Welcome to the 40 Acts of Generosity Challenge.
Let’s surprise people with GOD’S goodness this Lenten season!
Today marks the beginning of the 40 days journey to the Cross.
A journey that will encourage us to live the 40 acts way of generosity, which might take us outside of our comfort zone.
Are we ready to do this, or is the temptation to snuggle under a duvet of complacency and ease too strong?
It’s a challenge, that’s for sure. Yet, I am reassured knowing that another is journeying alongside us. Our fellow traveller is the only SON of a loving FATHER, WHOSE destination is a wooden cross.
On Good Friday, the greatest sacrificial act of all will be revealed. Let us, over the next 40 days show love to others just as JESUS did. Are you ready to act?
Don’t tell yourself it’s not your problem. Bear one another’s burdens. Make a difference.
Get your hands in.
Instead of focussing on your needs and obligations, turn your attention to someone nearby.
Not in work at the moment? It doesn’t have to cost money….share a kindness..run an errand.
Give sacrificially.
Sharing a meal with someone is a powerful demonstration that you accept them. It is no surprise that we often read about JESUS eating meals with people, even though HE was criticised for it by the religious establishment who described HIM as ‘a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners’ (Matthew 11:19). Breaking bread together is at the heart of our Christian faith. Let’s follow JESUS in making simple acts of hospitality a central part of our lives together.
Join an outreach.
When out doing your family shopping, consider shopping for someone else too. Offering to get supplies for a friend, or for someone you know who is unwell or elderly, could be an absolute life-line.
The difference we make in the lives of others cannot always be measured this side of heaven.
As GOD gives you the opportunity, choose to be a blessing.
Make plans to spoil someone, either spontaneously today or in the near future.
Surprise them if you know that’s what they like, or pre-warn them if that would make it easier for them to accept your invitation.
Sometimes we push ourselves so much that we need the intervention of others to remind us that we need to relax…to unwind so that you’ve got the capacity to see and respond to the needs of others, just like they have done for you.
As a rule, people say ‘me first’
Serving others is not a departure from the divine life. But, according to Paul, it’s an expression of the divine life.
Philippians 2:5-7
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as CHRIST JESUS:
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WHO, being in very nature GOD, did not consider equality with GOD something to be used to HIS OWN advantage;
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rather, HE made HIMSELF nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
The way of GOD is the opposite to the way of humanity.
We, naturally, raise ourselves up. HE, supernaturally, stoops down low.
With CHRIST and in CHRIST, we can renounce the way of ‘me first’. Today we can say, ‘After you!’
It doesn’t matter what it is; we all have the capacity to do something.
It may seem so small to you, but to the person receiving your love you’ve taken a load off their shoulders and reminded them they are not alone.
The last word JESUS said on the Cross, often translated as ‘it is finished’, can carry a sense of a completed payment.
In John 14:2–3, JESUS says HE has gone to prepare a place for us and will come again. When we reach HIS FATHER’S house, we will find that our room has already been paid for.
Join the growing momentum of pre-paying on behalf of the needy.
Have you considered outreach?
HE gave us the earth for us to enjoy and to reflect HIS glory.
Just look out of the window on your morning drive and see the piles of rubbish mounting on the round side…most of it was dropped….one person at a time.
While you are not expected to stop park and begin to pack roadside trash…you know what we can do?
Let’s start by picking up the rubbish we see around us. You can go further still….if there’s a particular area that you know is full of rubbish, remember that this too belongs to GOD, and think of the difference you could make to your community by clearing it up!
When a friend is going through a hard time, they may not want immediate advice and solutions to their problems. Instead, they probably just want someone to listen and to sympathise – offer advice if they ask for it but first let them talk for as long as they need. It is okay if you have no idea how it feels to go through what they are going through; more than anything…listen and give them the encouragement that they need.
In HIS 3 years of ministry, JESUS. travelled and had hundreds of encounters with the people HE met…each person knew they had been listened to and cared for.
As you go out today….listen and listen.
