“Let
him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor,
working with his hands what is good, that he may have
something to give him who has need” (Ephesians 4:28)
ChristianGlobe.com
reported this “Bits & Pieces”
article from 1994: “The American
industrialist, Henry Ford, was once asked to donate money for
the construction of a new medical facility. The billionaire
pledged to donate $5,000. The next day in the newspaper, the
headline read, ‘Henry Ford contributes $50,000 to the local
hospital.’ The irate Ford was on the phone immediately to
complain that he had been misunderstood. The fund-raiser replied
that they would print a retraction in the paper the following
day to read, ‘Henry Ford reduces his donation by $45,000.’
Realizing the poor publicity that would result, the
industrialist agreed to the $50,000 contribution in return for
the following: That above the entrance to the hospital was to be
carved the inscription: ‘I came among you and you took me in.’”
It may not seem like
it to you, but one of our greatest privileges in life is to GIVE
to those who are in need. If we just TAKE things, they last for
awhile, but if we GIVE, our blessing will never end – It will
last forever. In Matthew Chapter 10, Jesus was teaching His
disciples to GIVE in the power of God. They suddenly were able
to cast out “unclean spirits”
and “to heal all kinds of sickness and
all kinds of disease” (verse 1). These disciples
consisted of the special inner group, “the twelve,” and later,
after the defection of Judas Iscariot, they were “the eleven.”
These men were to go out from Jesus with little of this world’s
possessions, but give from the power of God. It was a very good
exchange indeed – They gave up the power and riches of this
world for true power from God. This is an exchange that we
should all consider.
The GROUND of giving
to churches and charitable organizations is this: We are giving
to the poor. Historically, it has been understood that to say
“Yes” to the Lord and enter His ministry is to take a vow of
poverty. That is, at the call of God, you give up your income
potential as a worker, understanding by faith that He will
provide for your need. And He does very often use people to
provide for the needs of those He calls.
Jesus’ instruction to
His twelve disciples is interesting. He told them: “Freely
you have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8). The
disciples were going to give something wonderful to those they
met, which included healing them from diseases and delivering
them from demonic oppression – And they were NOT to charge for
their services. The sudden onset of the gift(s) of God should
show us, by the way, that our gifts and abilities are not from
ourselves, but instead are from God. The disciples would take
little with them. They were supposed to see that God can take
our little and make it enough. This lesson was shown to them
many times, and it is also being shown to you and me. And
further, they were to see that our call is not to take from
people, but instead to give.
More than thirty years
ago, I read an article in a Christian publication about a
missionary to an impoverished Central American village. He and
his wife had little, and their children were unable to attend
the Christian school in the city because the parents couldn’t
afford it. They were thinking of leaving the mission field and
the missionary was in prayer. Suddenly, the thought of a
“spice” came into his mind. After the prayer, he asked a
villager about the spice. The man responded that all of the
ingredients for that spice existed in the area around their
village. They went out together and collected all the leaves
and roots necessary, dried them, crushed them and mixed them
together. It was the spice! The missionary took their
remaining money, went to the city, and bought glass jars.
Returning, he placed the spice into the jars; then went back to
the city and sold the spice. He bought more jars, and so on.
They built a factory in the center of their village which
produced the spice, and their business soon employed everyone in
that impoverished region. It was not only a factory, but also
their church, where the workers and their families worshipped
and thanked God for what He had done.
That church became a
place of GIVING, instead of taking away. When we were in
Cancun, a couple of years ago, a gentleman smiled, looked at me,
and told me point-blank that he thought pastors were “ticks,”
because he felt that we take away the life blood of the people.
He had a point. Instead of always passing the plate, we are to
pray much like that missionary did, asking the Lord to show us
the way. God may have something unexpected and wonderful for
your ministry and mine.
The “Bits
& Pieces” article quoted earlier, points out something
about people: We often intend the right things, but act with
base motives. The fund raiser didn’t need to coerce Henry Ford
into giving more, because God can complete those projects He
leads, when we first look to Him. The Lord has all the money we
think is ours, and He does not need our clever human methods to
obtain it. That’s clearly shown in our Scripture for this
morning: “Let him who stole steal no
longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is
good, that he may have something to give him who has need”
(Ephesians 4:28). “Labor” does
not necessarily mean physical work – This comparison with the
one who would “steal” simply
means that the methods of those who are in Christ must be based
in prayer, and all that we do must be from an honest heart.
“Let
him who stole steal no longer” (Ephesians 4:28) not only
goes to our actions, but it also should cause us to reflect on
our motives about WHY we do what we do.
The missionary in
Central America knew that he had been sent by God to the people
in that area, and yet, his efforts seemed futile. The area
remained impoverished and few were coming to Christ. Even those
of his family were in financial jeopardy. What would he do? –
He prayed.
What the fund raiser
did to Henry Ford was amusing – And it resulted in 45,000 extra
dollars for the local hospital. But what really happened? To
do a “good” thing for poor reasons is not “good” in the sight of
God. A huge difference between the one who labors and the one
who steals is motive; and base purposes do not glorify God. We
can seem to be generous, but are like thieves in His sight when
our motives are poor.
Father, teach us to
look to You in all things, trusting that You will provide what
is needed, and show us the way we should act. Let us become
people who freely give, as led by the Spirit of God. In Jesus
Name. Amen.
