Giving with gusto

But give that which is within as charity, and then all things are clean for you. "But woe to you Pharisees! For you pay tithe of mint and rue and every kind of garden herb, and yet disregard justice and the love of God; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. (Luke 11:41-42 NASB)

In the previous verses, we saw that Jesus had refused to obey the ceremonial ritual of hand washing before the meal. It was not a law of God but a rule of man, added to expand the law. The Pharisees, Jesus told them, were more concerned with washing their hands than with cleansing their hearts from wickedness. 

Matthew Henry wrote, "to keep ourselves free from scandalous enormities, and yet to live under the dominion of spiritual wickedness, is as great an affront to God as it would be for a servant to give the cup into his master's hand, clean wiped from all the dust on the outside, but within full of cobwebs and spiders." When I visualize his words, it is a startling reminder that God sees our hearts and all that is within them. Allowing Him to cleanse our hearts is much more important than cleansing our hands.

Instead of washing their hands, Jesus recommended that they give to the poor. This was a reference to Deuteronomy 26 (worth reviewing later) in which the first fruits were to be given as a tithe and shared with those who were less fortunate. Only then were they to enjoy the blessings of the land God had given them.

The Pharisee and his friends would have done better to cleanse themselves before the meal by charitable giving. Matthew Henry again wrote "What we have is not our own, unless God have his dues out of it; and it is by liberality to the poor that we clear up to ourselves our liberty to make use of our creature-comforts."

The Pharisees were exacting in calculating their tithe, going so far as to tithe the mint and dill in their gardens. Jesus said it is good to be careful about the tithe, but not at the expense of justice and the love of God. 

Do the most important things first, He was saying, but don't neglect the other. As Micah wrote, God requires justice and mercy as well as walking humbly with Him. Justice and mercy are an outgrowth of walking with our God. Tithing alone is simply a charitable deed, no matter how exacting our calculations. The blessing is gained when charitable giving is an outgrowth of a relationship with our Lord, an outgrowth of our love for God. 

The key word is relationship. God created man for fellowship with Him. Our reason for existence is a relationship with Him, yet we focus our lives on everything else. I'm as guilty as anyone else. It is much easier to write a donation check than to allow God to cleanse my heart of the sin that so easily besets us. My giving, however, only has meaning because of my relationship with God. Allowing Him to cleanse me is a vital part of walking with Him.

I learned something from a young girl with whom I met to pray several times. Before we started to pray, she would wash her hands as a symbol that she wanted to be clean before the Lord, both inside and out. I've found myself doing the same thing since then. As I wash my hands before intercession, I pray the same prayer David prayed. Create in me a clean heart, (not just clean hands) and renew a right spirit within me. (Psalm 51:2)

Today, let's ask God to cleanse us inside and out, making sure that our giving is an outpouring from a heart of love toward God rather than one more task on our checklist. Let's give with gusto, because we love.

He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8 NASB)

Working Together: The Denim Chair

They lost everything in the tornado. Well, not really everything. They still have the clothes they were wearing and their lives. Just about everything else is gone, and it is a heart-breaking situation. 

A local organization is scheduled to build them a new home, and I'm praying it will be a safe and lovely home where they will be happy for the rest of their days. There is, however, the small problem of furnishings. It's a big job, and the only way to handle it was to give it to God and  wait.  

A friend of mine called. She was moving and had a few things she didn't need. Did I know anyone who could use them? Yes, I did! Those things included an older chair and ottoman. Another friend knew a man who did upholstery. I found a coupon for 40% off of one piece of upholstery fabric, and all I needed was one piece, albeit a big one! I chose blue demin. Blue is their favorite color and demin is the mother's favorite clothing. That's not usually the way I pick fabric, but it's the explanation I gave. The truth is that I saw the denim and knew it was right. When the upholsterer came to pick up the chair/ottoman, I explained what we were doing and that there was no rush. We just needed it by some time in July. 

He arrived with the chair and ottoman today. (His price was insanely low. He, too, wanted to be a part of the fun!) I still find this hard to believe, but the mother and her son just happened to arrive at the same time, and the upholstery man got to be part of the excitement when they saw the chair, as did the friend who introduced me to him. I whisked her into my office, saying I wanted to show her something, explained that the chair and ottoman were for her new home, and how many people had been a part of the gift. 

She was afraid to sit in it, for fear she might get it dirty. Once she did, she settled in for a moment and sat, just rubbing the fabric. That denim chair feels like the most comfortable pair of jeans you've ever worn. She understood the denim perfectly. In a flash, she had her arms around my neck, sobbing her eyes out. There wasn't a dry eye in the room, nor a single Kleenex! The tears finally stopped when I brought out a roll of toilet paper from the bathroom, laughing and saying it was the best I could do. 

At eighty-five years old, it is the first "new" piece of furniture she's ever had. Thrilled, astounded, grateful, shocked. There aren't enough words to describe her beautiful response. "No one's ever done anything like this for me," she said. 

She's not accustomed to getting help. She wanted to pay something. I laughed and told her that all the people involved had given what they did to Jesus and He had given it to her. She needed to take her thanks up with Him. It was the absolute truth. 

