Manna is never gathered alone in the wilderness. It is gathered in community, distributed in community, measured out in community, so that every person gets their daily omer of manna. Otherwise, we're dying in the wilderness right now (too little, or excess). The maggots of too much as an insidious ugly way to lose your life.
God gives the world enough of what it needs. All he asks is that we distribute what He gives.
Because if you end up waiting to give when you know how much you have in the bank account, in the budget, in the back pocket --you can end up giving God your left overs, not your first fruits.
When you give God your leftovers, you give God what you can afford to give and not what changes how you live.
Surplus Giving is the leftover you can afford to give; Sacrificial Giving is the love gift that changes how you live -- because the love of Christ has changed you.
God doesn't want your leftovers. God wants your love overtures, your first-overs, because He is your first love.
There is nothing you have that isn't a gift to you.
The essence of the gospel is the essence of the universe:
You aren't saved by works --- and you have nothing in the universe by your work;
you are saved by His grace --- and everything you have in the universe is by His grace.
We don't want comfort.
We want Christ who is comfort,
we want danger that defies safe so people get saved,
we want freedom that flies in the face of fear,
and we want justice that must rise at any cost, because Jesus has risen and He paid the unfathomable price.
No comments:
Post a Comment