Tag: giving

What Others Want for Christmas

(Back from Israel and Jordan—you gotta go and I’d love to take you.)

So—what are you spending on others this Christmas?

“And I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved,” said the Apostle Paul. In the same way, go before God’s people this day and spend yourself on them—pour out your all. Be fully spent this day on the people He has entrusted to you. Hold back not a single tear or drop of sweat on their behalf. Lay your whole heart on the line for them and do so with a supreme gladness to be able to do so. They may not respond the way we would like, they may not return the affection—the Corinthians did not to Paul—nonetheless, let us be spent for their souls this day for the glory of God. It is my prayer that this verse could be spoken of me, but also you all today—that we gave our all for the souls of the people of God. The Lord strengthen us in order to do so! —Pastor Jim Suttle

Add that to your list.

(Thanks, Jim.)
—j

From Infinity and Beyond

One of my favorites…

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources,
Our Father’s full giving is only begun;
For His love has no limit; His grace has no measure.
His pow’r has no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus,
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again!
—Annie J. Flint

We’ll never reach the end of Him.

—j

Better Than UPS

We call them “Gifts of the Spirit”, and every follower of Jesus has at least one given to them by Him. But the gift He handed us isn’t for us. Read the tag—it has someone else’s name on it, and Jesus expects us to deliver it. The Apostle Paul said,

“Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.” (Romans 12:6–8)

Gifts given to us to give to others—that’s what glorifies Jesus in this me-world. My hand can scratch an itch anywhere on my body—it can put food in my mouth and comb what’s left of my hair, but it can’t even trim its own nails. That’s us, and when given away, every gift points to the goodness of Jesus. We’re just the delivery guys. Better than UPS.

Read the tag and go make someone’s day.

Blessings,
—j