As we are wrapping up the Christmas season (the 12 days of Christmas starts Christmas Day!), now is an especially poignant time to consider our resources and our uses of them. Now is the time to make New Year resolutions, to reflect on the past year and plan for the year ahead.
In his sermon Pastor Minnix discussed how God has our needs covered, but when it comes to our greeds, we’re on our own. He cited the scriptural text of how God provided the fleeing Israelites with manna. The people were instructed to collect just enough for the day’s needs, any extra became wormy and rotten. On the day before the Sabbath, they could collect twice as much so as to reserve the Sabbath for rest and worship.
After trudging around in the dessert for a while, I would have been one to try to collect extra so that I would have a “in case of emergency” stash. How often do we take from God’s bounty with one hand while the other hand is trying to get just a little more? What if tomorrow the manna doesn’t fall, what if I need an extra little snack? I’d better be prepared.
Wrong! on so many levels. God knows what we need, even if we aren’t so sure. AND HE PROVIDES! How many countless times have you found yourself with “just enough” when you thought you’d come short? I know in my life, it has happened again and again. FAITH is trust in our Creator.
During the excesses of Christmas, I’ve come to realize I’m not only greedy, I enable others’ greed as well through giving of gifts that aren’t especially needed or perhaps even wanted. How do rate? Obligation giving-GUILTY. Over buying-GUILTY. Giving gifts that aren’t useful-GUILTY.
We all know there are those who don’t have enough, not to mention an overabundance, not only at Christmas but all the time. Sure, in our giving we write a check or two to our favorite charity. But is that enough?
Not for me. My family has committed to a plan to give thoughfully and intentionally. We have decided to live with our needs, not with our greeds. It’s not going to be pretty, and a huge adjustment is coming our way. That adjustment will include, we expect, God’s blessing of our needs, materially, spiritually and emotionally.
What would life be like were we to live it completely God’s way? What would it look like for us to have a fulfilling life, knowing that what we needed was all we needed, and we could be faithful stewards and extravagent givers with the rest?
Perhaps we’ll have a taste of that in 2010.
–Matt and Tracy and Davis Holliday
Other Sundays, the calm and peace that came over me while I remembered my God and the blessings he’d given me are unmatched.