Awake or Asleep?

Matthew 26:40-44

Perspective: Be Awake or Asleep?

Prepared by Dr. John E. Marshall

 

Matthew 26:40 (Holman) Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping. He asked Peter, "So, couldn't you stay awake with Me one hour?"

 

            To overlook Jesus' disappointment here is to miss the point. He had asked the disciples to stay awake (v. 38). He wanted them to pray with and for Him. Desiring their companionship and comfort, He wanted someone to care, but was sadly disappointed. They could stay awake all night fishing, but not praying.

 

            What made the difference between Jesus and the disciples this night? Perspective. Jesus, choosing to be God-centered, was intense and withdrew to prayer. The three, being self-centered, were indifferent and withdrew to sleep. In the spiritual realm, perspective matters. Do not let lethargy become our default position. Pray we will always feel the need, yea the urgency, to pray.

 

            This is one reason the spiritual disciplines are important. By building them regularly into our lives, they become our default position, our safety net, as it were.

 

Matt. 26:41a "Stay awake and pray, so that you won't enter into temptation."

 

            "Stay awake and pray" summarizes Christian duty. The emphasis here is not as much on overcoming temptation as it is on avoiding temptation in the first place. We should ask God to keep us as far away from being tempted as possible. Don't try to be a superstar. Our faith has, and needs, only one ultimate Hero.

 

            The often-used illustration of this is the story of an elderly lady who wanted to hire a chauffeur. Three men applied. She asked how close they could get to the edge of a cliff without going over it. The first man stopped three feet short of the drop-off. The second came within two feet. The third looked over the precipice and said, "I wouldn't get within a mile of this." The lady immediately said, "You're hired!" Learn from a chauffeur. Don't flirt with evil. Avoid its appearance. Shun it.

 

            In our spiritual lives, we are at war every moment. Don't be caught off guard. Vigilance is constantly needed. When walking on ice, don't go stargazing. Stay focused on our footing. Keep asking, what is tripping up others around me; what has caused me to stumble in the past; where is my biggest weakness?

 

            Remain mindful of how strong and sly our enemy is. He is strong, a roaring lion, and sly, stalking with muffled feet. His attacks are often small enough to seem harmless. He rarely makes an all-out frontal attack. In John Bunyan's novel "Holy War", he has Diabolus, the devil, desiring only one small concession: that he might set one foot in the City of Mansoul. Satan felt this was all he needed for victory.

 

            Always be careful; danger ever lingers in the air. Adam sinned when all was beautiful. Noah fell after the flood was past. David was strolling leisurely on the roof of his palace when he lusted. Abraham fell after walking 600 miles with God.

Elijah faltered after his great victory on Carmel. In our text, the disciples are about to fail though having spent three years with Jesus. Their fast-approaching temptation, one we face constantly, was to not be bold in claiming to know Jesus.

Our text not only tells us to "stay awake". It also says, "pray". The three failed to pray for Jesus; He told them they for sure needed to pray for themselves.

 

A watchman, seeing the enemy, does not singlehandedly attack, but tells the commander, and musters others to help. Don't ever try to beat Satan on your own.

 

Matthew 26:41b  "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

 

            "The spirit" refers to the invisible us—the part of us that is wanting to please God. This emphasizes the best part of us. Dwelling too long on this trait can lead us to self-confidence; thus our thoughts have to be tempered by contemplating "the flesh". This refers to the desires of our body, to human nature viewed as weak.

 

            Keep both understandings in tandem. Dwelling on "the spirit" keeps us from despair. It's good to know we are "partakers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4). Dwelling on "the flesh" keeps us from pride. "In me (that is, in my flesh), dwells no good thing" (Romans 7:18b). Ever remember, both natures are inside us.

 

            In a given trial or temptation, our first impulse often comes from our original nature, the older us, causing us to initially want to do what we selfishly desire. The second impulse, frequently from the newer, younger us, wants what God wants.

This Civil War inside us always rages. Our Master warned us, "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak," and commanded us, "Stay awake and pray."

 

Matthew 26:42-43 Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, "My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, Your will be done." And He came again and found them sleeping, because they could not keep their eyes open.

 

Finding no help from the disciples, Jesus returned to His Father. The main thing Jesus wished to avoid was displeasing His Father. Jesus passed the test. Adam, in the first Garden, prayed, "My will, not Thine, be done", and made our world a wasteland. Jesus, in Gethsemane Garden prayed "Not My will, but Thine, be done" and made our wilderness bloom, and gave us the hope of Paradise.

