Saturday, December 06, 2008

The Spirit of Giving

The morning is typical Tennessee winter weather. Starts out quite cold but as the sun has come up it has warmed up nicely. If you call the 40s warm... Today is an odd day. I should be enjoying the finishing touches on Christmas decorating and addressing Christmas cards.

Instead I am up tight. This year we are having a difficult go. While we know that God is in control and that the Lord will provide all of our needs, it's not fun to look down the barrel of the gun so to speak.

It reminds me to keep others in similar or worse circumstances in prayer. It also, remarkably reminds me of St. Nicholas.

As the legend or history of St. Nicholas goes, he was a generous man that had been dealt a difficult hand. While he was young his parents passed away due to the epidemic that was going around at the time. They happened to have money and he inherited it. Moreso, he was blessed because his parents raised him as a devoted Christian.

The scripture he seemed to revere was Matthew 19:21 Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.

As the story goes he secretly left money for dowry's for 3 sisters whose father had no money and they would have gone into slavery. He did it privately so that the attention was on the gift instead of himself.

How many of us are getting caught up in what we receive instead of whose lives we can touch by meeting a need?

What are you doing this Christmas to show the spirit of giving?


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