Be Still and Know - How Has The Spirit Led You To Share Your Possessions With Others?
(from www.premierchristianradio.com)
Acts 2:44-45
"And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need."
It’s fascinating to see the impact that the Holy Spirit had in the earliest days of the early Church. He transformed every part of their life. Yes, they were committed to teaching, fellowship and prayer but they also looked at their possessions with new eyes. They were eager to find opportunities to share their resources with one another, according to people’s needs. This was revolutionary stuff.
It is really important to ensure that a church’s teaching, fellowship and prayer life are strong. But if they don’t affect our attitude towards our material possessions, something has gone seriously wrong.
I don’t believe that there is just one way of doing this. This very brief description of the early Church gives the impression that all the Christians lived together in community. It sounds very simple and straightforward, however, I don’t think anyone who has lived in community would describe it as either simple or straightforward!
I remember one Christian leader, when asked to pick one word to describe living in community, choosing: “painful”. When asked to expand on this, he replied: “very painful”. That doesn’t mean living in community is wrong, but I certainly don’t believe God is calling all of us to that.
What is clear is that God calls all of us to be good stewards of the resources he has put in our hands. They have been given to us so that we can share them with others, and we will only be able to do that if we are well aware of the needs of others.
When our love for our Christian brothers and sisters leads us to give sacrificially to support them, you can be sure that the Holy Spirit is at work. If the presence of the Holy Spirit is only ever seen in worship, there are some serious questions to ask.
QUESTION
In what way has the Spirit led you to share your possessions with others?
PRAYER
Loving God, help me to be a good steward of all that you have generously given to me. Amen