Wednesday, November 30, 2011

What's Mine is Mine...Or is it?

Acts 4:32-33 "Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.  And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all."

This scripture paints a picture of a sharing heart in the early church.  Christians were united and regarded people more important than things.  They acknowledged God's ownership of everything and shared everything to meet the needs of others.  These Christians were not saying "What is yours is mine; I'll take it", they were saying "What is mine is yours; I'll share it." 

The lessons we can learn from the early church!  Some people may say that this radical sharing of possessions among the early church was a mistake.  Others will say that it was an awesome blessing and act of Godly love.  For me, I say that in today's church, we need to heed to the lesson being taught in this scripture and share the love. 

Why would we NOT desire to help a brother or sister in need?  You know, the one sitting on the same pew with you that you KNOW is need of clothes, food, shelter, money for bills, or even gifts for Christmas.  We all have possessions that sit in a cabinet, closet, or storage building that we keep just to store.  We don't really need these items, but for some reason we don't want to part with them.  Why not take those items and bless someone that could really use them?  Sometimes, we Christians just need to clean out our closets, literally! 

Grace is God's favor, His smile from heaven, and it was upon the Christians of the early church.  I know God was pleased with their attitudes of putting God first, people second, and material things last.  I pray that we all would seek this same attitude as we approach this Christmas season and also continue it in our daily lives.  Be a blessing to someone today! 

I also want to mention two events that are taking place in our small town to bless others but are in need of donations from you. 
  • Kimi's Blessings - This ministry was birthed through a local, young lady that suffered from a brain tumor several years ago as a teenager.  Praise be to God, today she lives a normal, healthy, and vibrant life.  Every year at Christmas time, she gathers donations and gifts to deliver to Egleston Children's Hospital in Atlanta, GA to bless children that are not able to be home for Christmas.  New toys may be donated and dropped off at Piggly Wiggly or Central Bank in Ellaville.  If you would like to donate money to help this cause, you may drop it off at Central Bank with Kimi. 

  • Christmas for Christ - This ministry has proved to bless many families and homes at Christmas.  From the generous donations of household items from people, a local gymnasium is filled with clothes, toys, furniture, etc.  This is a free event to people in need.  People come to receive gifts to meet their physical needs, but they often receive so much more...the gift of salvation and Christ's love shining through the volunteers that are working to bless them.  Items for this benefit can be dropped off at Fripp Storage Buildings in Ellaville or by contacting Stephen Fripp.
Lord, I pray for your blessings on these two ministries as they bless others!  May you always be first and glorified in all that they do.  I pray that they minister to the heart and lives of others in your name.  May you find grace and favor upon each person that serves or receives from these ministries! Amen!

Love in Christ,
Tonya


     

2 comments:

  1. Hi Tonya - thank you so much for linking up with me on Winsome Wednesday. I'm so glad you did because now I've found you. I look forward to seeing you again there this week. i also love the name of your blog. So profound. And I think its great that you bring great works in your town to people's attention. Look forward to visiting again
    God bless
    Tracy
    ps: I'm follower no 10 :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. So true. If we see our blessings as belonging to God, we are more willing to use them to bless others.

    ReplyDelete

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