Giving Until It Hurts

Today’s Bible readings are Joshua 24:1-33, Luke 21:1-28, Psalm 89:38-52, & Proverbs 13:20-23

Luke 21:1-4

While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. ² Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins.

³ “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. ⁴ For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.”

It never seems to amaze me, that when Jesus teaches we see things much different than normal. His teachings seem to contrast the ideas that most people would have. I have come to realize this time & time again. Here is a list of things that Jesus said that is opposite of what most think:

1.      If you want to be more, you must become less.

2.      You have to lose your life to find your life.

3.      If you want to be great you have to become a servant.

4.      If you want to find victory you have to surrender.

These are a few that I think about often. Then, add to this list His teaching on giving that He gives at the temple this morning.

Most of us, when we think about giving, think that the gift matters. We think the bigger the gift the better. This is how we have been trained to think according to the world standard. Yet, Jesus sets forth a very different principal in this teaching. I believe that He makes it clear that the gift doesn’t even matter.

When I first read this story, it is easy to pay attention the gifts being offered. It is easy to contrast the obvious. But as I really think on this, I don’t think the gift itself was what impressed Jesus at all. It wasn’t the money that we should take note of at all. Why did Jesus say that the widow gave more? It was because she gave in faith.

The rest of the people were giving out of their surplus. They had plenty left over. It didn’t require much faith at all for them to give. They could still see with their natural eyes how their needs would be met. They didn’t need to be in faith. The widow, on the other hand, gave in faith. It took great faith for her to offer her gift. It was all she had. Once she let go of it, there was nothing that she had left to trust in. She had to trust in god to provide. She had to exercise faith. Without faith, she could not have given.

Hebrews 11:6

⁶ And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

We can get the idea that as long as we give, we have done what is required. I have had that idea in the past. But my view on giving has changed. I have come to realize that I really haven’t given at all until I have given in faith. I remember one preacher saying that you haven’t given in faith if it didn’t hurt to give it. That is when my giving changed.

Now, apart from the topic of money, let’s talk about the other areas that we are to give in faith.

1.      Our talents.

We sometimes don’t think that our talents are worth much. This is the best way for us to give in faith. When you don’t think you have anything of worth or value, it take faith to offer it anyway. This is giving in faith. This is also when you will see the Holy Spirit do His best work.

2.      Our praise.

Has there ever been a day when you didn’t feel like praising? Has there ever been a moment when you didn’t have much to shout about? I have had both. It is in those moments that I praise by faith. I have come to realize that those moments of praise are the ones that God really notices. It is when I don’t feel like praising that my praises costs me the most. This is praising by faith.

3.      Our love.

I know how hard it is to love. There are times when we don’t feel people deserve of love. Maybe they have hurt you. Or maybe they have taken advantage of you. Maybe you just don’t feel like you have any love left to give. This is when we love by faith. This is when love really costs us something.

Loving by faith is never easy to do. Loving by faith is when we love when don’t see any return. It is when we chose to love even when we don’t see any love coming back to us. It is the kind of love that never fails.

Living by faith really does affect every area of our lives. As we start to open up our heart to the truth of what it is to walk by faith, we will start to live the kind of life that really is different. It is the kind of life that Jesus really takes notice of.

Today, let’s begin to be open to what it is to walk by faith. Let us examine the different areas that we have talked about to see if we are in faith, or just doing what everybody else does.  Faith matters. Use it to glorify God in all that you do!

Pastor Richard Schlotter

Who WIll You Serve?

Today’s Bible readings are Joshua 22:21-23:16, Luke 20:27-47, Psalm 89:14-37, & Proverbs 13:17-19

Joshua 24:15

¹⁵ But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”

Life is shaped by the choices that we make. When we make good choices we see good results. When we make bad choices we see good results. I know people don’t like to hear it put that way but it is the simple truth.

Most people don’t like to accept responsibility for the choices that they make. It seems much easier to blame others for the things that happen in our lives. The only problem is that if nothing changes, then NOTHING changes.

I have appreciate the fact that life is shaped by decisions. It leaves me very encouraged because no matter where life may have taken you right now, IT CAN BE DIFFERENT! Things can change. It all rests on finding a choice to make.

I know that the best choice that I ever made was the choice to live for Jesus. It is like what Joshua is declaring to the people of Israel in our reading today. He knew that the Lord was the answer. He knew that in serving God he would be blessed.

I have found that when I choose to follow Jesus every other decision that I made seemed to change as well. My decisions all started to support the main decision that I had made. It was incredible how quick life began to change. It all started with one good decision. Each decision began to lead to a better way of life. I started to see that there was another option. I started to see that I could choose life & blessing.

Don’t get discouraged with where your life is right now. You are one choice away from everything changing. That is why it is so important to keep your ear in tune with the Holy Spirit. He is the One who will help you make the right choice EVERY time. As you begin to choose His way, your life is going to change.

