giving

All Our Needs in His Own Way

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For even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need... And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:16 & 19 ESV

As I read my bible this morning, I was excited to see how the story of Paul’s missionary work is woven together with the little church in Philippi. When God first sent a vision to Paul to leave for Europe- he saw a man from Macedonia calling for help. So Paul went and bought a ticket, got on a boat and sailed across to Philippi. Rather surprisingly after obeying God’s call, Paul was promptly thrown in prison. But, on that famous night in the jail, while Paul and Silas sang hymns, God sent an earthquake and the church of Philippi was founded – with the jailer possibly becoming the first deacon! Now, many years later, Paul finds himself sitting in a Roman prison, but he was still concerned about the needs of that church in Philippi. All through the time Paul was establishing churches in Macedonia, Greece and Asia Minor, the Philippians had stayed in touch with him. Their leader Epaphroditus even visited Paul regularly, both bringing offerings and staying with him to help out. We do not hear of even one of the large rich churches sending help to Paul, but the Philippians continued doing all they could, because they considered Paul to be more than just an apostle. He was a part of their family. And just like when we send care packages to a son off in college, they were determined that as much as they were able they would take care of Paul.

Sure, God could have used larger churches or he could even have sent an angel with anything that Paul needed. But God chooses to use his people to take care of each other, so that we can experience the life of Christ for ourselves – and that experience begins with our learning how to give. Learning to give means learning to love and our greatest need of all is always love!

All Our Needs in His Own Way

All our needs in His own way
Jesus promises to meet
But He often uses hands of clay
To give the things we seek

So when God chooses us to lift
A load from off our brother
Remember it was from His cross
He showed how to love each other

All Our Needs in His Own Way by Peter Caligiuri 
copyright 2021 all rights reserved

Holy Week – Day 2

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Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. Luke 21:1-3 ESV

On this, His final day of public ministry, Jesus takes time to praise the offering of a widow. Among the crowds at the temple that day, she was probably considered the least important by most people. In fact few would have even noticed as she quietly slipped her two coins into the charity box. However everyone noticed the rich men as they carried in their gifts with great fanfare.  At the sound of their silver and gold coins clanking into the offering box people were oohing and aahing about how much they gave. But Jesus wasn’t impressed with money. He didn’t care about a big performance or false religiosity. He just waited quietly to see if anyone had come to give with all their heart.

Then just before Jesus went to prepare for His last meal with His disciples He gave us a simple insight about one widow. She had come with a pure heart and she had given all.

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The Gift of Mercy

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Blessed are the Merciful for they shall receive mercy. Matthew 5:7 ESV

In the middle of a crisis it feels good to find someone to blame, but it is far better to find someone to help. Last week in Casigno Italy, Father Giuseppe Berardelli died of the Covid-19 virus after giving his respirator away to a younger patient. His  act of sacrificial love is the example of the mercy of Jesus Christ that we all need to learn while we are passing through this valley of the shadow of death.

We are all only on this planet for so long and for all of us our final day will come. We have to choose how our lives will be remembered. When we are gone from this place will people first mention the beauty of our home or the vintage of our car? Will they discuss the brilliance of our investment strategy or the universities we sent our children to? Or will we be remembered as the landlord who forgave the rent, the mechanic who repaired someone’s car for free or the nurse who held a patient’s hand as they drew their last breath?

Mercy is like a flower whose seeds are given to us. We have an opportunity to plant them in the lives of people all around us. Remember that the greatest mercy of all was planted one late afternoon outside of Jerusalem 2,000 years ago as Jesus looked out from His cross and cried, “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing!” Now He puts that mercy into our hands. So why not look for a way to plant mercy in the heart of someone else today? Remember  the words of Jesus when He said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

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