sharing
One of the highest goals of
Christians should be unity. Over and
over again, we see in the scriptures how God desires those who love Him to be
of one heart and one mind. Obviously that is not to abandon
individuality, culture or ethnicity, but it is to be unified in our aim of
loving God and loving others.
It seems the early church was
doing this quite well. There is
considerable evidence that poverty and food shortages were an ongoing problem
for the Jerusalem
It should be noted of course,
that all giving was voluntary and that people chose to give as they saw
need. Not only in words were the
apostles giving witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, but in the great
grace of Jesus, they were expressing that Life in practical ways, and
encouraging others to do the same.
Joses, who was also named
Barnabas, (meaning Son of Encouragement),
is especially pointed out in verse 36 possibly because it was an
outstanding gift he gave, and because he appears later in the history as a
Christian leader conspicuous for his sheer goodness. Interestingly, he was a Levite by birth, and
since he was one who owned land, this indicates that some of the ancient laws
(such as Levites not owning land), were no longer embraced.[2] So here was a man, from the priestly line of
the Levites, who did not really live according to all the Old Testament
mandates, yet who is compelled by love and compassion to fulfill the heart of
those same mandates. Here is a true
fulfillment of the Law!
We will all benefit from a
little self-evaluation done in light of the gospel. Are we expending our time, energy and money
for the sake of love? If so, at least
two basic things are accomplished which are dear to God’s heart:
1. We come into unity with others who also
desire to express God’s love.
2. In practical ways we express our faith and
care for others.
When we were young children, most of our
teachers and parents tried very hard to teach us to share. It was a hard lesson since it goes so against
our self-serving interests, and at times, I imagine excuses were made in the
face of failures because of our tender age.
But that was when we were children.
Are there now any “good excuses” for not sharing?
Read
and Pray: Isaiah 58:6-11, 1 Timothy 6:17-19, 2
Corinthians 9:6-8
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