Sunday, June 24, 2007

Bits & Pieces: Giving (5)

"I have coveted no one's silver or gold or clothes. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to the men who were with me. In every thing I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus that He Himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive,' " (Acts 20:33--35).

* Knowing he would not see the Ephesian believers again in this life, the apostle Paul leaves them with an example to remember and His Lord's proverb to ponder. Completely content with His Savior's sufficiency, Paul never took financial advantage of anyone. He had learned what we continually struggle with: you cannot out-give God.

* In this farewell address to the elders of the church at Ephesus, Paul urges them to remember his example, and Lord Jesus' exhortation. The apostle Paul's teaching on giving was powerfully authentic because he modeled his message consistently.
Would that a cynical, watching world could see such giving in our lives.

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