Thanks and Giving
In the last week I have heard it said several times that Thanksgiving is actually two parts—the thanks and the giving. I saw that happen at our recent community dinner. There were many people who were giving thanks—some for the delicious meal, others for a great church, some for a place to feel loved and still more who were thankful for a warm place to rest for a while.
Yet the attendees were not just giving thanks, they were giving of themselves to help others who were in need. There were a couple of these precious situations that I observed. One woman from the community came to pick up ten meals in Styrofoam containers to deliver to shut-ins. She makes food deliveries 4 days out of every week—two meals are provided by the county and two days she cooks for the recipients. Last week they got an extra meal, because this precious lady found out that she could get them one more for free at our community dinner.
In chatting with this lady, I found out that she and her husband do ministry outreach in our valley and touch many lives by their giving and serving. Her husband is a seminary graduate and yet they chose not to minister inside the walls of a church, but to an entire community. I’m sure it gets expensive for her to prepare and deliver the meals along with the other ways that they serve, but money does not seem like a priority in her life, but relationships do. She sits and visits with each person as they eat, so they don’t have to eat alone.
As the meals were being served up in the kitchen, a young man from our congregation stood there with us and questioned whether she would make multiple trips back to the church as she delivered. She responded, “Oh no!” and then made a comment that she didn’t have much gas in her car because she had come in contact with someone who was in need and gave them her gas money.
Upon hearing her statement the young man immediately pulled out his wallet and handed her a $20 bill. At first she tried to refuse the gift, but at the man’s insistence she took it. Standing there, I felt I had been in the presence of God—one lady doing something as a gift to God was given a gift by another one serving God. What a beautiful picture! Thank you Lord for showing me your kingdom at work.
Neither one of these people wanted anyone else to know what they were doing. They were not doing it for the accolades of others, but as a precious gift to their Lord and Savior and will be rewarded not on this earth, but in eternity.
Matthew 6:3-4 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
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