But whether big or small, acts of generosity can show JESUS to people and transform their day. Matthew 10:42 shows us that even simple gifts are valued by HIM.As you go about your business today, look out for those whose heads are lowered and whose hearts seem down. A smile might just make their day.
You do not need a pulpit to share the love of CHRIST with others. Sometimes a simple smile is all you need.
Ask JESUS to fill you with HIS love and then in turn share HIS love with those around you.
We ignore the homeless on the street when they call out to us more because we are embarrassed and don’t know how to respond to their needs….we make them feel like they are not there…they are already dealing with their own vulnerabilities, many are lost and lonely.
A smile is very important. It can send a message, loud and clear: I noticed you. GOD sees you. You matter.
Attending to the homeless means a lot to me. And it should mean to you too.
Live a life of service not a life of serve-us.
It is funny then, that the one time in the three years of their journey together that JESUS invited HIS disciples to watch and pray in the Garden of Gethsemane they’d barely started before they fell asleep.
And the consequences were bitter.
Prayer is important…it is a discipline we all need to develop and imbibe.
Keep your eyes open to the things around you…the needs going on around you.
Watch…and pray.
Today, let’s be intentional about the people who live round us. Make a point of going outside when you see others about.
Conversation by conversation you can change the atmosphere around you.
So why do this?
This is how communities are created… Community builds relationship and relationship, community. Where there is relationship, we can connect with our neighbours.
There are multiple occasions in the Gospels where JESUS is sharing meals – not just with friends HE knew well, but strangers and people looked down on by others. It was a way for HIM to connect with a whole variety of people.
And HE did connect.
Won’t you like to connect too?
We are so different and react to situations in a myriad of ways.
What touches one deeply may not have the same effect on another, but certainly we all react when we see others going through painful circumstances.
In the Rebirth Ministry we see situations like this all the time as we seek to help people in poverty, despair and hopeless situations.
From our volunteer response it shows that people do care when they hear about the struggles of another.
Our ministry outreach arm works through a network of churches and charities, which enables us to reach out to hundreds of people in need.
And we are surrounded by need.
Here is an invitation to fill one today.
In the past weeks we have learnt and are learning that the choices we make and don’t make have far reaching consequences…not just on us, but the lives of everyone else…
Covid 19
You can’t afford to ignore what’s going on.
If our treasure is in CHRIST, we will think like HIM, remembering that HE considered the needs of others.
If our treasure is in CHRIST, we follow HIS example of self-emptying in love. Doing that which is right even though we may be put in discomfort.
If our treasure is in CHRIST, we will do the right thing and not consider that others are doing the wrong thing.
And if we find these difficult to do, is this because our treasure is not really in CHRIST?
Human trafficking is modern slavery.
Exploiters trick or coerce people (mostly women and children, but it affects men, too) – either under force or by promises of a better life – into working for them.
As a Christian we ask you to shine a light onto the darkness of modern-day slavery for the glory of GOD.
Do not employ the underaged or pay your staff through a middleman or an agent.
Say no to slavery.
Wanting to help people is one thing; being equipped to do so is another. Think on this…do you see assisting people as an act of love…or a project…a good deed that will gain you brownie points?
Understand that everyone is unique – there is no template to use in helping people or addressing their challenges.
Sometimes you will find that you cannot help everyone and the tools for helping some people are not within your reach.
This is where prayer comes to play… when you are not able to offer ‘tangible’ help…prayer may just be sufficient.
Remember to lift those around you in prayer.
To know that you are accounted for.
When you are able to change the life of another…it is a powerful thing.
Building relationships full of little, consistent acts of love inspired by GOD’S love for us and choosing to believe in each other makes a world of difference when those acts are in CHRIST.
When we choose to believe in one another, we each have the power to change lives for the better.
Supporting a child is the best way of sowing seed into the next generation.
Everywhere you go, you will meet people who are struggling privately with debilitating symptoms of anxiety or depression or mental illness.
