Freely Given, Greely Give

Devotion

1-28-10

Freely Given, Freely Give

Matthew 10: 8b-9

“…Freely you received, freely give. Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts.”

I can’t explain to you how excited I was thing morning while doing my Bible study. I had prayed that God would reveal to me something, not just important for the body of Christ / the church, but something exciting that He wanted us to understand and to believe that He would do in us and through us as His church.  When He called me to serve as the women’s ministry director / visionary for FBC Glenpool, He placed a vision in my heart, a vision that would not only grow the women’s ministry but would transform the hearts of the women, their husbands and their children. In as much as this would happen, He would build the church stronger and more powerfully effective in reaching lost souls than ever before.  Why? Well, it was clear that the women, men and children are not just a bunch of individual people that walk through the doors of the church, they are each part of a family; they are moms, dads, sons and daughters.  Sadly though, many of the families are broken, hurting and struggling. They are fighting secret battles and are afraid to let any one in the church know they need help.  They are feeling alone and defeated way too often and with those feeling come hopelessness and depression. Before they know it the family unit has begun to crumble and break apart, the church becomes weaker because its very foundation no longer sits upon a sold rock. Therefore, dearly beloved, God has called us as His church to step up to the plate and no longer just swing into the air as if we have nothing to hit, no we are called to step up with our eyes open and alert to what is being thrown at us and be prepared to hit it with all our might, His might He fills us with, and defeat the opposing team, the enemy.  How will we do this? We will do it according to the word He showed me this morning in Matthew 10:8b-9. We will freely give as we have freely received.

 

God wants us to rebuild and strengthen our families. He has given us all the tools and information we need to accomplish this. The question isn’t, Will He or can He do this? The question is: Are you willing to do what it will take to rebuild and strengthen your family?  If you say yes than understand this. God wants to freely give you the help you need to unite your family which will in turn unite His church.  Freely is the key here. Christ died to set us free from the chains of death, this we know, but He also set us free from the chains of sin, all sin. He freely gave us His word to guide us and teach us. When He walked upon the earth He freely gave of Himself as He taught the multitudes and feed the thousands, when He healed the sick and cast out the demons. He freely gave His life in place of ours on the cross. Freely He gave and He asks us to freely give.

 

With this in mind God has given us a vision to reach out to our fellow brothers and sisters (this includes you) and freely give the encouragement, teaching, discipleship, training, and equipping that is needed to develop a stronger personal relationship with Him, our spouses and our children.  No charge; paid in full at the cross He says. No cost to study His word, to listen to the testimonies and stories of how He is working in each of our lives.  No desires to gain or build the bank account for our ministries; He will provide everything needed to make it possible. We are to have no focus on what we can get but instead on what we can give. Trusting Him not ourselves to accomplish the task. Reaching out to each other and to our community with the free gift of God’s love as we freely share His word and hope. As we open our doors and hearts to others we will find a new strength in our spiritual walk, in our marriages, in our homes, and within the church. Why, because we will be learning how to love the Lord, how to live by His word and how to share His truths. Then we will be, not just strengthening the church, but we will be building His kingdom through our obedience to freely give as we have freely been given.  All in Jesus name and to His glory! It’s time to give!