March 6, 2023 — “Share Abundantly”

“… and God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work.” 2 Corinthians 8:3

“But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved” Ephesians 2:4-5

“May we give ourselves first to you, and then to our brethren. Help us to give of our means, even beyond our means, and of our own free will. May we earnestly desire to relieve the needs of Christians who are poor and whose lives are burdened. Help us not only resolve to do good, but to complete the good we set out to do.” (heartlight website)

You may ask “How does giving willingly and sharing abundantly differ?” To give willingly means that it becomes a priority in our lives to be good givers. We do not need to be reminded to be generous – it is a habit we practice every day. To share abundantly then means that we recognize how much abundance we have, how abundantly we have received good gifts from G-d, and then to be willing to not only part with our abundance, but to do so abundantly. The purpose of all of the gifts we have received from G-d is for the good of the community of G-d – not just for ourselves. Therefore, we give to build up the body of Christ, and we use and share our gifts for the benefit of all.

Abundant sharing and giving is the goal of the Christ-like life. Remember the parable of the “Widow’s Mite”? Jesus says, in essence, that it is not the amount of what we share that is to be the measure of our abundance, it is whether what we choose to share is some measure of our abundance.

Let us pray: Dear G-d, help me to give my all in faith, in utterance, in all earnestness, and in love toward my brothers and sisters. Give me a generous spirit. Amen.

Pastor Dave