A Season of Giving: Sharing in God's Gifts

It’s the time of year when people are thinking about giving – I hope! This time of year, more than ever, we are bombarded with ads for the latest greatest of anything and everything from cars, to games, to toys for all ages. It’s easy to think more about what we might be getting from someone instead of thinking about ways that we could be giving.

Granted, the giving of things is itself something that is hard to do. Many of us have been through or are going through hard times in life and just can’t give like we want to give or feel like we should be giving. This happens when we think about giving in too narrow of terms. We shouldn’t just think about things when it comes time to give, instead we need to realize we have a great many other gifts that people need so much more than things and stuff. We can give a kind word, a listening ear, a tear with a broken heart, or share in the joy of simple moments.

Another way that we can give is to speak. In our world, there are people that are having a difficult time keeping work, finding a place to stay, or having their basic needs met. What difference can we make the lives of these families and individuals that have so little? When we speak the truth in love, when we speak about the care and compassion that Christ showed, we can be leaders in the world that can help to meet these needs that we find very hard to meet alone. Alone, I can do very little. But through Christ, I can do all things (Philippians 4:13).

The world is at odds with Christ and His love. If more people had the love of Jesus in their hearts, the world would be a much different place. Our mission is to bring that love of Christ into the world (2 Corinthians 5:20) in a way that shows others and leads others on a path of discipleship (Ephesians 4:15).

This morning, we’ll take a closer look at what it means to speak for those without a voice and we’ll look at ways that we can help make a difference in the lives of the struggling and hurting. Prayers and love should be the beginning of our actions, not the beginning and end of all we do.