Well, I was going to begin a series on Christmas for my Theological Thursday, but something else happened this week that was very encouraging that I wanted to share:
Back in the beginning of August, I was teaching in a class at church about the treasures that God has blessed us with. It was tied into the story of the 10 minas (about 3 months wages) out of Luke 19. The main point of Jesus' parable is that we are to not squander what God has given to us (money, talent, gifts, etc) and all of them should be used for His glory. In a parallel parable in Matthew 25, Jesus gives out different amounts to each person, but the one who only has 1 mina has just as much of an opportunity to invest it for God's glory as the person with ten.
I ended the class that day with a challenge...what can you do with "a little mina". I gave everyone in the class $5.00 and instructed that this was to be prayed about and used in a way that would impact the Kingdom of God (I know, I know...all our money should be used in this way, but this was more of a symbolic "what can you do with only $5.00 if you are completely focused on God with it" kind of thing). So class ended that day and we all went about seeking direction for the maximum impact we could make with such a small amount.
So one day a "pop-up" came on my computer screen at work...this was very strange since all our computers block pop-ups. It was a site for "prison pen pals". It had a database of 1,000's of prisoners from across the nation and their address in prison. I knew that this was what God wanted me to do, but how would I pick which one(s) and what exactly would I send?
After several weeks of praying, I settled on two people from the site that God led me to. Several years ago I purchased a case of "More Than a Carpenter" books by Josh McDowell and still had several copies left over (I had already handed out the majority of them). In any case, this book very clearly presents the Gospel message...and best of all I got them for only $1.50 each so it fit within my tiny budget. Along with the book, I sent a long letter giving my own testimony and that I was dedicating myself to pray for them every single day for a month (which I did).
On Monday I received a card from one of the prisoners I sent the book to in California named Chena. In it she talked about how she was going through a "dark valley" at the time she received my package and how much she needed it. She said she had accepted Christ and was Baptized (though not real clear if that was before or after the book). The best part is many of the other prisoners saw the book and letter and are anxious to read it as well!
That brings me to the point of my post (which I haven't completely processed yet)...what if I treated all my money this way? What if I treated all the gifts and talents God has given me this way? What if all Christians did the same? Who knows...Chena may be a prison chaplain someday and impact 1,000's of lives --- maybe somebody who borrows the book from someone who borrowed the book will be the mother of the next Billy Graham...with the power of God, there is really no boundaries and as I felt very led to these particular prisoners, I have no doubt amazing things will come as a result.
If all this can stem from just $5.00, what could happen with $50.00? 500.00? 5000.00? Isn't it worth giving it all to God for His glory?
1 comment:
So how does the $5 from August relate to the books that you purchased years ago? How did you use the $5 from August? Shipping?
If we give all of "our" money away how can we pay our bills? If 70% of people spend more than they make, how can you expect us to give money away.
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