Christians don’t lose human yearnings just because they choose Jesus as their Savior.
We like having nice things just as do non-Christians.
It’s just that we are to make sure that our desire for nice things never displaces serving Jesus and other people ahead of ourselves.
You know the words of Matthew 6:33.
“Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things (food, clothing) will be given unto you.”
Because we don’t stop being human when we start being Christian, our ears perk up when we read the words of 2 Corinthians 9:10-11, a passage contained in my daily Bible reading this morning.
“Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.”
In this passage, the Apostle Paul encouraged the Corinthian Christians to provide very generous offerings to help believers in other cities who were facing terrible economic trials because of persecution or natural disasters.
Corinth was a wealthy city in the 1st Century and that affluence was represented among a number of the Christian converts in the congregation.
Paul didn’t tell them in a bossy manner to give a lot of money. Instead, he was the picture of tact and spiritual truthfulness.
Here is his core message: When we give generously to the Lord’s work, God sees it and provides even more “seed” to us in the form of material blessings so that we’ll plant more of that seed into more people’s lives.
Please think about what you placed in the offering plate at church last Sunday and then think about this promise that God will bless your life even more if you start giving more for the purpose of blessing others through your congregation.
Remember, God is the ultimate Steward and if He sees us actively supporting ministry from the blessings He sends to us, He’ll give us even more blessings so that even more service can be provided to others and more worship will flow to God.
Here’s a simple restatement: The more generous we are to others, the more generous God will be to us.
And the more that praise will flow to heaven.
Wow. Think you can’t afford to give more? Please think again and realize that you really can’t afford to NOT give more.
That kind of thinking is like the farmer who thinks he can’t afford to buy seed and then wonders why he has nothing to harvest.
As always, I love you
Martin