 

Jesus' beauty was His surrender. Prayer is lifting to God not only our thanks and requests, but also our submission. Peace is found only in yielding to God's will. For years I have kept in my prayer folder a poem, "The Secret of Peace" by Van Dyke, that George W. Truett, longtime Pastor at First Baptist Dallas, quoted in a 1936 sermon I heard on cassette tape. At first I read it daily; now weekly.

 

            With eager heart and will on fire,

                        I sought to win my great desire.

            "Peace shall be mine," I said.

                        But life grew bitter in the endless strife.

            My soul was weary and my pride was wounded deep.

           

To Heaven I cried, "God, give me peace or I must die."

                        The silent stars glittered no reply.

            Broken at last I bowed my head.

                        Forgetting all myself I said,

            "Whatever comes, God's will be done."

                        And in that moment peace was won.

 

Jesus was growing stronger by the moment, but the disciples were struggling. They had to be wondering, how can the Messiah die? How can a miracle worker ever be arrested, much less killed? Perplexed, they slept. What would have become of us had our Savior slept in Gethsemane as the disciples did? Be glad our lives are in the hands of One who never slumbers or sleeps (PS 121:4). Be grateful for One who stays closer than a brother (PR 18:24b).

 

Matthew 26:44 After leaving them, He went away again and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more.

 

Jesus repeated and re-repeated His prayer. Similarly, Paul prayed thrice to be relieved of his thorn in the flesh (2 Cor. 12:7-9). When God finally said no, the Apostle surrendered to God's will. Jesus and Paul teach us; not all repetition is vain repetition (Glover). Deep feeling legitimizes the repeating. Sometimes our best praying is more inner groans than by outer words.

 

Prayer can be less about words than about earnestness. The Holy Spirit pleads for us with groans (Romans 8:26).

Our gracious God knows we are sometimes so focused on a burden that we cannot think of new words to say. He remembers we're flesh and blood, weaklings who can be so obsessed with something that we use the same words repeatedly.

 

Our kind Lord also realizes we sometimes pray not as much for communion with Him as in order to release inner pressure. We may not know if the answer will be yes, no, or wait, but prayer can relieve pressure in the meantime. This is okay.

 

 

 

God's Will or My Will?

Matthew 26:39b-c

Perspective: God's Will or My Will?

Prepared by Dr. John E. Marshall

 

Matthew 26:39b "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me."

 

            At this torturous moment in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus had said He was about to die of a broken heart (v. 38). He was alone, lying face down in agony. Even in anguish unfathomable to us, Jesus showed a childlike trust in the Father. "Thick as the cloud was, He could see God as a Father through it" (Henry).

 

Jesus called the storm approaching Him "this cup". Referring to drinking from a cup was a common metaphor for terrible suffering. It referenced the bitter dregs that often collect at the bottom. For Jesus, "this cup", the worst cup possible, would be His separation on the cross from the Father, and His bearing the full load of God's wrath against sin. Jesus literally drank our cup of damnation dry.

 

Paul believed it; God "made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him" (2 Cor. 5:21). Peter realized it; "He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed" (1 Peter 2:24 NAS).  Jesus trembled in the garden because He knew He would become the enfleshment of the very toxin that causes the worst pains in us, the beings He loves most.

 

            Becoming sin was almost more than Jesus could bear. Thus He wondered; was there any other way God's wrath could be satisfied, and sinners be saved? Jesus was not seeking to escape His duty. He was merely deliberating. Was it morally possible, within the master plan of redemption, to find another way that would be consistent with God's will and His purposes to save us from our sins?

 

            Our text gives us a look into the midnight of Jesus' human existence. He had a choice to make. God the Father sent the Son to die, but did not force Him to die. His agony teaches us that our goal in prayer is not to be emotionless and unfeeling. Jesus begged to the point of sweating as it were great drops of blood; an angel had to come from Heaven to strengthen Him (Luke 22:43-44). In prayer, we want to be intense, to feel deeply, but we should also want to keep the pain if needed to see God's will be done. The goal in prayer is not painlessness, but victory despite pain. Ask God, cry out, plead, beg, agonize, but always add. . .

 

Matthew 26:39c  "Yet not as I will, but as You will."

