June 5, 2016

ALMSGIVING

Tobit 12:8-9

Prayer is good with fasting, almsgiving, and righteousness. A few prayers with righteousness are better than many with wrongdoing. It is better to do almsgiving than to lay up gold. For almsgiving rescues one from death, and it will wash away every sin. Those who do almsgiving and are righteous will be full of life.

Personal Challenge

So, what exactly is almsgiving? One definition is, "to give of oneself above and beyond what is due." This is truly a concept that has been lost over time and definitely not practiced in today's modern culture...even by the Church. Isn't almsgiving something that our Lord Jesus Christ did? He owed His creation, that which He spoke into existence, nothing. Especially after we turned our back on Him and ate of the forbidden fruit. And yet He gave of His abundance, even to the point of His own life, so that we could have eternal life. So, if my desire is to imitate Him, to be like Him, to be called one of His followers, then should I not do the same? Almsgiving is not tithing. We tithe from our firstfruits as a way of saying, "Thank you!" for our blessings. Almsgiving is what comes after we have tithed. Tithing goes to the Church, to support it and to build it up. Almsgiving goes to those who need what I have more than I do, many of which have never been to church and may never go there. This type of giving does not just include my wealth. I can, and must, give my time, my words, my everything that I have in abundance, to those who are in need.

One area that has become so apparent to me where I can practice almsgiving is in the social media world. I can choose to sacrifice my personal agenda and opinions and give to those in my friend's list what they need. I can give words of encouragement. I can give blessings and make joyful noises unto the Lord. I can give of my time by listening to their stories and their passions and offering back to them words that are uplifting and free of sarcasm or innuendos or hidden (maybe not so hidden) putdowns. This too is giving out of the abundance that God has given me. Glory be to God!