Your Daily Devotional for October 11, 2006

 

October 11, 2006

 

 

Sharing Fries

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

“Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves; Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God. Insomuch that we desired Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also finish in you the same grace also. Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also.”

 

2 Corinthians 8:1-7

 

A friend of mine recently took his son to McDonalds and bought him a large order of fries and a coke. As they sat down, the smell of those hot fries caught my friend’s attention, and he reached for a few. Seeing his dad’s hand pull away with some of his fries, his son slapped his hand and said, “Those are my fries!”

 

My friend said he had a few thoughts go through his mind at that moment:

 

1.  My child forgot that I am the source of the fries.

2.  I control the fries; I can take them away.

3.  I don’t really need his fries; I can buy my own.

 

These three truths certainly apply to Christian stewardship. James 1:17 shows that everything we have is a gift from God; He is the source of everything good. God also controls our lives and our destiny. Job said, “The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” (Job 1:21b) And, of course, God doesn’t need our resources; He owns the cattle on a thousand hills and the wealth in every mine. Stewardship is not a matter of how generous I will be with my money; it is a matter of how much of God’s money I will keep for myself.

 

When I think about generosity, I am reminded of the first century churches of Macedonia. The Macedonian Christians had many trials of their own, yet even while they faced their own struggles they were generous to help others when a need arose. What causes Christians to be generous, to participate in giving? Why do some so willingly share their “French fries”? The difference is found in one word—grace.

 

We see that grace makes the difference by inspiring stewardship. In verse one, the Bible says that it was the grace of God bestowed upon the churches of Macedonia that caused them to give. Many years ago, God was working in the heart of my son before a giving banquet. He told me that he decided to give one of his baseball cards in the offering that Sunday night. That didn’t catch my attention, because my son had over a hundred cards, and I assumed he would simply grab an old one out of the stack. Before the service, however, my son gave me the small envelope that he had prepared, and I could feel in my hands the hard plastic case of a very valuable card I bought him just a few weeks before. God’s grace was at work in his heart.

 

Grace also breaks the grip of materialism. In verse four of our text, Paul says that as the Macedonian Christians gave beyond their power, they begged them to receive their gift. They could have held in their grip “the gift,” but God’s grace broke the grip of materialism. Thank the Lord for every opportunity to give that causes you and your family to keep the right perspective on the things of this world and to hold them loosely in your hands.

 

Finally, grace makes the difference in the believer’s heart because it makes us more like Jesus. Verse five gives the key to their giving as it says, “And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.” Before they ever gave in an offering, they gave their own selves to the Lord. God’s grace makes us reflect the nature of Christ in our lives. When we remember that He gave His life for us, we will give our lives to Him and for others.

 

Is God’s grace at work in your life? If it is, it will be seen through your giving. Go on, share some of your fries today, and learn the joy of Christian stewardship.

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