Generous and implusive giving

Proverbs 3:27-28
Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
when it is in your power to act.
Do not say to your neighbor,
“Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”—
when you already have it with you.

When it comes to generosity, being impulsive is good.

My mom was and is an impulsive giver. She has never withheld anything from anyone in need. I remembered vividly pictures of mom lending money to friends who were broke, running after a neighbour who went berserk because she found out her husband had an affair and cooking for my cousins and extended household.

One incident in my childhood stuck in my memory the most. I was ten years old. My cousin who was the same age as me came and stayed with us. She was adopted and not well-treated by her mom. It was near Chinese New Year. I was looking forward to having a new dress. During those times, you only get one new dress at Chinese New Year. When mom came home with the shopping bags, we were all excited. My cousin sat in a corner and said nothing. When mom took out the dress (which I thought was meant for me), she called my cousin instead and gave it to her. I remember how her face lit up – kind of disbelief, happiness and wow look and of course, mom beaming at her. Of course, I also remember how I felt – unfair and angry cos it was supposed to be my dress!

Looking back, I am glad that mom did it. Generosity and big-heartedness was not so much preached to me as it was lived out in front of me.

Proverbs said “if you have, give it now – don’t think twice.’ I think mom lived by that creed.

But Proverbs add that phrase, “to whom it is due” (v. 27). Think about those who are odd-job daily labourers. They would rely on being paid daily to feed their families and withholding what is supposed to be theirs, would mean hunger and abuse.

Those who have are the ones with power and that power comes with responsibility. It is a power of duty; to act justly and promptly and fairly on behalf and for the poor.

Power is a call to generous living and giving.

God's Discipline

Proverbs 3:11-12
My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline,
and do not resent his rebuke,
because the LORD disciplines those he loves,
as a father the son he delights in.

I did a lesson long time ago for a group of Sunday School teachers on classroom discipline and we had a very interesting discussion on the topic. One of the things we did was to examine the purpose of discipline. Was it to control the class? Was it to teach them respect? I put in my two-sense at the end which drew an “Aha” response. I believe that the end purpose of discipline is so as to let our children learn self-discipline.

One of the gifts of the spirit is ‘self-control’ (Galatians 5:22-23). Self-control is impossible without the discipline of discipline (pardon the double usage).

However, many people shy away from the word discipline nowadays. God certainly does not think that it deserves the negative connotation of today. In fact, God sees discipline as an act of love, rebuke as motivated by care.

Does it hurt when we are told we are wrong? Certainly. Does it make us look bad? Oh yes. Is it necessary? Is it good for us? Definitely. That is God’s guarantee. In fact, the person who does not love us will not bother to tell us our mistakes. But our God the Father delights so much in us that He would rather risk us misunderstanding Him than letting us hurt ourselves.

Don’t shun God’s chastisement because it is the greatest proof that He loves us. He loves us enough to hurt us temporarily in order to grow us eternally.

Trust God

Proverbs 3:5,6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.

You got to trust someone in order to have a good relationship. But absolute trust is challenging.
To believe with your entire heart means not to give in to any doubt or have any second thought about God.

How often we read that God loves us yet when things don’t go our way, we betray Him. “God, I trust you but only if you know…” The “BUT” betrays our lack of confidence in God. Each time we say ‘but’, we are asking God to look at things from our angle and suggesting subtly that He is not in control of the situation or does not have our best interest at heart.

We don’t let God in into all aspects of our lives most of the time. Until something has proven too difficult for us do we seek God and plead for divine help. That again is a tell-tale sign of our independence from God and a signal of our leaning on our own intelligence.

God desires all of us to walk before Him in humility and to believe that He is who claims Himself to be. To have faith in Him will help us in times of struggles to pray ‘Lord I believe, help my unbelief”.

Strong families, strong church

15 May 2011

The Bible is full of dysfunctional families, with members fighting among themselves.

The first couple, Adam and Eve blamed each other for eating the forbidden fruit. Their older son, Cain killed his younger brother, Abel. Abraham sacrificed Sarah to save his own skin while Sarah manipulated and ill-treated her stepson, Ishmael. Rebekah favoured Jacob while her husband, Isaac showed favouritism toward Esau.

The home is meant to be a haven where we can rest our weary souls and heal our wounded spirits. It is the place where we let our guards down, a place where we can be ourselves. From the time of our birth, we are introduced to the first humans from whom we would derive our identity and sense of worth. It is meant to be a place of refuge, a safe place.

Yet many family relationships fail to deliver their goods. Our hurts are frequently inflicted by our closest kin and loved ones. Spouses fail to live up to their marital vows, sibling rivalry is taken as norm and parents and children are often caught in a tug of war.

Yes, where there are humans, there will be sin – that is the reality.

But, where there is Christ, there is also redemption, love and transformation – that is also the truth.

And where the family members are Christians, the impact of God’s love will see a breakthrough in the family dynamics.

A church is as strong as the families in the church.