Getting to Give
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Freely you have received; freely give. (John 3:16, Matt 10:8)
You are warmly welcome to Kakumba Chapel.
We had three action-packed days last week with two hundred children gathering each day for a wonderful Children’s Conference that ended successfully, under the theme ‘Getting to Give’. Hannah asked the Lord for a son, she received this blessing of baby Samuel, and she gave him back to the Lord and he became a great prophet and judge. Peter and John received the power of the Holy Spirit when they were commissioned by Jesus Christ, they met a lame beggar at the Temple’s Beautiful Gate when they didn’t have money, but they gave him what they had – healing! Similarly, Jesus taught and empowered many disciples and sent them out to give what they had gained through reaching out and sharing this good news. These and many more such stories were shared with the children, with accompanying fun and food.
In the recent season of Lent, we chose to spend time on Spiritual Disciplines as our subject of study and practice. The discipline of giving and generosity is one of those that are a must if one is to please God. Giving is part of worship to God and service to fellow people. There are many types of givers: some have donated land or furniture to the Church, while others bring huge sums of liquid cash. All these are welcome. Some give secretly while others would enjoy some recognition; still this is acceptable. Let us focus on the particular giving that God demonstrates in the above key Scriptures quoted:
God gave out of love; we are called to give out of love for people around us; and there are very many longing for love. God gave His precious Son; we are called to give the best and most valuable things that we have. For Hannah, baby Samuel was most valuable, having arrived after a very long and distressful waiting, but she literally given him up to God’s service at Shiloh (1Sam 1:27-28) – what an example! You can no longer excuse yourself for holding onto that most valuable item; give your best. Peter and John in Acts 3:6-8 gave in the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. We are called to give in His Name – to pray for healing, to share the Good News of the Kingdom of God – to be His witnesses. More explicitly, Jesus commissioned his disciples, and we are so commissioned, to preach and make disciples of all nations as a ministry act of giving. May the Lord strengthen us continually to grow in this grace all the days of our lives. Freely you have received, freely give.
God bless you.