Sunday 011925
Don’t let me or my writings influence or scare you in any way, instead, allow me to be used as a vessel to open the Word, just a little bit, and hopefully, together we are going to read and study His Word, and let God teach us what He wants us to hear.
Since the beginning of this study, our vision has been that we are ONLY going to follow what is found in the Holy Bible, that pertains to us, and we realize that it’s ONLY from our own effort that we put into this study, that we’re going to take anything away for our own use.
The verses we are going to study tonight:
Mark 12:41-44; Luke 10:30-35; Matthew 6:2-4; 2 Corinthians 9:7; James 2:15-16; Luke 6:30; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13.
This morning’s lesson in today’s economy, to some, may seem difficult. There are going to be some that will not see the value in the lesson and then there will be others that will find this a very valuable lesson.
Let me go back and tell you a little story from my past.
I remember growing up in a small town that really had only two major sources of income for a family. In my hometown there were two manufacturing companies. Jobs then, as they are today, keep families together and continuously moving forward.
If a person was lucky enough to get hired at one of these companies, their family was going to reap the benefits that could last for generations.
But for those individuals that were unable to get a job with one of these large companies, their future didn’t look as promising, and it looked like life was going to be a struggle for them.
Now, the other jobs in and around the city all catered to these individuals that were lucky enough to get one of these high paying manufacturing jobs. The employees in one of these lower jobs that catered, the turnover was great, mostly because the money wasn’t even close in comparison and there weren’t any benefits, like insurance, but everyone needed some source of income, no matter how small it was.
It wasn’t until years later, after I had grown up and moved away from that small little town, that I seen more opportunities available to me, my future and for my family’s future.
That story looks at those that had and then there were those that wanted more. But let’s not stop there, let’s compare that individual without that high paying manufacturing job now to that individual from a less fortunate country than ours.
They have no manufacturing jobs, there aren’t any of those minor jobs that cater to those higher paying jobs either; there just isn’t anything.
That person would do anything for just about anything. No job is too small when money is involved.
Mark 12
vs41 ‘…Many people were giving their gifts for the temple. There was a box for money there. People threw their coins into it. Jesus sat near the box, and he watched them. Many rich people put a lot of money into the box…’
vs42 ‘…But then a woman came there. Her husband had died, and she was very poor. She put two small coins that had only a little value into the box…’
vs43 ‘…Jesus asked his disciples to come to him. He said to them, I tell you this: This poor woman has put a better gift into the box than all the other people have put in there…’
vs44 ‘…All those rich people have plenty of money. They only put a small part of that into the box. But this woman has almost nothing. She put in all the money that she had. That was all the money that she needed to live…’ EASY (Easy English Bible)
So, ask yourself, what is the lesson in this story and in these verses?
Are we saying we should teach our kids to get that good job so they can do well for their family in the future or is the lesson that we should give without worrying about what we have or don’t have?
It’s not a tricky question, but really the lesson isn’t on what type of work you want to get in the future, the lesson is supposed to be on giving.
Let’s continue and go even further, I’m not putting an emphasis on what we give, I’m not saying we can only be giving to a church either. If I’m at a store and I keep the door open for a person in front or behind me, I’m giving. If I help a little old lady across the road, I’m giving. If I see a person, young or old, fumbling through their pockets looking for money at a check out line, if I have and I can, I should give them what they need. If I have an elderly neighbor and they are unable to get out and cut their grass or shovel the snow, if I am able, I should do it for them.
If I see someone that needs help and I can give it, I SHOULD GIVE.
If I see a car on the side of the road and a tire is flat or the hood is raised up where they’ve realized they need help, If I am knowledgeable enough on how to fix it, I should help them; I in this way, am GIVING.
Our man-made churches today have put way too much of an emphasis on our tithing 10% of our income in this country and our hearts have become hardened in just helping one another out when we need it.
Giving isn’t just meant to be in a basket at church. Giving is just that, it’s giving.
Luke 10
vs30 ‘…Jesus answered him with a story: A man was going down the road from Jerusalem to Jericho town. On the way, some men attacked him. They took away all his clothes and they hit him with sticks. He was almost dead when they left him…’
vs31 ‘…But it happened that a priest from the temple was going down that road. He saw the man, who was lying there. But he walked past him on the other side of the road…’
vs32 ‘…A Levite was also going down the road. He came to the place where the man was lying. He saw him. But he also walked past on the other side of the road…’
vs33 ‘…But then a man from Samaria was also travelling along the road. And he came to the place where the man was lying. When he saw him, he felt very sorry for him…’
vs34 ‘…He went across to him. He poured oil and wine on the places where he was bleeding. Then he tied those places with clean cloths. After that, he put the man on his own donkey to carry him. They arrived at a small hotel. He took the man in there and he was kind to him…’
vs35 ‘…The next day, the man from Samaria took out two silver coins from his purse. He gave the money to the man that was taking care of the hotel. Be kind to this man for me, he said. This money may not be enough. When I return, I will pay you for anymore that you have spent on him…’ EASY (Easy English Bible)
This is a good lesson by Jesus Himself. There was a priest (a holy man), a Levite (a Jew) and a Samaritan (a Gentile). Three different people and the man that stopped was the Gentile from Samaria. As I said earlier, there has been too much of an emphasis on what we tithe at church, and we have been hardened to turn our backs onto those that really need our help.
