“Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys.” – Luke 12:33

Pity.

The world today embraces the notion that it is not good that we pity others. The prevailing view is that everyone has been given strengths by God and we ought to use this strength to get by in the world. We need not burden others with our needs.

Pity paves the way for kindness. Kindness leads to an outstretched hand, a desire to help lift up, invoking the power within to give love.

Pity opens the heart of the Spirit within used. The act is called kindness and it connects us to others. Selfishness keeps us focused on ourselves; kindness allows us to see the other. Our way to God is never through self but always through the other.

To give.

To be served a meal at your master’s table would be something short of amazing. To be given a meal at your master’s table, by your master himself, would be breathtaking. You’d be asking yourself, what was so special about what I did? I was simply doing what was expected of me. To give. How could I be worthy of such a service from my master?

The truth of the matter is, we aren’t worthy. Nothing we do will ever make us worthy of it. But because of the love of our Master that He did this for us.

In the same way, our service will never make us worthy us worthy of sitting at the table of God in heaven. It is only because of the love of our Master that He did this for us. It is only by the love of Christ that we have become worthy for Precious Blood has been split for us. We will be served our heavenly meal if we live the life of a true believer of Christ – someone who has been save and serves because this is so. And as an act of worship – we must give.

The foundation and essence of the Christian life is to follow Jesus with all that we are and hold nothing back. To be a disciple means that my financial life will be inseparably connected to my worship. To be a lover of God is to be a giver; to be filled with the Spirit is to be filled with the very essence of our generous God. In other words, when we get saved our wallets must be converted as well!

Deuteronomy 14:23 says, “… The purpose of tithing is to teach you always to put God first in your lives” (Living). If you want to know what a person really values, just look at their calendar and their checkbook. The way people spend their time and money reveals what is really important to them. It’s one thing to claim we love God, but the Bible says our giving “tests the sincerity of our love” (2 Corinthians 8:8, NIV). When we give the first part of our income to God, on the first day of the week, it is evidence that God holds first place in our hearts. Jesus said, “For wherever your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21, NIV).

Calvary Road Baptist Church – Alexandria VA

6811 Beulah St, Alexandria, VA 22310

(703)922-6700

https://www.crbc.org/

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