Rice to Diamonds

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,and with all your soul, and with all your strength,and with all your mind.” (Luke 10:27)

A long time ago, a beggar had begged for rice and had gone to the city gates to cook a meal of it. While he was making the fire, he heard a caravan coming.  He quickly moved towards the travelers.  “Alms, alms!” he cried, and more loudly when he saw that it was the prince. The prince said to the beggar, “What have you to give me for the alms I might give to you?” The beggar fingered his 25-30 grains of rice and offered three grains to the prince.  The prince took the three grains of rice and held them for a moment.  Then he took the beggar’s hand, carefully laid the three grains of rice in the moist palm, and folded the beggar’s fingers over them. He left the beggar and entered the city.  As the beggar walked back, he opened his hand.  To his surprise and amazement, there lay three brilliant diamonds.  He gasped and then wept, “If only I had give all! If only I had given all!”

Quite often, God asks of us as Christians, “What will you give?” In response, we too often give Him the money we think we can spare, the abilities that we can easily give, and the “left overs” of our time that we don’t really need anyway.  Yet, God wants and invites us to make Him our priority, giving generously of our time, talents and money out of a grateful and cheerful heart.  After all, the Bible teaches that the person who can share generously with others will discover and know life’s true riches (Read 1 Timothy 6:18-19, and 2 Corinthians 9:6-7).

This month during our annual stewardship journey, we’re all invited to consider how we can grow in our generosity towards others as we celebrate God’s generosity to us. This theme of “Climbing Higher: Taking the Next Step in our Life with God” will be a time for us all to focus on individual and collective progress along our spiritual journeys of faith:  to prayerfully consider growing as God leads towards greater levels of faith by becoming either a first-time giver, intentional giver, growing giver, a tither, or perhaps even an extravagant giver; and to prayerfully ask ourselves “Lord, where do you want me to be in my giving?”

Each Sunday in October, you’ll hear inspiring and creative ways that our theme impacts us in daily life, and be lovingly challenged to consider how to grow your faith through these.  Then, on October 28^th (“Celebration Sunday”), each of us will be invited to share our response to God based on His love and grace towards us. Through our commitments of time, talent and money through God’s church, not only will we be “climbing higher” in our love for Him, but will also be surprised to discover “diamonds” of blessing from God in our personal lives, as well.

So, I challenge us each of us to prayerfully consider becoming more generous in our “grains” of response to God through His church for 2019!  Remember that God loves you and I do, too!