Let this sink into your heart so that you can strengthen your stance once again. Make the decision to live the live that Jesus is calling you to live. He will take care of the rest!

Pastor Richard Schlotter

Rejecting Jesus

Today’s readings are Joshua 21:1-22:20, Luke 20:26,

Psalm 89:1-13 and Proverbs 13:15-16

Luke 20:9-19

⁹ Now Jesus turned to the people again and told them this story: “A man planted a vineyard, leased it to tenant farmers, and moved to another country to live for several years. ¹⁰ At the time of the grape harvest, he sent one of his servants to collect his share of the crop. But the farmers attacked the servant, beat him up, and sent him back empty-handed. ¹¹ So the owner sent another servant, but they also insulted him, beat him up, and sent him away empty-handed. ¹² A third man was sent, and they wounded him and chased him away.

¹³ “‘What will I do?’ the owner asked himself. ‘I know! I’ll send my cherished son. Surely they will respect him.’

¹⁴ “But when the tenant farmers saw his son, they said to each other, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate. Let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves!’ ¹⁵ So they dragged him out of the vineyard and murdered him.

“What do you suppose the owner of the vineyard will do to them?” Jesus asked. ¹⁶ “I’ll tell you—he will come and kill those farmers and lease the vineyard to others.”

“How terrible that such a thing should ever happen,” his listeners protested.

¹⁷ Jesus looked at them and said, “Then what does this Scripture mean?

‘The stone that the builders rejected
    has now become the cornerstone.’^[a]

¹⁸ Everyone who stumbles over that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone it falls on.”

¹⁹ The teachers of religious law and the leading priests wanted to arrest Jesus immediately because they realized he was telling the story against them—they were the wicked farmers. But they were afraid of the people’s reaction.

Luke 20 - Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible

The parable of the vineyard and husbandmen.

Christ spake this parable against those who resolved not to own his authority, though the evidence of it was so full. How many resemble the ones who murdered the prophets and crucified Christ, in their enmity to God, and aversion to his service, desiring to live according to their lusts, without control! Let all who are favoured with God's word, look to it that they make proper use of their advantages. Awful will be the doom, both of those who reject the Son, and of those who profess to reverence Him, yet render not the fruits in due season. Though they could not but own that for such a sin, such a punishment was just, yet they could not bear to hear of it. It is the folly of sinners, that they persevere in sinful ways, though they dread the destruction at the end of those ways.

Let’s be people who profess to reverence Jesus and those who show the fruit of it in our lives.  Jesus was crucified for our sins and rose again for us.  He is alive.  This Easter let’s show him it’s not about candy, egg hunts, baskets and our own agenda's.  Let's show him it's about what he did for us and honor him with our new lives only he was able to give us.  

Kelly Schlotter

Worship

Today’s readings are Joshua 19:1-20:9, Luke 19:28-48, Psalms 88:1-18, and Proverbs 13:12-14

Worship jumped out at me today while reading.

Luke 19:28-40

New Living Translation (NLT)

Jesus’ Triumphant Entry

²⁸ After telling this story, Jesus went on toward Jerusalem, walking ahead of his disciples. ²⁹ As he came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples ahead. ³⁰ “Go into that village over there,” he told them. “As you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. ³¹ If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying that colt?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”

³² So they went and found the colt, just as Jesus had said. ³³ And sure enough, as they were untying it, the owners asked them, “Why are you untying that colt?”

³⁴ And the disciples simply replied, “The Lord needs it.” ³⁵ So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it for him to ride on.

³⁶ As he rode along, the crowds spread out their garments on the road ahead of him. ³⁷ When he reached the place where the road started down the Mount of Olives, all of his followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen.

³⁸ “Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the Lord!
    Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!”^[a]

³⁹ But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, “Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!”

⁴⁰ He replied, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!”

I love the obedience of the two disciples.  Jesus tells them to go untie a donkey for a town and bring it to him and they do it.  I would be more like no I am not going to take someone else’s donkey.  The disciples did as Jesus asked and it was fine.  The owners even asked them what they were doing and they told they them Lord needs it.  It pays to be obedient to the Lord.  I think of that as being an act of worship.

 As he rode along people spread out their garments ahead of him.  This I also see as an act of worship to the Lord. 

 I love the part when all of his followers started to shout and sing as they walked along following Jesus.  When the Pharisees asked him to rebuke them he replied if they kept quiet the stones along the road would burst into cheers.

I love Jesus.  Just take some time today and just tell him how much you love him.  Tell him why you love him.  Tell him how great he is.  Worship gets us out of ourselves and into Jesus.  If you are like me and your mind wanders make a list of reasons.  You could have 10,000 reasons like the song by Matt Redmen next week.  Listen to a worship song or make up your own song to him.  Just Worship!

Kelly Schlotter