Written by Chuck Swindoll, these encouraging devotional thoughts are published seven days per week.
Let me encourage you, in spite of the high cost of giving and the small number of servant-models you may see around you, to determine to be different. God tells us He "loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7), and He promises us that the one "who is generous will be blessed" (Proverbs 22:9). Let's believe Him!
Sticking with any commitment is costly. And I can assure you, becoming a servant who gives and gives and gives to others is no exception. By comparison, it will make dieting look like a piece of cake (no pun intended).
We need to make an investigation of our own possessiveness, our tendency to hoard, to hold onto, rather than invest in the lives of others.
Following Christ as His disciple is a costly, unselfish decision. It calls for a radical examination of our self-centred lifestyles. Whew! That's one of those easy things to say but tough to carry out.
Words come easy—but being a person who genuinely and personally gives to others calls for a plentiful supply of flexibility. There's much more to giving ourselves to the Lord and to others than making verbal statements.
When they gave, they "overflowed" in the process. They liberally and sacrificially gave "beyond their ability." I love the way Paul wrote that. Their giving dripped with sacrificial generosity. There wasn't a tightwad among them. How refreshing!
When we practice the art of unselfish living, we prefer to remain anonymous. In fact, most of the people I know who possess a servant's heart are greatly embarrassed when their names are put up in lights.
Giving, forgiving, and forgetting...as a servant of Jesus Christ, which of these three do you need to apply most today?
Now, before we get neck deep into this unselfish lifestyle, we need to determine if it is, in fact, promoted in Scripture. Does the Bible come right up front and encourage living like this? I'll let you determine the answer.
Yourself, yourself, yourself. We're up to here with self! Do something either for yourself or with yourself or to yourself. How very different from Jesus' model and message! He offers rather a fresh and much-needed invitation to our "me-first" generation.
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