 

            Easy to say; hard to mean it. Jesus here unveiled the secret ingredient in all effective praying. "If mankind were granted only one prayer, what other could we choose? For this prayer is all prayer in one prayer" (Buttrick). The most important act of the Christian life is obedience to the will of God. Holiness matters most.

 

One of the best, most accurate, tests of whether or not we are spiritually mature is; can we honestly pray these words? When Paul refused to let the people's warnings about his being arrested in Jerusalem deter him, they said, "The will of the Lord be done" (Acts 21:14). James warned us against proudly making bold predictions of what we might do. He urged us to humbly say instead, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that" (James 4:15). In my dad's family, it was customary to say we would do such and such, "Lord willing." I fear it sometimes was said from habit, not conviction, but the original intent behind it was worthy.

 

            Effective praying submits. It aligns itself with the Father's will. Jesus taught us to pray, "Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven" (Matt. 6:10). The highest victory of prayer is when we turn our will toward God's will, for when we agree with the Father, we are being drawn into an ever-deepening closeness with Him. Our best prayers change our minds, not God's.

Sincerely praying, "Not my will, but Yours, be done" means putting in first place what God wants. It also means putting others in second place in our prayers. When it comes to requests, our attitude must be self last. Asking for things is fine; just like we make requests of each other. But we must let the Father answer with what is best for Him first, others second, and ourselves third.

 

            When we adamantly—to the point of shaking our fist in God's face—try to force God to acquiesce to our wish, we are in essence seeking to become our own god. This domineering spirit is a major reason why some believers renounce faith.

Many walk away from Christianity because their prayers did not get them what they wanted. The way we show love for God is to agree with Him, however painful His decision is to us. We win if we can sit in His presence, though hurting, and say, "Having Your smile means more to me than having anything of Earth." If we could learn to make this prayer the mantra of our lives, it would make trials lighter. It would take away the inner wrestling that causes us so much angst.

 

Do we envy someone more gifted than we are? Intercede for that person, and pray our text for ourselves. Do we ever wonder why God made us the way we are; or wish we were someone else? We have to move into the "clay" position. The Potter created and owns us. What He does with us may be painful, but is okay, because it is His prerogative to decide.

Have we or a loved one been sick a long time? Are we missing the active life? Do we feel a harsh attitude toward others sometimes? Has a loved one unexpectedly died? Did we not get a promotion we wanted? Are things bad at work? Have family members strayed from God? Has a relationship gone bad?

 

Do we sometimes have to admit we are angry with Heaven, "God, why won't You fix this?" Pray our text till you mean it. It may not change situations, but can make us better, and end our inner civil war. God may want to perform a miracle inside us, not outside us. Maybe He wants a change in us to be the miracle. God does not always take the cup of suffering away from us. It may be essential that we drink the bitter dregs, for the good of God, of others, of ourselves.

 

No one ever prayed with purer heart or with greater intensity than did Jesus, the incarnate Son of God, God of very God. Yet the Father said no to His plea. Beware thinking prayer is unanswered if God's answer is not yes. No and wait are as legitimate an answer as yes. Many in this room will learn on Judgment Day that God's most gracious gift to us was a no to many of our requests. God protects us with no; Satan destroys by letting people say yes to their every whim.

 

            An ancient heathen poet once pictured Jupiter as throwing certain prayers to the wind—dispensing them capriciously into empty space. God our Father is not this way. He weighs, measures, and answers every prayer for our good.

 

            Let me interject here a helpful truth. Know this; however little we feel the spiritual power we have in prayer is, we must still pray. Leave results to God.  The Bible commands us, whatever our perceived prayer prowess, to pray without ceasing. Henry Ward Beecher, famous Pastor of the 1800s, said what most made him love God was; the ultimate God of the Universe wanted sinners to talk to Him.

 

God wants us to pray, to converse with Him. If we never get another request granted in this life, we should love Him, for the act of prayer is a marvel indeed. We cannot increase God's strength or His greatness. However, we can increase His happiness by taking time to talk to Him.

 

The Gift of Mercy

Romans 12:8e

The Spiritual Gift of Mercy

Prepared by Dr. John E. Marshall

 

Romans 12:8e (Holman) . . .showing mercy, with cheerfulness.

 

            When we see the word "mercy" in the New Testament, always associate it with the word "misery." The gift of mercy entails relieving misery in others. Anyone with the gift of mercy is tender, yea pulled, toward hurting people. Mercy uses pity, kindness, and compassion to relieve misery, to ease burdens of the sick and dying, bereaved and lonely, persecuted and poor, distressed and sad.

