Good afternoon, friends. This is Pastor Don. I am challenged by the text that was a part of my sermon on Sunday. It is Jesus’ commission to his disciples before he sent them on a mission to people in surrounding neighborhoods. He said: “Freely you have received, freely give.”
What is it that God has freely given to you? You have been forgiven and given new life in Christ! You have been given a life where you are loved and cared for by God. You have been blessed with enough and with opportunities to serve and to be a part of a Beloved Community. All those things and so much more.
As I think about that abundance, I wonder if I have been stingy in my giving to others around me? Am I as generous in forgiving as Jesus has been to me? Do I offer love, care, and opportunity to my neighbors with an open
hand that, like Jesus, asks no payment in return?
It seems like I ought to so easily hand out good things from my abundance that has been freely given to me by God, but it does seem hard, doesn’t it? I’m afraid I too often work from a position of fear. Fear that if I give it away, there won’t be enough left for me.
God’s abundance is so amazing! There just isn’t any limit to it!
Let’s pray: Help me to be a free giver this very day: at work, at home, in the market, on the road, and wherever else I find myself. May I be an open channel of your love and grace today. Amen.
