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Sep 24, 2024 06:00am

The Power of Giving

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I remember being a kid, and we always asked each other, “If you had a million dollars, what would you do with it?” My first thought wasn’t about clothes, fancy cars, or a trip to Disney World, but instead, a little closer to home.

“I’d buy my mom a brand new house.”

I know I’m not alone. Oftentimes, when a person wins the lottery, this is one of the first things they do with their money.

While I don’t have a million dollars, I remember the first time I could help my mom with something they needed. She didn’t ask for it. She simply shared about a need, and we had the opportunity to help. It was as simple as that.

But it wasn’t simple at all.

I remember countless times when my mom sacrificed so we could have something. I’ve never known a time when my mom wasn’t working. Sometimes, she had two jobs; still, she has her regular job and takes care of my grandparents. She’s the hardest worker I know. So, for me to be able to give her something in return felt monumental. It wasn’t prideful but out of thanks, admiration, and love.

Acts 11:27-30
“During this time, some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.
28 One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.)
29 The disciples, as each one was able, decided to provide help for the brothers and sisters living in Judea.
30 This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.”

A prophet is a man called by God to be a spokesperson, a mouthpiece for His message that He gave directly, sometimes foretelling events in the future. God called these men to bring a message to the church of Antioch about a great famine that would spread throughout Jerusalem and the surrounding area. This church was a mission, a daughter, to the first church there in Jerusalem. And because of this future famine, they had the opportunity to help their mother church in a time of need.

It wasn’t prideful but out of thanks, admiration, and love for their fellow believers.

They weren’t forced to give or guilted by a leader. There wasn’t a certain amount stated that they had to give. They simply gave because they saw a need and wanted to help as each one was able.

There are great needs in this world, much like the one that was occurring in Jerusalem. Without food, it would have been hard to continue sharing the gospel. But these men and women worked together to provide what was needed for God’s Kingdom.

What are we doing with our money? We spend our lives working and earning to provide for our own needs, but mostly to provide for our wants. If we closely examined our spending, we might be a little convicted about what we’re really using our resources on.

What if we dug a little deeper into our pockets and trusted the Lord to provide what was needed and gave to advance the Kingdom of God? How incredible would it be that the fruits of your labor would be used to bear fruit for the Lord by supporting a ministry that shares the gospel, plants churches, trains and equips people to become disciples, disciple-makers, and missionaries?

Would you consider giving to Lifeword? Lifeword is a media ministry that shares the gospel in 164 languages worldwide. It partners with local churches and missionaries to provide biblical, gospel-centered content in the language of the people in their communities. Through the internet, radio, video, and social media, Lifeword does one thing – we tell the story. The most beautiful story in the world – the story of Jesus. Go to Lifeword.org to check it out. Join us in supporting Lifeword prayerfully and financially as you have the opportunity to give. If you’d like someone to come to your church or event to share about this ministry and its global reach, message me.