Daily Devotional for December 1, 2016

Acts 20:32-35
I now place you in God’s care. Remember the message about his great kindness! This message can help you and give you what belongs to you as God’s people. I have never wanted anyone’s money or clothes. You know how I have worked with my own hands to make a living for myself and my friends. By everything I did, I showed how you should work to help everyone who is weak. Remember that our Lord Jesus said, “More blessings come from giving than from receiving.”

Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.

There is a little girl in my Sunday school class who went to a local bank today to see Santa. She and her little brother had their photo made with Santa.  The little girl’s mother posted on Facebook that “Julia has been so worried that everyone just asks Santa for presents and never asks what he wants. Julia did not ask for anything. She just asked Santa what he wanted.”  I would say that Julia is well on her way to developing a giving spirit!

There is nothing wrong with children sitting on Santa’s lap and telling him what they want for Christmas.  But too many of us have cultivated the “what’s-in-it-for-ME?” attitude to the point that it has become second nature to us. Everything we say and do is framed in this context.  We are envious of others…we fight to “keep up with the neighbors”…and some of us would step over our own family members to make an extra buck to acquire more “stuff.”

I grew up in an atmosphere of giving.  I watched my Mam-ma Polly give out of her abundance more times than I can count.  And let me be clear…my grandparents were NOT rich!  I thought they were when I was little, because they were ALWAYS giving something to someone.  Not until I was an adult did I realize how little they had…and how much they gave.  And it served them well.  My Mam-ma was one of the most loved women I’ve ever known.  And she was revered for her generous spirit.

Don’t misunderstand me…we don’t give so others will think we are wonderful.  We give because Jesus commanded us to do this…to meet the needs of others and think of these ahead of our own.  God has already given us Jesus and more than we ever could deserve.  The fact that He also blesses us with love and abundance because of our own generosity toward others is merely a nice side benefit.

Look around…especially this holiday season.  Who is in need…of a hug, a card, a bag of cookies or candy, a warm coat, a few bucks, a sack of groceries, a helping hand, a ride, or a few words of encouragement?  Who needs to know that you care…in whatever form that may take?  Who needs to see Jesus in the words and actions that you provide?  Who will be the catalyst for blessings you cannot even imagine, as you yield to Jesus’ command and “work to help everyone who is weak?”

Isn’t it time you asked someone else what they wanted – even Santa?  Will this be the day that you get started?

©2016 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for November 30, 2016

1 Corinthians 16:2
On every Lord’s Day each of you should put aside something from what you have earned during the week, and use it for this offering. The amount depends on how much the Lord has helped you earn. Don’t wait until I get there and then try to collect it all at once.

The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
 
When I was a little girl, our church gave a box of envelopes to every person in each family who were members.  There was one for each Sunday, and I think a box held enough envelopes for three months.  We were to put our “offering” in this envelope and take it to church on Sunday.  I’m sure there wasn’t much money in the envelopes for myself and my sister and brother…and I can remember a few times when we had nothing to put in and felt embarrassed.  When I took over caring for my Mam-ma Polly as she aged, I paid her “tithe” each month.  Mam-ma gave me her envelopes…almost the same ones as those from my childhood.  For a while, I put a check in the envelopes each week so that she could put on the collection plate…but she began to forget, and the envelopes collected in her purse!  So I started making a direct deposit each month.  When she would ask, “Did you send my tithe?” I would answer confidently, “Yes…it’s there.”

There are a lot of ways that I could go on this scripture passage, but what I want to emphasize today is not that we should give an envelope of money to the church each Sunday.  Rather, I would like to remind each of us that God wants us to be present and to give Him all we can each and every week.  If we have to set up some sort of “auto-draft” system for ourselves in order to serve Him, let’s do it!  The point is not to put off serving God until another day/week/month that seems better. In the words of the Apostle Paul, don’t wait until the end and try to collect your gifts to present all at once!

You know what I’m talking about.  We feel that gentle nudge from God to help someone or make a phone call, and we say, “I’ll do that later.”  And “later” never comes.  We say, “I would LOVE to serve in the soup kitchen or deliver Meals on Wheels” – or whatever it is that tugs at your heart…but we never do it.  This scripture is reminding us that NOW is the time to serve.  TODAY is the day to give!

I can assure you that none of us are assured another day on this earth…so procrastinating with our “giving” is simply not an option!  Use the “envelope” system or whatever helps you stay on track, but get busy giving in the name of Jesus!  When you meet Him face-to-face, be able to say, “I heard You calling, and I did my best to give my all.”  That’s the least we can do for the One who gave ALL for us, isn’t it?

©2016 Debbie Robus