The Gift of Sharing

And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. – Hebrews 13:16 (NIV)

Who has done good and shared with you? Who have you done good and shared with? What have you shared? What goodness have you given? Why do you think God would be pleased?

The following story is one I am sure I have used before, but it is good.
Many years ago three soldiers, hungry and weary of battle, came upon a small village. The villagers, suffering a meager harvest and the many years of war, quickly hid what little they had to eat and met the three at the village square, wringing their hands and bemoaning the lack of anything to eat.
The soldiers spoke quietly among themselves and the first soldier then turned to the village elders. "Your tired fields have left you nothing to share, so we will share what little we have: the secret of how to make soup from stones."
Naturally the villagers were intrigued and soon a fire was put to the town's greatest kettle as the soldiers dropped in three smooth stones. "Now this will be a fine soup", said the second soldier; "but a pinch of salt and some parsley would make it wonderful!" Up jumped a villager, crying "What luck! I've just remembered where some has been left!" And off she ran, returning with an apronful of parsley and a turnip. As the kettle boiled on, the memory of the village improved: soon barley, carrots, beef and cream had found their way into the great pot, and a cask of wine was rolled into the square as all sat down to feast.
They ate and danced and sang well into the night, refreshed by the feast and their new-found friends. In the morning the three soldiers awoke to find the entire village standing before them. At their feet lay a satchel of the village's best breads and cheese. "You have given us the greatest of gifts: the secret of how to make soup from stones", said an elder, "and we shall never forget." The third soldier turned to the crowd, and said: "There is no secret, but this is certain: it is only by sharing that we may make a feast". And off the soldiers wandered, down the road.

One interpretation I have heard of Jesus feeding the 5000 claims that perhaps when people watched what little food was going around that they took out the food they had hidden away. It was hidden because they were afraid of not having enough. When the food went by they added to it, and soon a feast ensued. We often hide our resources away because we are scared of not having enough. For some reason though, perhaps due to a miracle, when we share there is more than enough and joy abounds! It is good to share and God knows it. Let this be our first stewardship devotional. What are you hiding that you can share? Share it and be a part of God’s joy!

With hope and joy,
Garrett

Pleasing God and Making Heaven

Do not forget to do good to others, and share with them, because such sacrifices please God. – Hebrews 13:16 (NCV)

Do you do good to others? If so what have you done? What do you share? How has good been done to you? Who have you witnessed sacrifice much? Why do you think all of this pleases God?

I have heard a story many times that goes like this:
A man spoke with the Lord about heaven and hell. The Lord said to the man, "Come, I will show you hell."
They entered a room where a group of people sat around a huge pot of stew. Everyone was famished, desperate and starving. Each had a spoon attached to their hands that reached the pot, but each spoon had a handle so much longer than their arms that it could not be used to get the stew into their mouths. The suffering was terrible.
"Come, now I will show you heaven," the Lord said after a while. They entered another room, identical to the first – the pot of stew, the group of people, the same long-handled spoons attached to their hands. But there everyone was happy and well nourished. "I don't understand," said the man. "Why are they happy here when they were miserable in the other room and everything was the same?"
The Lord smiled, "Ah, it is simple," he said. "Here they have learned to feed each other."

If we all did good to others we would have heaven here on earth! In these times when we worry about what might come next, and how we might cope with the little we have sometimes we need the reminder, “Do not forget to do good to others…” Such sacrifice pleases God simply because then we become more like the truest human being there ever was, Jesus Christ. Life easily becomes hellish when we decide to hoard things we have leaving others in need because then suffering is everywhere. That first church in the book of Acts was a place where “there was no need among them.” Let us not only believe that such beauty can still be true today, but also act like it can as well by doing good, sharing, and sacrificing what we have in the name of love and Jesus. We might just discover that life is heavenly!

With hope and joy,
Garrett