The Gift of Myself
Monday, October 7 2 Corinthians 8:1-7
“They gave themselves first to the Lord”
Few people are more attractive or more contagious than those individualswho find happiness in generosity. It isunfortunate that so many of us seem to find it hard to associate the two words“enjoyment” and “giving.” Because oursis a society that is preoccupied with getting, we often fail to experiencepersonally the truth of Christ’s words: “It is more blessed to give than toreceive” (Acts 20:35). In 2 Corinthians8 and 9, Paul gives us insight into both the motivation for and the method ofgiving that can by joyful.
Joyfulgiving flows from the gift of self: “They gave themselves first to the Lord andthen to us in keeping with God’s will.” A missionary was talking with the chief of a primitive tribe. The chief tried to impress the missionarywith gifts of animal skins and precious stones. But the missionary said, “My God does not want the chief’s animal skinsor precious stones. My God wants thechief himself.” The chief smiled andsaid, “You have a very wise God, for when I give him myself he also gets animalskins and precious stones.”
Lord, I give you myself. Show me what to give to your kingdom. Amen.
Tuesday, October 8 Matthew 6:25-34
“Make the kingdomof God your primary concern”
Jesus’ call to trust God addresses the human tendency to worry. We feel secure when we have things that we control;but, when something is beyond our control, we worry. However, when we have found our greatersecurity in God, we can trust him for all our needs. Christ calls us to give up our limitedsecurities for greater security in his grace when he uses the birds of the airto illustrate freedom from anxiety, and the lilies of the field to illustratefreedom from status-seeking.
The basis of our trust is confidence in the King. We believe that he is the primary mover inthe world, and we trust he will provide. When we are Kingdom members, having been born into his Kingdom by theHoly Spirit, it follows that our highest purpose is “the Kingdom of God and hisrighteousness.” This concentration ondoing God’s will is the positive answer to worry, but it is also and primarilya direction for positive action as a lifestyle.
God who rules heaven and earth, I commitmyself to your priorities. Amen.
Wednesday, October 9 Romans 15:1-4
“Not to pleaseourselves . . . Christ did not please himself”
All of us have the inbuilt desire to please ourselves. This quite naturally leads to all kinds ofselfishness and independence which are responsible for many of the ills of ourworld. The Christian is called to have arenewed mind (Romans 12:2), a mind no longer conformed to the selfish patternsof this world but transformed to follow God’s will which includes thedevelopment of a ministering-to-the-needs-of-others mentality.
Thus, says Paul, it is the strong in Christ who are willing tovoluntarily and sacrificially set aside those things that please themselveswhen, by doing so, they are able to meet the needs of a neighbor. To make such a decision and to adopt such anattitude requires spiritual maturity. This comes from two sources. First, there is the understanding that Christian life in the communityof the church involves support for the building up of the ministry of thechurch. Second, there has to be a desireto give the glory to God. There islittle that brings honor to the Lord in the actions of a self-centeredChristian.
Selfless Christ, I commit to pleasing you with the decisions I make. Amen.
Thursday, October 10 1 Chronicles 29:10-16
“Everything we have has come from you”
David offers a prayer ofthanks to God for enabling him to complete the necessary preparations to buildthe temple. First, he offers praise toGod in general terms for his greatness and faithfulness as Creator (vv.10-12). Then, David expresses the gratitudeof all the people using the collective “we” (v. 13). The prayer next points out the nation’s pastexperience of God’s gracious help in their time of need, and how all that theyhave is a gift from God. Therefore, howcan they claim any glory for giving back to God what he has given them (v. 14)?
The expression “aliens andstrangers” (v. 15) is used to remind the people of the wanderings of theirpatriarchs and matriarchs in the wilderness, and their status as slaves inEgypt. They had no rights and wereutterly dependent on God for their security and physical well-being. David returns to the temple constructionmaterials (v. 16) and reiterates that their availability is due to God’sgraciousness and goodness.
Lord, I worshipyou as the God who provides me with all that is good. Amen.
Friday, October 11 1 Corinthians 16:1-4
“Now about the collection for God’s people”
Paul’s first letter to theCorinthians reached its highest peak with his discussion of the hope of lifebeyond the grave and of the nature of resurrection life in chapter 15. In this closing chapter the mood changes ashe attends to what would be called today a few “housekeeping matters.” That he would put his discussion of theresurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and the offering for theimpoverished Christians in Jerusalem so close together without any sense ofinappropriateness shows us the comprehensiveness of Paul’s message.
While these are not rules orcommandments to be adhered to with legalistic rigidity, they contain greatwisdom and insight on the matter of Christian charity. Everyone was to be involved in the offeringwhether they had little or much to give. The system Paul suggested was that each week as they met to worship,they add to the offering. This givingshould reflect each member’s own circumstances. He closed his brief comments by saying that there should be carefuladministration of the money that was raised.
Dear Jesus, whenI give to your ministry I will grow in my love for you. Amen.
Saturday, October 12 Genesis 28:16-22
“I will give God atenth of everything he gives me”
One of the most familiar stories of Jacob is the account of his dream atBethel. In the dream he sees a ladder orstairway that reaches to heaven upon which the messengers of God travel betweenthe heavenly and earthly realms. Godhimself speaks the words of the covenant blessing, a blessing already given toJacob’s father Isaac and grandfather Abraham, of promised land and descendants.
When Jacob awakes, he recognizes the holiness of the place by setting upa stone pillar and naming it Bethel, meaning “house of God.” Then, he makes a personal vow. Vows are promises made with conditionsattached. Here the conditions includeprovision and protection from God that will result in Jacob’s return to Bethelto worship God, and a tithe (ten percent) of “all that you give me.” While there were times in the ancient worldthat the tithe was required, such as giving tribute to a king, Jacob’s tithe isclearly a voluntary response to God’s blessing his life.
My God, you have blessed me richly. May I be a blessing to others. Amen.