            This gift can help several of our ministries: bereavement meals, shut-ins, Victory Mission meals, Flower and Bread Ministry, DivorceCare, Foster Care and Adoption, Special Needs, Medical Responders, Stephen Ministry, Quilting, Second Yarn Works, the Rare Breed shelter for homeless teens, Pregnancy Care Center.

 

            The spiritual gift of mercy is beautiful to watch in action, but has at least three dangers to avoid. One, actions without feelings. Compassion and caring must precede action. Christ-followers often try to do kind deeds solely from a sense of duty or guilt. Knowing we are supposed to be merciful, we try to force mercy rather than let it overflow from a heart full of compassion. It is cold and cruel to feed the poor without sympathizing with them.

 

A Christian has to make the conscious choice to feel pain. Too many of us, like me, detach when strong emotions begin to swell in us. We must get past this. As we accept the pain of others, it sinks way down into our deepest emotional cauldron, where God somehow miraculously churns the pain, and turns it into a fountain of joy.

 

Grieve over the sufferings of others. Bleed in other people's wounds (Trapp). Let our tears run down their cheeks with their tears. Be warmhearted. Icebergs belong in the North Atlantic, not in a Christian's heart. The Sun of righteousness shines in us to melt away cold. Take into a warm heart the miseries of others. Try to enter people's minds to see life from their perspective. Jesus literally got in our skin to see things as we see them, to feel what we feel; and when He arrived here, He chose to be neither detached nor distant.

 

            For Jesus, feelings came first. Before He fed the crowd, He had "compassion on the multitude" (Matthew 15:32). Before raising Lazarus, He wept (John 11:35). Before healing the blind, He was moved with compassion (Matthew 20:34 NAS).

Another Bible example of mercy is the Good Samaritan. He dressed wounds, transported a body, and made provision for the victim, but his first choice was, "he felt compassion" (Luke 10:33). It is interesting to note that both the priest and Levite who earlier found the victim "passed by on the other side" (10:31,32). Why did they move to the complete opposite side of the road? They knew if they looked too closely they would hurt, and begin to care. Rather than suffer mercy's pain, they preferred to do religious things which required no feeling. They were meticulously orthodox, but uncaring, and thus willing to give only—yea less than—the minimum required.

 

Two, feelings without actions. True mercy begins as compassion, and then quickly progresses to action. More than only a feeling, mercy is an exerting force that stirs the hand to help. Mercy feels to the point of being moved to action. If our inner compassion is real, it must vent itself. It will of necessity sprout, and seek a way to relieve the misery it sees. Being a concerned observer is never enough. We must be inconvenienced with actually relieving another's troubles.

 

This world has much suffering. Oceans of misery surround each of us. Can we not squeeze actions of mercy from our feeling hearts? God leaves believers here for this reason, to be channels of His mercy; we are on assignment, serving in Jesus' place. John Maxwell tells of Anthony DeMello, who angrily prayed when he saw a starving child shivering in the cold, "God, how could You allow such suffering? Why don't You do something?" DeMello was startled at God's inner reply, "I have done something – I made you." Our own actions can often answer our prayers.

 

Three, feelings and actions without gladness. Our text says the merciful are to act "with cheerfulness". How we do a deed of mercy can be as important as the deed itself. It is possible to do a helpful deed in a way that it becomes an insult. We are not to help others as if throwing bones to a dog. If we want God to smile on our labors, do them with a smile. Someday we may be on the receiving end of mercy. Treat others now as we will want to be treated then. Do go, but don't go grudgingly. First pray until we can go cheerfully.

 

When we add kind looks and kind words to kind deeds, we triple the blessing. While soothing a person's physical, financial, or family hurts, also try to banish their sadness. Mercy should be radiant. When visiting those in misery, carry sunshine. Into dark places, bring light, and take a face aglow. Be a sunbeam penetrating to the deepest heart of the hurting one. Turkish nobles were once so eager to do kind deeds daily that they would hire servants whose main assignment was to find every day poor people to help. This perfectly pictures our assignment as believers. Our Master is sensitive to doing merciful deeds, and has assigned His servants to gladly find the needy daily.

 

Titus, the Roman general, was so excited about doing deeds of mercy daily that if the sun set without his having given something away, he would say, "I lost a day." Surely a Christian's creed must rise above a Roman general's. Do not lose a day. My Ruthie sets the standard here. She seeks to do at least one significant act of kindness every day. Be a moving oasis of joyful mercy. Servants of the merciful God, go find those in misery and cheerfully show the mercy of our Lord. Gladly "move amongst men as copies of God" (Maclaren). Believers can through their mercy point the hurting to the God of mercy.

