How to Cash In On Your Inheritance
Written by Ed Allen
Saturday, 14 August 1999 19:00
Effective Living in a Busy World
Jesus sees the whole of what God requires in terms of relationships ? not rules, not regulations, not a wordy philosophy. That?s why at Gateway our mission is to grow people Up, In and Out.
(26) "What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"
(27) He answered: "`Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, `Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
(28) "You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."
(29) But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
(30) In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half-dead. (31) A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. (32) So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. (33) But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. (34) He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. (35) The next day he took out two silver coins [5] and gave them to the innkeeper. `Look after him,' he said, `and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'
(36) "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"
(37) The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."
Here are five lessons from the story:
1. Don?t fall into the hands of robbers in between Jericho and Jerusalem.2. Relax your schedule so that you have energy to care.
- I don?t ever get the sense from reading the biographies of Jesus that he was in a hurry. He never seemed rushed or flustered, never out of time. He never complained that he didn?t have enough time.
- The Priest and Levite probably had important things to do. But the most important priority is caring for those in need.
- Illustration: Add a Line A counselor I knew always scheduled an hour and a half for each of his sessions. He scheduled 50 minutes for the session, 10 minutes to record and respond, and then 30 minutes to reflect and collect. This is an extra line in your daytimer.
Release your resources so that you can offer complete care.
- Go the extra mile. The Samaritan goes the extra mile. He completes the act of caring. He follows through until the need is met.
- Don?t care partway. This is not caring this is compulsion. Illustration: It is like a woman who takes her husband out for a fancy meal on his birthday, but bemoans and begrudges him for buying desert at the end of the meal. The gift is tainted.
- Release your resources because generosity is its own blessing. Proverbs 22:9 "A generous person will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor."
- Release your resources because God rewards generosity. Proverbs 11:25 "A generous person will prosper; the one who refreshes others will themselves be refreshed."
- (2 Corinthians 9:6-11)
- Receive God?s blessing with a colander.
- Gateway must be this kind of church ? first of all for one another. Then for the poor.
Receive help from your neighbor.
- For some of you it is difficult to receive. Have you ever considered that this might be pride. It is easier to be in the position of giving, because then you are always over and above.
- When you are in need ? receive.
- The remarkable thing about Jesus? story is the source of the help.
- Forced the expert in the law to reflect on his own prejudices.
- Allow God to surprise you.
- Accept the Gingerale
One final practical piece of advice. Does not come directly from the story but reflects the truth behind Jesus? story. Remember that it is more blessed to give than to receive.
- In Acts 20:35 and following Paul is saying a tearful goodbye to one of the churches that he helped start. Let?s listen in to what he tells them. "In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the word the Lord Jesus himself said: ?It is more blessed to give than to receive.?"
- Paul tells his friends 2 things: (1) to help the weak. (2) To remember that it is more blessed to give. He knows this can be motivation for generosity.
- Isn?t this mercenary? No! Because God wants us to seek our own joy! But not cheap joy. Not fleeting joy. But fierce joy, lasting joy, robust joy. That kind of joy can only be found in Him and in letting Him use us to bless others.
"We must not be troubled by unbelievers when they say that this promise of reward makes the Christian life a mercenary affair. There are different kinds of reward. There is the reward which has no natural connection with the thing you do to earn it, and is quite foreign to the desires that ought to accompany those things. Money is not the natural reward of love; that is why we call a man mercenary if he marries a woman for the sake of her money. But marriage is the proper reward for a real lover, and he is not mercenary for desiring it. A general who fights well in order to get a peerage is mercenary; a general who fights for victory in not, victory being the proper reward of battle as marriage is the proper reward of love. The proper rewards are not simply tacked on to the activity for which they are given, but are the activity itself in consummation."
C. S. Lewis
- Tie a string around your finger to remind you that it is more blessed to give than to receive.
Knock yourself out this week. In the service of love go meet needs. Meet them all the way.