Daily Devotional for December 11, 2016

Luke 6:38
For if you give, you will get! Your gift will return to you in full and overflowing measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use to give—large or small—will be used to measure what is given back to you.”
  
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Early in my life, I learned what a joy it is to give to others – particularly from the examples of my paternal grandparents. My grandfather loved to show up on our doorstep on a Saturday morning with a truckload of new furniture. He “outfitted” all of our bedrooms over time with pieces that still fill my parents’ house today. But he and my grandmother also loved to share an extra bushel of peas or a few pounds of Black Angus beef with family and friends. My grandmother spent hours sewing tiny Barbie doll clothes for my sister and me… and they both enjoyed helping the needy and lending a hand where possible.

December 20, 1981, my grandparents’ house burned to the ground.  It was a crisp Sunday morning, and as my grandmother fried sausage for breakfast and Pap-pa fed his cows, the fire quickly consumed their very old farm house and virtually everything in it.  They managed to move their vehicles…grab their clothes, the mantel clock, and the family Bible…and get out with their lives. One year shy of their 50th wedding anniversary – at ages 70 and 69 – my grandparents were pretty well stripped bare of all physical belongings.

In the months that followed, a new house was built for them only yards away from the site of the old home…and people showered them with gifts of household items, furnishings, food, and money. Friends who wintered in the deep South offered the use of their home while they were away…so my grandparents had a cozy house in which to stay while theirs was under construction. The builder re-worked his already busy schedule, so that the house could be erected quickly, and my grandparents could get back to their farm as quickly as possible. 

By the time my grandparents moved into their new home in early 1982, they had all of the household items and furnishings they needed to be cozy and comfortable. Their lifetime of giving was pressed down and shaken together…and room was made for an overflow of contributions, as they pretty well started over.

This experience made me keenly aware of what a blessing it is go give to others. Once we understand the joy of giving, it often becomes second nature.  I am not talking about tangible gifts or monetary donations, although it can feel good to give these, as well.  But we all can give according to our abilities. Every one of us can serve others in some capacity.  We can share what we have with those who are in need…or just to put a smile on someone else’s face. 

In Giddy Up, Eunice!*, Sophie Hudson tells about her mother-in-law, Martha, who spent the entire afternoon with a friend who had moved into a nursing home.  She visited with the lady, folded her clothes, and just kept her company.  And when Martha left, the friend, said, “It was good to see you, Dot!”  Hudson notes that Martha kept going back to visit this lady.  Why?  Because that was Martha’s gift to her friend.  The friend didn’t remember Martha’s name…but she enjoyed the visit. They laughed together and shared conversation…and it didn’t matter what the friend knew who she was - or didn’t.  Martha got the blessing anyway.  And heaven forbid…should Martha ever end up in such a facility, it sounds like there would be a line out the door of folks waiting to spend an afternoon with her!

We shouldn’t give in order to be rewarded or blessed. We should give because God gave us the most perfect Gift – Jesus Christ. We should want give out of love and a desire to emulate Jesus. But the beautiful thing is that when we give, God blesses…sometimes to abundant excess…because He loves us so much!  Study the lives of those you know who are good at giving…and learn from their examples. Look around and see where you can give…not with the expectation of getting, but because it just feels that good!  Then be prepared to be blessed beyond measure…because that’s exactly how God operates!

©2016 Debbie Robus

*Giddy Up, Eunice! ~ https://www.amazon.com/Giddy-Up-Eunice-Because-Women/dp/1433643111

Daily Devotional for July 27, 2015

Deuteronomy 15:10-11
Give freely and spontaneously. Don’t have a stingy heart. The way you handle matters like this triggers God, your God’s, blessing in everything you do, all your work and ventures. There are always going to be poor and needy people among you. So I command you: Always be generous, open purse and hands, give to your neighbors in trouble, your poor and hurting neighbors.

Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.  Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO.  All rights reserved.

This morning, I rode with Greg as he delivered Meals on Wheels to better than a half-dozen senior citizens in our community.  As we “made the rounds” this very hot July day, I thought of the people who are served.  I noted the dilapidated condition of some of the homes…and how others are well tended.  We commented that in many of the latter cases, there is probably someone – or a group of people – who “see after” these people and make sure that the house and yard are nicely kept and appointed…and that other needs are met. 

Riding with Greg on these deliveries is always bittersweet.  On the one hand, I am so proud of the service he provides…and how deeply he cares about “his people.”  I know they are grateful for his visits – even when they only last a couple of minutes.

But I am also saddened to think of the countless people - in our community alone - who are in need…not necessarily of money – or even the daily hot meal…but something perhaps even more valuable.  These people need human contact…the smiling face and concern of someone who truly cares about them.  It is amazing how much thoughtfulness can be conveyed in just a couple of minutes.

I would be willing to bet that every day around noon, there are a few dozen folks in our community whose lives are brightened by the knock on their door from a Meals on Wheels volunteer.  There are probably dozens more who have a better day because a Home Health aide or nurse visits…and while they are paid to do so, theirs is most certainly a labor of love in large degree.

We cannot all deliver Meals on Wheels or become Home Health aides.  We can’t all be foster parents or volunteer at the animal shelter or the soup kitchen.  We don’t all have extra cash lying around that we can distribute to those with financial needs.  But here’s what we do all have…the ability to give of the heart.  And if you look closely at these verses, you see that it says to “open your purse…and your hands.” 

Look around…there is something you can do.  There is someone who has a need that you can meet…whether it is to visit with a neighbor and ask, “How are you doing?”(and mean it!)…or to talk with someone who is going through a situation with which you have experience - and offer some hints, tips, and commiseration.  There are people who need a hug or a smile…and those who could use a word of encouragement.  The next time you bake a cake or cookies…why not share half with a neighbor or friend who is unable to bake because of physical restraints or lack of time? 

Offer someone a ride – to run errands, visit the doctor, or just visit another friend.  Buy the 10-lb bag of potatoes that is cheaper than just purchasing just a few – and share the extras with a single person or elderly neighbors on fixed incomes.  Offer to walk a friend’s dog while he/she recovers from an accident or illness. Ask a teacher if you can do anything to help him/her get ready for school this fall.  There are name tags to cut out, bulletin boards to prepare…and children to watch while Mom and/or Dad spends the last days of summer vacation in the classroom working on projects.

In short, open your eyes and ears to the needs right around you.  Not every act of “giving” involves money.  And one of the best ways to give back to others is through prayer.  We often say, “All I can do is pray.”  What we fail to recognize is that often, prayer is not only the most important gift we can offer…it truly is enough!

I came away from today’s delivery with a humble heart and a renewed desire to be more open and available to the ways that I can serve the “poor and needy” in my own back yard.  It’s was just the jolt I needed…and I hope I have motivated you, as well.  Are you ready to open your heart and hands to the “poor and needy” in your midst?  Will this be the day that you get started?

©2015 Debbie Robus