distance, see how magnificent they are in the sun light. Look at a waterfall on a gentle slope, with fir trees descending gently down the mountain side. We have seen images and perhaps had the opportunity to go there ourselves. Does any of that look like the stain of sin has won? No, you have to get close to see the cracks in the mountains, the parasites on the trees, or the damage caused by pollution. Even the moon seems beautiful from a distance. I wonder what Adam saw when looking at the moon. Do you suppose there were no craters or other scars from collisions with meteorites and asteroids? He probably spent entire nights just gazing at the moon with his wife, Eve.
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