“Living a Life of giving”
Text: Acts 20:32-35:
by
Saya Kio Nawl Hmung
There
are different kinds of giving in the life of each believer. Jill Briscoe says,
“Beyond giving of our material possessions, God calls upon us to give ourselves
away-our time, energy and passion.” This statement reminds us to give what we
have, what we could and what we are willing to give to others those who are in
need. This morning I would like to share with you what I called “Living a Life of Giving.”
Text: Acts
20:32-35: “Now
I commit you to God and to the word of His grace, which can build you up and
give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. I have not coveted
anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. You yourselves know that these hands of
mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. In everything I
did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering
the words the Lord Jesus Himself said: ‘It is more
blessed to give than to receive.’
The
book of Acts chapter 20:13-38 talks about the Apostle Paul’s relationship with
Ephesian believers especially with the elders. It talks about how he had cared
for them and loved them, he even cried over their needs. Verse 19 says I served the Lord with great humility and with tears
although I was severely tested by the plots of the Jews. As Paul was about to
leave Ephesus he encouraged the elders to serve the Lord with all their hearts
in full commitment to God.
In
this passage I would like to focus on verse
35.... in everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we
must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ This is the only direct quote from
Jesus’ earthly ministry recorded outside the gospels. This particular word of
Jesus is not recorded in the gospels but this teaching is manifested in many
other sayings of Jesus. Luke 6:38 clearly
tells us that “give, and it will be given to you. A good measure,
pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.
For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” The words
of Jesus teach us to have unselfish character by giving what we are willing to
give or what we could give to the needy.
Firstly,
giving is a manifestation
of a genuine love that comes from God. The bible clearly teaches us the very basic meaning or the most important
word is all about God’s love for sinners that He gave His one and only Son. So
God also wants us to give our true love to Him and towards others in order to
extend His kingdom and to save the lost.
A
missionary in Burma Adoniram Judson was imprisoned for nearly two years. While
he was in jail he was not well fed but his wife faithfully visited him and gave
him food. Despite his experiences, still he had full compassion for Burmese
people. He said that, "I will not leave Burma, until
the cross is planted here forever!" After his released from jail, he started his work
translating the bible in Burmese and shared the gospel. But because of some
political reason he was caught and put into jail again. He was forbidden to
speak to his fellow prisoners except rarely, and was denied water and clothing.
His fellow prisoners were whipped and
led forth for execution. He never knew what day would be his turn. Aside from
that, he was hooked by sicknesses. As
he went through all these, he breathed out a prayer saying………...
"Lord, let me finish my work. Spare me long
enough to put Thy saving Word into the hands of a perishing people." The prayer was answered. He was able to
finish what he prayed for and many people came to know Christ.
A genuine love comes
from God and those who truly know Him gave their lives for the lost. Giving is
not just about being able to give money or our possessions. Giving can be by a
sacrifice of time, effort and abilities for God’s sake. Let’s check ourselves
today where we are, regarding giving our possessions, time and effort in
serving God and to the lives of others.
Secondly, true Giving is a heartfelt attitude: 2 Corinthians 9:7 says, “Each
man should give what he has decided in his heart what to give, not reluctantly
or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” Christian Giving is an attitude of seeing people through the eyes
of God. So, giving must be our attitude, and when we give, we must not expect
something in return, instead be happy that we are able to share what we have.
Let
me tell you a person who had no money but was willing to give what he had. He
was Martin of Tours who contributed to the popularity of monastic ideal.
Martin, along with his friends was entering the city of Amiens which is now
known as France. An almost naked and shivering beggar asked them for alms but Martin
had no money, so what he did was, took off his cape (which is a sleeveless
outer garment that fits closely at the neck and hangs loosely over the
shoulders) cut it in two, and gave half to the beggar. And according to the
story, later in his dreams Martin saw Jesus coming to him, wrapped in half a
soldier’s cape, and saying: “in as much as you did it to one of the least of
these brethren, you did it to me.”
This
story teaches us that we don’t have to be a rich person to help the people who
are in need; we can just share or give what we have or what we are willing to
give. Giving must be our attitude in sharing God’s blessing to others and when
we give we must not expect something in return, instead, we must praise God
that we can be a giver to our fellow friends.
Lastly, Giving is a privilege: Privilege
means “A special right that a
particular person or a group of people has or having special advantages that all
people do not have.” There will be a specific time for us to show our loving
kindness to others who are in need of help. Hebrews 13:16 says, “And do not
forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is
pleased.” This passage clearly tells us to do good and share with others.
There will be unexpected time that we will need to give our time and effort for
others.
In
2007, the best friend of my sister was seriously sick and she was hospitalized.
One day I went to visit her with some of her friends. When we got there, a
nurse who took care of her told us that she needs 2 bottles of blood. At that
time, I didn’t even know my blood type and so I talked to the nurse and she
told me to check my blood type whether I could donate for her or not. So, I
checked my blood and fortunately we have the same blood type and so I donated one
bottle for her. In this kind of situation, we need to take action at the right
time because the same chance for a hopeless person may not come back to us
unless we do it at the right time.
Conclusion:
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we may not be a great missionary, we may
not be a rich man, but each one’s has a privilege to share what we have. “Living a Life of giving” comes from a genuine love, it comes from a
heartfelt attitude which we respond with love and willingness of sharing our
privilege with others. Let us be a blessing to others through giving whatever
we could for “it is more blessed to give than to
receive.”
