Weekend Words

From Beside the Still Waters devotional...

Have Enough to Give? - Read: 1 Kings 17:8-16, John 6:1-13

"He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again." - Proverbs 19:17

In today's first Bible reading, the mother thought she and her son would soon starve.  Yet they were willing to give of the little they had to the prophet, and God blessed them so that they had food through the duration of the famine.

In the second reading, the lad may have thought, "Mother sent this for me; I'll go hungry if I give it."  But he gave it anyway.  As a result, he and thousands of others were well fed.  What did they do with the twelve baskets of fragments they picked up?  I like to think that one basket could have been given back to the lad.  Maybe he took it home and when Mother saw it, she asked, "What do you have here?"  Then perhaps he replied, "Jesus needed some food, so I gave Him mine.  He used it to feed a huge crowd, and then there were many baskets filled with leftovers.  This is only one of them!"

In another story I read recently, two young boys were saving money to buy a horse.  After hearing a report about very poor people in another country, they decided those people needed the money more than they needed a horse.  Later some friends gave them money - just enough to buy a horse.  The boys were blessed twice: first when they gave, and again when God gave it back to them through their friends.  God does not always bless us financially when we give, but He does always bless us.

There are many needs around us.  Maybe you don't know anyone nearby in dire need, but think of the millions in the world whose needs are made known to us through various charities and missions.  Are they not our neighbour?  Are we willing to share of our abundance?

- Paul Yoder - Gap Mills, WV

"Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give...for God loveth a cheerful giver." 

- 2 Corinthians 9:7

From Watch for the Light (Readings for Advent and Christmas)...

The God We Hardly Knew

No one can celebrate

a genuine Christmas

without being truly poor.

The self-sufficient, the proud,

those who, because they have

everything, look down on others,

those who have no need

even of God - for them there

will be no Christmas.

Only the poor, the hungry,

those who need someone

to come on their behalf,

will have that someone.

That someone is God.

Emmanuel. God-with-us.

Without poverty of spirit

there can be no abundance of God.

- Oscar Romero

" Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 5:3

I recently heard this lovely song on Sandra Ann's blog.  She has different graphics on hers, so if you enjoy it...take a look at her version too :)