Ephesians 5:15-17, “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be
foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”
Proverbs 10:9, “Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked
paths will be found out.”
Jesus made the most of the opportunity he had while he was in the synagogue teaching.
He made sure the religious teachers and the Pharisees knew he put human need above
the law. He put them in a moral pickle by asking, “Does the law permit good deeds on
the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?” They
couldn’t answer him either way.
If the leaders told Jesus the law permitted good deeds they would go against the law of
no work on the Sabbath. Saying it wasn’t a day for good deeds went against doing good
deeds in this situation. They were silent.
Jesus wasn’t breaking the law just to break the law. Jesus was showing compassion and
giving them a glimpse of God’s heart. This was more important. Jesus was being a servant. He was in the right place at the right time to deliver a message to these leaders. The hearts of these leaders had become so hardened they only saw rules and regulations. They had lost sight of what serving God meant. They had become “foolish, [not understanding] what the Lord’s will is” (Eph. 5:17b).
You’ve most likely heard it before. Between the Old and New Testament there was a period of time where there was silence. In that time period, religious leaders had created 613 rules and regulations that had to be followed. And we think the 10 Commandments are tough!
Jesus comes in and boils it down to: “You must love the Lord your God with all your
heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself. The entire law and all the
demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40).
If you filter all you do, say, and think through “love God and love others”, you’re in pretty
good shape! This is God’s will. Living our life this way leads you to living a life of integrity
and wisdom.
To follow in Jesus’ footsteps we need to continue on further, though. We need to live out
a life of servanthood. He calls us to give a portion of our blessings. We are blessed with
our life—time. We are blessed financially—whether provisions, gifts or income. We are
blessed with abilities—talents, gifts and personality traits unique to us. We are to serve
God in some way from all three of these areas.
Jesus is continually showing us a life of servanthood. There is certainly no lack of examples for us to draw upon in Scripture from his life nor from the life of his disciples of how to live serving others. Giving of our time follows when we are serving others. And the ministry cannot be carried out without finances. It is not free, unfortunately, and needs a commitment of us tithing of our income and financial resources.
2 Corinthians 9:11-13, “Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be
generous. And when we take your gifts to them who need them, they will thank God. So
two good things will result from this ministry of giving—the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God. As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ.”
When we obey in tithing our time, talents and treasures, it encourages other believers
and it gives glory to God. It also brings it full circle with other believers praying for you,
even when they don’t know who provided the tithe. We take care of each other. Love
God, love others.
New believers, our children, even those living passive Christian lives need to know that being a Christ follower is more than asking for forgiveness and asking Jesus to be their Savior. It is a commitment to follow Jesus. We follow Jesus by living a life ‘worthy of the calling’. That calling involves commitments. When we are committed, we are enriched, as 2 Cor. 9:11 tells us.
Thank you for how you give of your time, using your gifts and talents, and returning a portion of your resources back to God! Pray for each other today for encouragement and obedience in this.
Our memory verse: “Judge not, and God won’t judge you; don’t be hard on others, and God won’t be hard on you; forgive others, and God will forgive you;” Luke 6:37.
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