Monday, June 03, 2013
Giving Out Of Your Need
Erin Wheeler @ 9Marks writes of "Discipling when you need to be discipled":
And then I thought about things for a minute. If we give, either of time and talent in something like discipling, or of our money as in the parable, with an expectation of return, with the idea of some sort of quid pro quo, can we really have been said to have given at all? IF we give because God will bless us richly in our giving, then we are not giving, we are purchasing the blessing.
Give out of our need, yes, but also give without expectation - simply give because God wants us to give. Give because the other is more important than the self.
We must remember that in some incomprehensible way, God abandoned Christ on the cross. In that moment, Christ's hope of future glory disappeared. We can but follow His example.
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I was not sure what discipling was supposed to look like, but I was certain it did not look like what I was doing.
“I must have it all backwards,” I thought as I closed the door behind the poor sister who had given up an hour of her life to come and be discipled.
“I am a mess. I have no idea what I’m doing here. There certainly wasn’t any ‘teaching’ going on with my crazy hooligan children and my heart in a bad place toward my husband. I shouldn’t be teaching anyone. I’m the one who needs discipling! God, what would you have me do?”
I mumbled all this half aloud as I walked back into the kitchen to finish making dinner.Shoe goes on to talk about what a blessing it was in her life and how she grew from the experience. It brought to my mind the parable of the widow's mite. I was all excited about the idea that is the title of this post.
And then I thought about things for a minute. If we give, either of time and talent in something like discipling, or of our money as in the parable, with an expectation of return, with the idea of some sort of quid pro quo, can we really have been said to have given at all? IF we give because God will bless us richly in our giving, then we are not giving, we are purchasing the blessing.
Give out of our need, yes, but also give without expectation - simply give because God wants us to give. Give because the other is more important than the self.
We must remember that in some incomprehensible way, God abandoned Christ on the cross. In that moment, Christ's hope of future glory disappeared. We can but follow His example.
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