 

            Donald Barnhouse tells a story about Charles Evans Hughes (1862-1948), often called the greatest Chief Justice since John Marshall. In earlier years, Hughes strongly supported human liberties, exposed scandals, fought for political reforms, and was barely defeated by Woodrow Wilson in a bid for the Presidency. Hughes, a Baptist preacher's son, was always a witness for Jesus. When appointed Chief Justice, he moved to Washington DC, where he joined a local Baptist church in which all new members were called to the front in the morning service and introduced to the congregation.

            The first to be called that Sunday was a Chinese laundryman named Ah Sing. He stood at one side of the pulpit. As others were called, they all stood on the other side. After 12 people came forward, Ah Sing still stood alone. Finally, Chief Justice Hughes was called. He chose to stand next to the laundryman. Hughes knew what it meant to show mercy. In standing by Ah Sing, he ended the laundryman's misery of embarrassment.

 

            This message brings to an end our sermon series on spiritual gifts. I remind us of three truths. One, we all have a portion of each gift; one is prominent. Two, as we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we do better with every spiritual gift. Three, find our spiritual gift; this can be done only by trial and error.

 

Dr. John Wright tells of a Roman aqueduct built in Segovia, Spain, in 109 A.D. For 1800 years it carried cool mountain water to the hot, thirsty city. Sixty generations drank from it. In modern times, citizens began to think the aqueduct was so great a marvel that it should be relieved of its duties and preserved for posterity as a museum piece. Installed pipes gave ancient brick and mortar a reverent rest. Soon the aqueduct began to fall apart. The sun beating on the dry mortar caused it to crumble. Bricks and stones sagged and threatened to fall. What ages of service could not destroy, idleness decimated. Similarly, failure to use our spiritual gift will cause our Kingdom effectiveness to decline.

 

Hospitality

1 Peter 4:9

Hospitality and Giving

Prepared by Dr. John E. Marshall

 

1 Peter 4:9 (Holman) Use hospitality one to another without complaining.

 

The gift of hospitality makes people feel welcome, at ease, in any given situation. We probably have it if we love to open our home, if guests are not a nuisance, but the gift of hospitality is not confined to private homes. It is a spirit, an attitude, an environment hospitable people carry with them.

It is interesting to note the term "hospitality" has the word "hospital" in it. The gift entails being a moving hospital, meeting people where they are, and ministering to their needs.

 

Not all have this gift, but all can be hospitable, especially in our own homes. Ours is the faith of the open door. Welcome people into our homes. Let our houses be instruments of kindness, God's safe harbors for others. A selfish home cannot be pleasing to God.

 

A major reason the early church succeeded was her being nurtured in homes, not cathedrals; hospitality was vital because many Christians were banished and persecuted. As hunted and hounded refugees, aliens dispersed in a hostile world, believers were often desperate to find safe places. To receive them was a punishable crime. It was risky, dangerous business, but required of believers.

 

Hospitality not only helped wayfarers; it also served a social purpose. The early church's habit of gathering in homes broke down walls that divided people socially, economically, and culturally. It can do the same today. The last barrier to be broken down between people groups is usually our kitchen table.

 

Without an open-door policy, Christian history would have been much different. For example, the Sunday School movement was born in the kitchens of willing families. Many new churches are incubated and nurtured in homes.

The extensive ministry of many mighty preachers would have never existed had it not been for the hospitality of saints. Imagine how different history would have been had there been no homes to welcome Wesley, Whitefield, Asbury, etc.

We have needs in our church for hospitality: greeters and ushers, First Impressions Team, Second Generation, Tiny Town, The Vine, in-home groups, Foster and Adoption Ministry, Baptism Volunteers, Victory Mission meals.

 

If you have this gift, stake out for yourself a portion of this auditorium. Do here in our common house what you want to do in your private residence. Make everyone in your area feel at home here. Give them a sense of belonging. It is terrible to feel like an outsider. Let's not let it happen here. Set people at ease, make them feel cared for.

 

Romans 12:8b . . .giving, with generosity;

 

All believers are to have a giving, generous spirit. Jesus was speaking to all of us when he said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35). The satisfaction of helping others is more fulfilling than any gratification we gain through selfishness. What we give away and share is what we enjoy. What we keep is what grieves us. None of us is losing sleep over money we put in the church offering plate, but many are restless about money we kept for us.