Our health and wellbeing are rarely a zero-sum game. Do not disregard your health and wellbeing. Do not get carried away by the busyness of the world to the detriment of yourself.
Paul says we are transformed by the renewing of our minds, but this might seem extra difficult when we are struggling with our mental health…or we have loved ones struggling with theirs.
If you have to support others with poor mental health, you can keep the following things in mind. Try to see things from their perspective.
Remember that they are not choosing for their soul to be downcast. They also desperately wants joy and peace and to be living life in all its fullness, but that part of them is hidden under a cloud of hopelessness. And know, that you cannot fix it for them, and appreciate that they feel totally alone and can’t see how anything could change.
They feel hopeless, useless and worthless and each of these thoughts cause them to spiral down deeper into darkness.
So we can help them by praying, by loving them where they are, helping them think from a different perspective, and offering them hope when they cannot find any.
Today is all about opening our eyes, ears and arms to those who need us.
Unexpected expenses from having to stock up on food and household supplies, children stuck at home…apprehension all around.
It’s all too easy to focus on what is going wrong and forget that in the bigger picture…our current situation is one that will pass.
Yes…everything may seem to be going wrong, but remember we are commanded to thank GOD in all circumstances.
I may be stuck at home….but I am not stuck in hospital…sick. I may not have an adequate supply of toilet rolls, but there are people who have never had the luxury of using toilet paper.
So today, let’s switch our moaning for praise and our complaints for blessings.
Intentionally…let us use our words and thoughts to honour GOD.
What’s the driving force of your life?
Whether it’s something you’ve got the privilege of already being involved in, or something aspirational that you’re still aiming at, having a passion lifts your life out of the ordinary, gives you purpose, and connects you with the heart of GOD.
It could start from you copying someone else…but hey.. we’ve all got to start somewhere.
But on the journey, check yourself…. why are you doing what you are doing?
It takes character and conviction to stick with something you believe in and to see it through…otherwise you will find you always leave a pile of uncompleted projects and soon you will be known for that.
Each of us has been made in HIS image and in HIS likeness.
GOD has a plan for us.
HE wants us to use the unique talents, abilities and interests HE has given us to bless other people….for that brings glory to HIM.
So, whatever it is, find your passion in life, cherish it and share it with others.
We are alive!
Instead of using your data to transmit false and unverified information, why don’t you choose to make good clean noise about someone who has gone above and beyond in serving their community and those around them.
Tell them, ‘Well done!’ and ‘Thank you!’
Let them know you see them and wish to encourage them.
The Bible says that some of us have the gift of encouragement (Romans 12:8), but encouraging others is something we can all do with just a little bit of effort.
When others serve us quietly in the background we can choose to see them as a reminder of JESUS, WHO came to serve and not to be served.
Then we can ask ourselves how we can show a bit of JESUS back.
Do you know the same is for yours?
Do you know that your life is a living testimony?
Learn to be intentional in all you do.
I have purposed in my heart that with all my relationships, be they family, friends, ministry members, people in my community, workmen, staff….those I interact with once and will never see again…that I will leave them better than how I met them.
Through my life..I tell them about JESUS.
Let your light shine. Let HIS light shine through your life.
Cast your mind back….who are the people who have made the most impact on your life? The ones you could say you owed it all to? Get a pen and paper and start writing.
Let’s get on the gratitude train…let’s use this down time to appreciate those in our lives that give us joy…that help us out…are an encouragement…that make us count our blessings.
And thank GOD.
When you show gratitude it communicates how much we value the giver of the gifts we receive, and like a muscle in our body, the more we use it, the stronger it gets.
Thanking is contagious…like this virus..
So take some time out today to say thank you, to really say thank you to someone.
I know I have made you happy with this message……
You are welcome!
It is a declaration or assurance that one will do something or that a particular thing will happen.
A promise is a debt.
GOD has promised us so many things simply because we matter to HIM and HE loves us dearly.
What about those you love? Do you keep your promises to them?
The ones you say love you…… your friends?
Do they keep their promises to you.
