Give It Away
So when the rich young man thought his "good deeds" would help him receive eternal life, he walked away sorrowful because he quickly learned that the Kingdom is about much more than living a decent life. Jesus commanded him to sell his possessions and give to the poor. He knew what the man cherished most. And the man was not wiling to give that up. That man is us. We want God and salvation on our own terms but when we are asked to give up our treasures, that's just too much.
A couple night ago, my older brother Robin reminded me of what this is all about. He was inspired to donate to people in Houston affected by Hurricane Harvey. He was talking about how eventually, the hurricane will go away but when that happens, there will be thousands of people who don't have anything to go home to. I've seen people who have no idea what they'll do and don't have much, but are still thankful and proclaim God's goodness. Robin decided to give away, among many things, his three favorite pairs of shoes. Now if you know my brother, and my family, we treasure sneakers. He spent years building up his collection, put in so much time and energy into it, and here he is giving them away to people who need help, all out of love. That kind of sacrifice means something.
Often times, when events like this happen, I try to come up with a million reasons why I don't need to contribute. I'm already giving up a lot in ministry. I don't have much. I need my money for this. There's plenty of other people helping out. And yet, when I think about it I can see my selfishness in withholding what I have. I try to justify my inaction, try to convince myself that other "good deeds" I'm doing is a good enough display of my faithfulness. I mean.. I'll still pray for them, right? Sure, I might not have much to give and I might not make a huge difference, but where is my heart in all of this? I know most of the time I want to hold onto what I have because I want to take care of myself. But it's not about how much we have. The widow only had two small copper coins, the equivalent of a penny. But when she put that into the offering box, the Lord Jesus commended her, saying that she has put in more than anyone else, even those who contributed large amounts. She offered out of faith, yet we sit here with abundance and are often reluctant to give any of it up. We are called to be faithful with what we have.
When we take what God has given us and hold onto it for ourselves, we miss the Gospel. It calls us to action. So much of Jesus' teachings had to do with loving people, taking care of the oppressed and marginalized, doing for the "least of these." Church, let's be honest, where is our focus most of the time? It's on us, isn't it? And we often make judgments about whether or not causes, but really people, are worthy of our blessings. Jesus came down and gave it all so that we may live. And none of us deserve any of it. Brothers and sisters, we have more reason than anyone to give our lives away, to love and serve people, and to seek the good of others. Let's join in God's work in bringing hope in our world, fighting for justice, and simply loving people, especially the "least of these."
After seeing my brother's heart, I donated to relief efforts for Hurricane Harvey through Preemptive Love Coalition, who is involved with so much incredible work to bring hope and peace where people need it, places riddled with war, terror, and crisis. I have everything I need. My reward is in Jesus. I will continue to contribute where there is need and I'm done just sitting around while my heart breaks for our broken world. It don't matter what we have. Love anyway.
"Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’" - Matthew 25:40
A couple night ago, my older brother Robin reminded me of what this is all about. He was inspired to donate to people in Houston affected by Hurricane Harvey. He was talking about how eventually, the hurricane will go away but when that happens, there will be thousands of people who don't have anything to go home to. I've seen people who have no idea what they'll do and don't have much, but are still thankful and proclaim God's goodness. Robin decided to give away, among many things, his three favorite pairs of shoes. Now if you know my brother, and my family, we treasure sneakers. He spent years building up his collection, put in so much time and energy into it, and here he is giving them away to people who need help, all out of love. That kind of sacrifice means something.
Often times, when events like this happen, I try to come up with a million reasons why I don't need to contribute. I'm already giving up a lot in ministry. I don't have much. I need my money for this. There's plenty of other people helping out. And yet, when I think about it I can see my selfishness in withholding what I have. I try to justify my inaction, try to convince myself that other "good deeds" I'm doing is a good enough display of my faithfulness. I mean.. I'll still pray for them, right? Sure, I might not have much to give and I might not make a huge difference, but where is my heart in all of this? I know most of the time I want to hold onto what I have because I want to take care of myself. But it's not about how much we have. The widow only had two small copper coins, the equivalent of a penny. But when she put that into the offering box, the Lord Jesus commended her, saying that she has put in more than anyone else, even those who contributed large amounts. She offered out of faith, yet we sit here with abundance and are often reluctant to give any of it up. We are called to be faithful with what we have.
When we take what God has given us and hold onto it for ourselves, we miss the Gospel. It calls us to action. So much of Jesus' teachings had to do with loving people, taking care of the oppressed and marginalized, doing for the "least of these." Church, let's be honest, where is our focus most of the time? It's on us, isn't it? And we often make judgments about whether or not causes, but really people, are worthy of our blessings. Jesus came down and gave it all so that we may live. And none of us deserve any of it. Brothers and sisters, we have more reason than anyone to give our lives away, to love and serve people, and to seek the good of others. Let's join in God's work in bringing hope in our world, fighting for justice, and simply loving people, especially the "least of these."
After seeing my brother's heart, I donated to relief efforts for Hurricane Harvey through Preemptive Love Coalition, who is involved with so much incredible work to bring hope and peace where people need it, places riddled with war, terror, and crisis. I have everything I need. My reward is in Jesus. I will continue to contribute where there is need and I'm done just sitting around while my heart breaks for our broken world. It don't matter what we have. Love anyway.
"Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’" - Matthew 25:40
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