Artist and my daughter: Virginia Wilson

Guest artist: Virginia Wilson (my daughter:)

Children are a gift from God! The artist is my gift and the painting is her gift to you!

Virginia’s painting was a great addition to the “Give” post I wrote earlier this week.

For anyone who missed it, read on and I pray it gives you food for thought and sends you running to God’s Word for yourself!

Have the best day ever!!

“Give”

“Give to everyone who asks of you…” (Luke 6:30a NASB)

I pondered this verse for hours.

We can ALWAYS GIVE THE GOSPEL AND OUR LOVE but how do we know when we are to give something else as well?

Codependents are buried under the burden this verse can seemingly place on them.

“After all, what would happen to them if someone doesn’t pick up the pieces? Do you pay their rent, utilities, phone one more time?  Do you buy the groceries and gas once again? Do you give them cash to pay a bill, not knowing if you are really funding an addiction?” 

However,

I had a revelation about this command that lines up with the freedom we are called to in Christ.

“Give to everyone who asks of you” is not the same thing as “give everyone what they ask for!”

This may not be a news flash to you, but it brought me tremendous relief.  The enemy of our soul will sometimes try to use Scripture to trip us up, to make us feel guilty, to make us step in, when it was never our place.

Jesus gave us a model of retaliation for this when he was tempted by satan in the wilderness just after His baptism.

…5Then the devil took Him to the holy city and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple. 6“If You are the Son of God, he said, “throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command His angels concerning You, and they will lift You up in their hands, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’” 7Jesus replied, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”… (Matthew 4:5-7)

We fight satan with the Sword of the Spirit, God’s Word.

 “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4 NIV)

When we delight in the Lord, our desires begin to reflect the heart of God.  When we delight in the Lord, we ultimately want HIS will, not ours.

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” (Luke 22:42)

There is more gray than I would I like in the Bible.  I wish there was a black and white answer on every issue.

However,

if there was, we would be tempted to use the Word as an instruction manual, rather than cherish it as a relationship, a conversation with a Person who loves us and wants to talk to us, a Person who wants us to be dependent on HIM for every decision.

The prodigal son would have stayed away from his father longer had someone fed him,

14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. (Luke 15:14-20)

yet James tells us,

“…15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you tells him, “Go in peace; stay warm and well fed,” but does not provide for his physical needs, what good is that? 17So too, faith by itself, if it is not complemented by action, is dead.…” (James 2:15-17)

At surface level these stories would seem to contradict one another;

however,

they are really just a perfect example of God showing us our need to come to HIM to make wise choices.  Sometimes we enable others to prolong their years in the wilderness when we fill their every need

but

sometimes God tells us to step in, be HIS hands and feet through food, clothes and shelter.

So which one is it?

“Not my will but YOURS be done.”

We are to filter every decision through the lens of Christ and God will direct our next step.

We are not everyone’s Savior but we are called to reflect the Savior to everyone!

Have a wonderful, dependent-on-Jesus, kind-a-day today!

** A great book about alleviating poverty without hurting the poor and yourself

“When Helping Hurts” by Brian Fikkert and Steve Corbett