Matthew 6
vs2 ‘…When you give something to a poor person, do not tell anyone about it. The hypocrites do this in their meeting places. They also do it in the busy streets of the town. They do this so that other people will praise them. I tell you this. They have already received their gift. God will not give them anything more…’
vs3 ‘…So when you give something to a poor person, keep it a secret from other people. Do not tell anyone. Your left hand will not even know what your right hand does…’
vs4 ‘…Nobody else will know about the good thing that you have done. But God sees the things that you do secretly. In return, he will give you good things…’ EASY (Easy English Bible)
When we do good to someone else, the last thing we need is for the photographer to be there taking pictures, a news reporter being there so the facts can be noted so it can all be printed in the newspapers for all to see. The only one that matters is that God has seen us do good to someone other than ourselves. We helped someone else out, we weren’t selfish, we gave.
2 Corinthians 9:7 ‘…Each of you should think carefully and then decide how much you can give. Then you will not be sad to give that money. Nobody has made you give it. God loves someone who is happy to give help to other people…’ EASY (Easy English Bible)
James 2
vs15 ‘…For example, maybe a believer does not have enough clothes to wear or enough food to eat…’
vs16 ‘…Then one of you may say to them, Go with God’s peace! I pray that you will be warm. I pray that you will eat well. But if you do not give to them what they need, that does not help them at all…’ EASY (Easy English Bible)
The Bible is full of stories telling us about the good in giving. Our churches want to cloud the stories and insert their names in places to make others think we should be giving only to them.
Luke 6:30 ‘…When anyone asks you for something, give it to him. Someone may take something that belongs to you. If he does, let him keep it. Do not ask to have it back again…’ EASY (Easy English Bible)
1 Corinthians 13
vs1 ‘…I may be able to speak many different languages that people or angels speak. But that is worth nothing if I do not love other people. I would only be making a loud noise, like someone who hits a piece of metal…’
vs2 ‘…I may be able to speak messages from God. I may understand all God’s secret things and know all the facts. I may have great faith so that I trust God enough to move mountains. But I am nothing if I do not love others…’
vs3 ‘…I may give all my things to help poor people. I may let other people take my body to burn it. But that would not help me if I do not love others…’
vs4 ‘…If I love people, I will be patient. I will be kind. I will not be jealous of other people. I will not be proud and say that I am great…’
vs5 ‘…If I love people, I will be polite. I will not just want to please myself. I will not quickly become angry. If someone does a wrong thing against me, I will not keep it in my thoughts…’
vs6 ‘…If I love people, I will not be happy when bad things happen. Instead, I will be happy when things happen that are right and true…’
vs7 ‘…If I love people, I will always accept their problems. I will always believe them. I will always hope for what is best. I will always be patient in troubles…’
vs8 ‘…Love will always continue. The gift to speak messages from God will not always be necessary. The gift of speaking in different languages will stop one day. The gift of knowing special things will not always be necessary…’
vs9 ‘…At this time, we know only a part of everything. We can only speak a part of God’s whole message…’
vs10 ‘…But a time will come when everything becomes complete. When God does that, we will not need the small parts that we have now…’
vs11 ‘…When I was a child, I talked like a child. My thoughts were a child’s thoughts. I understood things in a way that a child understands. But now that I have become a man, I have stopped being like a child…’
vs12 ‘…At this time, we see things as if we were looking at them in a mirror. What we see now is not clear. But the time will come when we do not need a mirror. We will see everything clearly. Now we know only a part of what is true. But then we will know everything completely. We will understand completely, just as God understands us completely…’
vs13 ‘…At this time there are three things that continue. We continue to trust God. We continue to hope for his good things. We continue to love other people. But the most important of these things is love…’ EASY (Easy English Bible)
I love y’all. Just remember that Jesus loves each one of us even more than we each can even comprehend what love really means.
Keep your Bibles open and keep studying the Words He has given to us. Download electronic Bibles on every device you own so you have access to Jesus each and every day.
When you give, don’t give because it’s expected. Give because you want to help.
Let someone eat a meal, let someone be warm, let someone else have.
Jesus, I pray that those ears and eyes, either listening or seeing this message today would be opened to the very fullest and allow Your love to come inside their lives and comfort them. Teach us Jesus. Protect us. We love You. Amen
InHIM. ><)))o>