Our Gifts to God’s Glory
Proverbs 18:6
Rev. Juvenal Cervantes, Pastor
St. John’s United Church of Christ, Greeley, Colorado
November 14, 2021
A man’s gift makes room for him,
And brings him before great men.
– Proverbs 18:16
A few weeks ago, my brother called me and asked, “What are you doing?” My response: “I am writing a $ check to St. John’s UCC.” He reflected, “Oh, that means this month you earned $.” Of course, my brother was thinking of the practice of the tithe that we learned at our little Mexican mission church where we attended in our childhood. Our pastor regularly encouraged us to give 10% of our income to God. My family and I are committed to increasing the tithe, maybe to 30%, instead of 10%. Recently our church mailed us a receipt of our contributions for the first three quarters of 2021 and we were already close to meeting our goal and we still have three months to add to the total.
St. John’s has 84 giving units. If each of us we’re on the minimum social security monthly income of $1,437.55, and we tithe $143 each month, every year we would give to St. John’s UCC $1,716. Collectively, 84 giving units’ times $1,716 would add to $144,000! We would surpass our budget by more than $50,000!
The fact is that in most churches 20% of the people give 80% of the budget needs and 30% give the remaining 20% of the budget needs, leaving 50% of people giving nothing. A sad reality in many of our churches
As I thought of the wonderful tradition of St. John’s UCC regarding the preparation, presentation and dedication of the pledge cards for God’s work in the following year, I came across a Bible verse that jumped out at me, and as I began to study it, it has become one of my favorites.
One of the first things that is helpful to understand is that God has given us gifts to use for His glory.
Yes, you and I!!! You may be thinking to yourself, “I am not important enough for God to give me a gift, skill, or a talent.”
God created you for the purpose of His Kingdom going forward. He has enabled you to reach people that no one else can, and it is the giftings He has given to you that accomplishes it. Romans 12:6 says, “having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them.”
Second, it is helpful to understand that your giftings are unique to you.
Don’t look at what someone else can do and wish that was you.
You may think your talent is weird and unpopular, but sometimes it is those of us who feel like we have the least to give who accomplish great things for God. Look at Gideon (Judges 6). Everyone judged him and thought he was a coward because he hid away in a winepress in order to thresh wheat in safety. You know what God saw? Someone who would not give up and would think outside of the box to survive and defy the enemy.
The enemy of our souls wants to make you feel like your gift is useless and that there is no way that your gift can make a difference. Your gift does make a difference.
A third thing to understand is that God’s economy is not the same as that of this corrupt world system.
In Matthew 10:42, Jesus says, “And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.” If you gift is to give a cup of cold water in love to someone who needs it, you are advancing the Kingdom of God.
The enemy tells you that you need to be rich and famous to make a difference; God says to love Him and your neighbor and you are fulfilling your role on the earth. I think of Billy Graham. As far as we know, the woman who led him to Christ led no one else to Him, but look at the impact Billy and his family have had on the world. You can’t see the ripple effect of your actions, but God does.
So how does your gift make room for you and bring you before great men? The more you use your gift, the bigger it gets. It is like a well-toned muscle that gets stronger and more powerful each time it is tested. Over time as you become excellent in your gift, it gets noticed by others, and as you prove trustworthy, God will open doors for you that you could never imagine.
Dailly we are placed in situations where God opens a door for us to witness of his love and grace. We may think to ourselves, “Who am I to be a witness to this person?” And God says to us, “I have gifted you to show My love in unique ways, and you have been faithful even when it was weird, wacky and uncomfortable. This person needs a unique form of My love, and I know that you will be obedient to show it.”
So, can we ask something of each other? Let us pray for each other because so many days we don’t feel up to the task and there are days when we simply fail. So that is the last point. Just because you and I may fail every once in a while, you don’t get disqualified. God is the God of second, third, fourth, fifth, gazillionth chances. His patience is eternal, and He never gives up on you.
Some of us may be wondering, when I give or my talents and gifts, what’s it in for me?
1. The Giver is Blessed
Paul wrote to “remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’” (Acts 20:35). Where did Paul hear this? Was he listening to some of Jesus’ teachings before he was converted? Did he receive this teaching directly from Christ? It is difficult to find it in the gospels, but apparently Jesus said it. The point is, the one who gives is more blessed than the one who receives, and since all blessings flow from God, it must be God Who blesses the giver. I don’t know exactly how this works, but it must because Scripture teaches it, and I believe Scripture!
2. The Giver is Rewarded
We don’t live for rewards today when we help others. Jesus said that on the day of His visitation, we will receive our rewards from Him for all that we do for others for His sake. Jesus stressed giving “so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matt 6:4) and “whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward” (Matt 10:42). Your rewards do not all come today, although I believe God will bless the generous person, but they are to be given in the kingdom, and none of us will “lose his (or her) reward.” God promises a reward for the one who is generous, as Proverbs 19:17 says, “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done.”
3. The Giver Receives
If you think giving is a one-way track to losing what you have, you couldn’t be more distant from the truth. The Bible says that “the liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that waters shall be watered also himself” (Prov 11:15). Think about that. If you water your tomato plants, these will later make you fat. God is not talking about someone becoming overweight. When the Bible speaks about being made fat, it means they will have plenty and want for nothing. Just like giving a drink to your plants, it will be like being watered yourself when it’s time to harvest the tomatoes. Jesus showed that giving has a cause and effect relationship when He said, “Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you” (Luke 6:38). Notice you give and it’s given back to you, not only by the same measure, but in “good measure,” and then to get even more in, it’s “pressed down” and finally “shaken together” so that more yet can be received. After all that, then it’s running over into your lap. Truly the giver receives more than he or she gives.
Conclusion
Henry Ward Beecher was a congregational clergy and social reformer, a strong advocate for the abolition of slavery. Among his many ideas was the axiom, “In this world it is not what we take up, but what we give up, that makes us rich,” and that is God’s principle, too, because the giver is blessed, the giver is rewarded, and the giver receives more back from God than what they gave in the first place. That is truly a win-win if ever there was one!
So, what are you waiting for? Get out there and use your gifts to God’s glory and don’t forget to thank the One who gave them to you.