 

We lie awake at night worrying not about the things we have given away, but about things we kept–our house that has payments too high, our car that is wearing out before paid for, our clothes that are now out of style or no longer fit. Many of us worry about credit card debts; some will be unable to give to others tomorrow, next month, or next year because yesterday, last month, and last year we spent money on ourselves we did not yet have. We do have the right to care for ourselves, but only after we have given to God and others.

 

We all are to give. However, some among us have the spiritual gift of giving, the uncanny ability to give time, possessions, and money wisely and generously for God's work and for others. This gift does not refer to tithing; all believers are to give 10%. The giving gift goes liberally and joyfully beyond 10%. These people sincerely say, "We can't out give God." If Pastor preaches on money, they never grimace; they get excited, for they look for ways to give more.

 

If when money, making time commitments, and giving possessions are mentioned in a sermon, you think, "Oh no, not again," and have sudden urges to clutch your wallet and calendar, you don't have this gift. But if your spouse forbids you to speak to telemarketers because you can't say no, this may be your gift.

 

The gift of giving, critical to God's work, is a huge help to church ministries. Money can provide salaries for more staff, and pay for ministries, mission trips, etc. Everything a local church does is in some way connected to the one-dollar bill.

 

Time is a precious gift to give. Much ministry and mission in churches is thwarted by a lack of volunteer hours. Ministries at Second that help us use the spiritual gift of giving include Victory Mission Meals, Labor for your Neighbor, Flower, Bread, and Touch Ministries, Operation Christmas Child, Quilting, Second Yarn Works, Foster and Adoption Ministry, Bereavement Ministry, etc.

 

Giving, when seen in action, is one of the most beautiful spiritual gifts we have. I know this for a fact because my wife Ruth has this gift. I have for years watched her generosity spread sunshine and beauty in her wake. I almost never think about giving more in a given situation than she thinks—gifts for college students, workers, staff, family; leaving tips at restaurants and hotels. If I did not believe in the sovereignty of God, I would call this the spiritual gift of bankruptcy.

 

As with the other gifts, the gift of giving has dangers. One, pride. Be humble and grateful. Give because God's example was sacrificial giving. He gave His Son—His only, His best—to the just and unjust, to the worthy and unworthy.

 

Two, conveying a feeling of superiority. Give because we love. People easily recognize self-serving purposes. Give because people have value. Each is made in the image of God, is one Jesus died for, and one the Holy Spirit seeks. Avoid giving with strings attached, as a form of control or manipulation. Don't add a lecture, complaint, or criticism. These make people feel we think they are not our equals. If we minister to the poor, remember a person's worth is not determined by their financial status. All persons are of equal, infinite worth.

 

The ground is level at the foot of the cross, where we all stand guilty; our debt paid by nail-scarred hands. Remember this when it is time to give to another. Do it in ways to save the receiver's dignity. We are always giving to an equal.

 

Three, giving things to people that may not be good for them. We can easily become enablers for unwise decisions. People might use our gifts unwisely.

Be mindful that repetitive giving may cause the receiver to develop a sense of entitlement or dependence. Give when the need is genuine, when a person cannot help themselves, or when a gift might give them hope for a better future.

 

Four, giving to impress others. Our giving can be an example and motivation for others to imitate, but we must not conceal hidden motives. Examine our heart. Why are we giving; to please God, or to give a false appearance of virtue or goodness? Jesus said, "Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of people, to be seen by them. Otherwise, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So whenever you give to the poor, don't sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be applauded by people. I assure you: They've got their reward! When you give to the poor, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you" (Matthew 6:1-4).

 

Five, giving to earn God's favor. Give with open heart and hand. We know God blesses us, but we do right at all cost, leaving results to God. Our focus is not on what we gain, but on the person we are helping—that his or her needs would be met, and that they would feel better about themselves and their situation.

 

People with the gift of giving teach us by their example that the value of our gift can be enhanced by the way we offer it. How we give is as vital as how much. Our text says give "with generosity." This implies grace and beauty. No ostentation allowed. Giving should be a kindness bestowed quietly and easily, done without changing our countenance. People with the gift of giving pour forth sweet water like a lovely spring. Too many are like my Grandma's water pump, always having to be primed before giving a drop. May we give with grace and beauty.