| Once, my family and I had lunch with a another family from our church. We enjoyed our time at a local restaurant. The lunch was great and the conversation meaningful. I don’t recall what we talked about that day. I only remember what happened when the check arrived. Lunch was our treat and we were insistent on paying for everyone. Only because our main guest was a little pushy, too, did we agree to leave the tip to them. For several weeks before that day, I had emphasized giving as an act of worship. Because of how God has blessed us, it’s a joy for the Christian to give in response. I’m always curious to know what people remember about the sermons and Bible studies I share. If I forget what I talk about, surely you do as well, right? One of our friends that day remembered well. “Pastor John,” she said. “I’ve been thinking a lot about what you’ve been saying about giving.” We had already convinced her that we were paying. So, I wasn’t sure what she wanted to say that related to any of my messages. You never know what’s coming next when a parishioner tells you they’ve been thinking. She continued. “You’re right about giving. I’ve always had what I’ve needed. God has provided for me. So, I’ve decided. I give one dollar for a tip every time I go out. Now, I’m going to give two dollars.” I love telling that story. Most people who hear it think how funny it is that someone decided to tip a dollar more. I hear something else. I hear a widow living on a fixed income giving more of herself to someone else because she is thankful. I hear someone who doubled their giving! But there’s something else that strikes me more. It’s how she came to that decision. In her words, she had “been thinking” about how to respond to God’s grace. This wasn’t a compulsive action. She wasn’t showing off or being frivolous with her tip. Instead, she first put thought into why she wanted to give more. Then she considered how she could respond to what she knew about God’s provision. To me, that’s the best way for us to discover how our giving can glorify God. At the heart of giving is trust in God’s promises. Giving is sharing with others what you have, but it’s also more. What you give to and what you give of yourself is a sign of your trust that God will continue to provide for you. There is no such thing as a generous Christian. Because of what we know God has promised us, Christians are generous. Now, some of us may need to learn how easy it is to be as generous as God wants us to be. That’s fine. We’re all growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus. That dollar extra in tip taught me a lot about my attitude toward giving. It helped me think more about how I give and what I’m willing to give. And don’t worry. I added to the tip that day. Stay blessed…john |
John Fletcher
Tags
Bible Blessing Blessings Church Discipleship Encouragement Evangelism Faith Fear Fellowship Follow Me Forgiveness Friendship Giving Grace Healing Holidays Holiness Holy Spirit Hope Humility Jesus Joy Leadership Life Love Ministry Mission Obedience Patience Peace Prayer Purpose Renewal Resurrection Sanctification Sermons Strength Transformation Trust Unity Wisdom Witness Work Worship