It was so much fun! I could not have bought that much fun for any amount of money, and it has left me smiling all day. We've all smiled all day, and that is because it is more blessed to give than to receive. As thrilled as she was, I was way more thrilled, way more blessed. In the end, it seemed like I was the one receiving the gift, and she was the one doing the giving.  

I've had great joy in the giving, but I've also been ashamed of how much I take for granted in the midst of all the blessings God has given me. I'm ashamed, too, of how many opportunities to help I have let pass me by. Really, most of us could do more. We could help more, do more, get by with less. If we reused instead of replaced, we could use the money we saved to do something amazing. Something like help someone who is truly in need. 

I'm not telling you this story to make you think I'm a great philanthropist or to tout my good deeds. In fact, I fret that telling you will steal my blessing in the giving, and I know LOTS of people who are much more generous than I. The reason I'm writing this is to share the experience in such a way that you, too, will want to find a need and meet it. 

Jump in and join the fun! You'll be glad you did!

Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’

(Matthew 25:40 MSG)

Almost Anonymous (Luke. 8:2,3)

and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses: Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others who were contributing to their support out of their private means. (Luke 8:2, 3 NASB)

In this passage, Jesus was traveling from city to village, proclaiming the gospel. He was accompanied by the twelve apostles, as well some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses. They were apparently women of some means, because they helped to support His work from their private funds. Little is known about most of these women. Only three are mentioned by name. Their gifts to the work of Christ, however, were important enough to merit mention in Scripture. 

According to these verses, the women had experienced miraculous healing at the hands of Jesus, and they were staying close to Him. Women of means likely were accustomed to servants and comfort, but that paled in importance next to being a servant themselves.  They viewed the work He had done in their lives as of such significance that they willingly contributed both time and money to His cause, enduring hardship along the way. 

In addition to the three mentioned, there were "many others". These women were not seeking recognition, and did not need their name listed as a sponsor. They gave to Jesus, and did it without publicity or public commendation. At the time, all they had in exchange for their service was a spot in the crowd, or so it seemed. In reality, they were storing up treasure in heaven. More than two thousand years later, we still remember their gift.  For some of those women, their name was remembered only by God, but that was more than enough. 

Jesus spoke of this kind of anonymous (or almost anonymous) giving on more than one occasion, and His words are worth reviewing. 

"Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. "So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6:1-4 NASB)

Did you get that? There is something very powerful and very blessed about giving "in secret". When we give "secretly", God sees and rewards. It's like a transaction between us and God, with no middle man, and it is great fun!  There has been much written in recent years about "random acts of kindness", doing small acts of aid and kindness anonymously and mostly in such a way that the giver is neither seen nor known. It is a very Christ-like way of giving, and worth a try. 

How about our giving? Do we give with one eye on the tax receipt or do we give freely, without regard to personal benefit? Do we give without recognition? In God's economy, some of the best giving is that done anonymously, or nearly so. 

Today, pray for a giving heart, then make an effort to give to someone in need, and do it in such a way that only God knows it was you. The results and the effect in your life and in those around you might just surprise you!

Two tunics (Luke 3:11)

And he would answer and say to them, "The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise." (Luke 3:11 NASB)

This is not my favorite verse. I'm telling you that right up front. I would much rather read "I will never leave you nor forsake you". Instead, for today, we are at the "what to do with two tunics" verse.

John's listeners were people who had spent a lifetime making sacrifices as payment for their sins and throwing a few coins in the offering as an extra gift. There was an order to it. A plan.

John emerged from the desert with something altogether different. He told them they needed more than a sacrifice. They needed a repentant heart. A changed heart.  It was much easier to just give up an animal. Forgiveness? Reconciliation? Repentance? Much harder, but essential for getting right with God.

It was not a familiar idea, and they asked John what they should do. What does this "bring forth fruits in keeping with repentance" look like? John's answer was startling. "If you have two tunics, give one to the man who has none..."  An extra tunic was a precious thing. We are accustomed to closets full of clothes. They were not. They were not giving away unused leftovers. It was something that mattered.

Why did John (the man wearing a camel hide) tell them to give away their extra tunic? First of all, generosity is a theme throughout Scripture. We are to be as open-handed with others as God is with us. Secondly, receiving from God requires open hands and open heart. When we cling so tightly to the stuff of this world, it's not only harder to cling to our Lord, it's harder to receive all He has for us. Extravagant giving requires that we look past our own life and recognize the needs around us.  It requires us to risk being uncomfortable as a result of our giving.

Maybe more important, extravagant giving requires us to recognize Who is in charge and who is not. We are not the source of everything we have.  No matter how hard we work nor how much money we make, God is ultimately the One who provides. It's all His, and when we share what He has given to us, we acknowledge that in a very tangible way. We take our eyes off ourselves and get them on others and on the Giver of all good gifts.

John was trying to help his listeners learn to live their lives in a way that matched up with the new-found repentance they claimed to have. Live like you mean it. That's what John was saying 2000 years ago and it's good advice for us today.

How many tunics are you holding?  Today, live like you believe the faith you claim. Let go and give.

Live like you mean it.