Invest Yourself
2 Corinthians 8:2-5 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.
I. Give yourself first.
A. Cheap substitute. Giving money should never be a substitute for
giving yourself. Money can be a cheap substitute for commitment and
service. Giving money can ease our consciences about not giving
ourselves. Your cash can never do what your person can do.
Paul praises this church because the people gave themselves before they
gave their money.
B. God doesn�t really want or need your money. The giving is not for
God, it is for you. It is a tangible way of acknowledging His control
and sovereignty over our lives. What He really wants is you. The
goal of all giving is to acknowledge His Lordship, and to turn your
life and your will completely over to Him.
The true test of giving is not "how much" you give, but "how" you give.
Giving money is the easy part. There are precious things that money
just cannot buy.
II. An investment.
A. Others . . .
Matthew 25;35-45 . . . Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have
done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it
unto me. . .
God measures your service to Him by your service to others. Regardless
what you do or who you do it to, God is the ultimate recipient.
When you give to the church, you are giving to Jesus.
When you feed the hungry, you are feeding Jesus.
When you visit the lonely, you are visiting Jesus.
Ultimately, whatever you do, you are doing it to Jesus. So do all to
His glory. (Col 3:23)
B. Give yourself to others. The general spirit of our age is
selfishness. Hollywood knows that, so they aim movies at our egos
and desires.The advertising world does the same thing. They know what
you want more than you do.
That spirit has bled into the church. Of course, we see heroic acts
of unselfishness, in and outside of the church, but those are so
scarce as to be newsworthy. It is no surprise to read and hear of
rape, crime, and violence. That�s not news, that�s the everyday stuff.
But when somebody does something heroic and unselfish, it catches most
of us off guard. (Readers Digest even has a special section called
Heroes for Today.)
We sometimes see people break out of their own small, enclosed existence,
rise above the Kingdom of Self, and do something heroic, even sacrificial,
but it is just not often enough. It should be the norm for the Christian.
It should be no big thing. It should be the everyday stuff.
Look at what�s happened to the church!
A few decades ago, most Christian books were about soulwinning. Today,
most are about out own improvement of self, with little regard for the
lost around us.
Today, our individualism has reduced the gospel to a purely personal
message. We have placed ourselves at the center of the gospel.
It is no longer about being a servant of the Lord; it is about being
a "Child of the King", with all the royal rights and privileges. It
is no longer about helping others; it is about helping ourselves to a
bigger and better deal through God. It is no longer about how far God
had to stoop down to rescue us; it is about how "special" we are to
God. It is no longer about "giving up my rights to serve God"; it is
about getting special rights because "God is there for my benefit".
Don�t get me wrong. God does have special blessings for us. But they
are for those who serve Him, not for those who use Him. People drift
from church to church today because "when this church no longer pleases
me or excites me, I�ll find another that will". People say, "I�m no
longer being fed here", when what they really mean is "nobody is
treating me special anymore". Some people seem to stay at a church
until the honeymoon is over, then they go somewhere else - to another
honeymoon, because during the honeymoon, you get the royal treatment.
After that, you�re just living and functioning together, the way life
was designed to be. Today, it is too much about self, and not enough
about God and others.
III. Support your local church.
A. Don�t be satisfied with mere financial support. Get involved!
Give yourself!
Two weeks ago, I posted a list of jobs needing to be done around the
church. Since then I have see a steady stream of volunteers coming
through our church. Much has been accomplished. Yesterday, we had a
dozen people here - some painting, some repairing or building, some
cleaning, some rehearsing for the KIDS program, some evangelizing . . .
it was great. That is the body working together. That is giving
yourself.
B. Hands on giving. Giving yourself is visiting those in the hospitals
and the shut-ins; stopping to hear someone�s heartaches and really caring.
Giving yourself is a sympathetic ear when somebody really needs to
talk. (I had someone in my office who shared with me their deepest
heartaches. I asked, "Is there anything I can do"? They said, "No,
I just needed to talk to somebody who cared.") Giving yourself is
lending a helping hand to someone in need. Giving yourself is taking
the time to find out if a panhandler is legitimately in need or just
supporting a habit. Giving yourself is NOT just forking out money to
such a person, but listening closely enough to find out the real story.
Giving yourself is looking people in the eye instead of just rushing
by and treating people impersonally. Giving yourself is investing
yourself in the lives of others, and offering yourself to God to be
used by Him.
First, give yourself. After that, everything else is a walk in the
park.
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