Tag: Giving

Inward to Outward

We are to live a life with Christ beginning inward at the heart and stream outward in our actions.

“29But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.” “13For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. 14For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law.” – Romans 2:29 & 13-14 (ESV)

Paul speaks here of Jews and Gentiles. He shows that it is not just the actions or the heart that make one a follower of Christ. It is the combination of the two. Starting with the heart, we internalize the Spirit to give us the guide to our movements in the world. As a result of that guidance, we take action that demonstrates our following of the LORD.

Too often, I believe there is too much put on the actions of individuals as the demonstration of their Christianity. The Christian is to be compassionate and giving and loving. But I also see the world looking only at those actions as the indicator of the Christian, and when the Christian stands up in opposition of anything, they are seen as combative and unforgiving and frankly as mean awful people, when in truth, they are acting from the heart and guidance of the Spirit.

“7You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:

‘8This people honors me with their lips,

but their heart is far from me;

9in vain do they worship me,

teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”

— Matthew 15:7-9 (ESV)

Jesus says and I believe that this world view of Christians is shaping the heart and actions of new Christians, and this is not new. Where yes, we are to be compassionate and giving and loving, we are also to oppose those things that are not of Christ. That is the true heart of Christ. We are to live for Christ in all topics and not just on those that make us look good.

So here it is, we are to embrace the LORD in our heart and then, by the guidance provided by the Holy Spirit, we are demonstrate the LORD in our actions to the world. Those actions are to be in love, compassion, and giving, but also in full concert with the LORD and His will.

What is your view of your actions? Are you doing things for the world to see to make you look a certain way? What if you were to take action based on the guidance of the Holy Spirit on your heart to bring glory to God?

The Righteous Have Endless Giving

Have you ever wondered how some can give and give and give and never seem to be wanting? I know that I have seen folks who always seem to be in the fold of providing for the needy and yet, they themselves seem as though they could use some help themselves. On the outside, they seem less than flush monetarily, yet they are always providing for others.

“25I have been young, and now am old,

yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken

or his children begging for bread.

26He is ever lending generously,

and his children become a blessing.”

— Psalm 37:25-26 (ESV)

This morning I was reminded that the righteous are always taken care of by God and that they think less of themselves to be generous with others. In the verse above I am reminded that those who are generous with others when they seem to be in need themselves is a product of their righteous actions and being cared for by God as they do the work He has assigned them.

I look at myself and what we have in our lives monetarily. We are not rich by any means. Our newest car is a 2005 model and has 250k miles. We live in a modest home. We do not have the latest fashions and the computer I am typing on right now will not support Windows 11. Yet, we have the chance every day to make an impact on those around us. We recently supported a program that provides for the elderly in assisted living spaces that are in need of basic living items. No, not a big fanfare of things but giving none the less.

I am not saying that I or my wife are righteous. What I am saying is that if you just look at the outside of folks, you may not see the whole picture of what God has provided. Contentment in what you have now, does not mean that you are destitute in the LORD. He will care for those who put Him first in ways that society does not understand.

When actions are done in the name of the LORD, there is nothing that will stand in the way of the giving. There is no bottom to the barrel. There is no end to the provision of the LORD. Remember what Jesus did with the boy’s lunch of five loaves of bread and two fish.

“19Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. 21And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.” – Matthew 14:19-21 (ESV)

There is endless generosity that is from the righteous. It may not be large sums of monetary help, but the righteous are always there to help. It could be giving a ride, or giving some clothes, or providing lunch, the righteous actions are there in the time of need regardless of the extent of the monetary ability of those providing.

What is your experience with generosity? Are you looking to the rich to do all the work as they have the financial means? What if you were to simply look to provide what you can when the need arises and allow the LORD to multiply the generosity of the righteous action?