Sometimes it may be challenging to keep a promise we make, but keeping a promise sends a powerful message: ‘you matter to me’. GOD has fulfilled so many promises in our lives that we must be inspired to keep the promises we have made to friends, family and even strangers.
There is so much joy in the promises of the LORD because HE will always fulfil them.
GOD has promised us that HE will be with us in this journey of life. HE will help us get to the finish line…win our individual races and then we will look back and say ‘Yes LORD, YOU kept YOUR promise’.
Will you keep your promises today?
As stewards of GOD’S resources, it is our responsibility to account for the blessings HE has given us and how we use those blessings to benefit HIS Kingdom here on earth.
At this perilous time, the Rebirth Ministry is reaching out, first to its members in need, by providing a financial package to alleviate the sudden inconvenience the world wide quarantine has laid on people, and then also supporting others and the charities that we work with as a ministry.
Our plan now is to grow our deposit base in order to provide regular financial support as this may prove to be a lifeline for many struggling in the face of the Coronavirus pandemic.
We are passionate about inspiring people to give to worthwhile causes, we also believe that some of you reading this may be facing severe financial uncertainty.
If you’re worried about your welfare during this time, please send us an email: info@rebirthrwc.org and we may be able to get you help.
Generosity began with the early church.
For you to have communion it means you are a member of a community.
When you ‘break bread’ with others, it affords you to spend time with them and grow in love for one another.
This sharing is a form of offering telling GOD YOU appreciate HIM for those HE has given to you and reciprocating HIS love for you in the lives of others.
I find that there is no greater offering than sharing the blessings GOD has poured upon my life with those I know and even the stranger. You have been blessed to be a blessing.
Let’s think about those people who work…everyday…for us.
Many of us still have our domestic staff fully at work…even in this time of social distancing – Ask yourself….who are the people that support your everyday life?
The ones who are busy in the background who really don’t have a choice but must work for us to enjoy a level of normalcy.
In this season of generosity…please don’t forget to say “thank you” to your nannies, drivers, cleaners, gardeners, road side sweepers, dustbin men….car hire driver…the often forgotten…ordinary people who really do extraordinary things for us.
In this season of reflection ask GOD to show you how you can serve those who usually serve you.
It’s been over a year after the fire in my home and when I recount the loss of property from fire damage and smoke damage or those things that just disappeared after the fire and think about how important they seemed to me at a time I just laugh.
One of the lessons I learnt? To hold my possessions lightly and open-handedly.
Never acquire anything you cannot give away.
Today let’s challenge ourselves to give away something precious to us, either in value or significance….be willing to surrender that thing for someone else’s benefit.
GOD is interested in the real things of the heart.
Read the whole of 1 Chronicles 21 – GOD doesn’t care much about sacrifices which cost us nothing.
When you give something that really matters to you it shows that love is at work… Remember….GOD gave JESUS.
But let us not forget life before Corona.
I see that other than how our lives have been impacted by the virus…life has still gone on…I think of the people who were in hospital before the outbreak and are still sick in hospital…I think of those in war-torn and ravaged parts of the world who social distancing is not part of their daily challenges…I think about the refugee camps… Those who have no options.
Please remember them today.
There are many aid organizations for refugees and those displaced by war and conflict. Help.
The need is great..the need is real.
Your donations will be appreciated.
We are so grateful for those men and women who have devoted their lives to GOD in full-time ministry, whether at home or overseas
In the last 5 months, with the outbreak of COVID-19, many of those who bring the Gospel to others have had to pause or re-think the way they go about their work.
Evangelism especially in remote parts of the globe where language is a challenge requires close interaction and one-on-one contact with those you are trying to reach…so most missionaries are exposed.
Missionaries and missions need your support. They are playing an often unremembered, unacknowledged and thankless but extraordinary role within the body of CHRIST.
How can you support them?
And you can do this in different ways – you can give financially….but you can also pray.
Have you prayed for a missionary today?
It has also become a great tool for me to reach out to my friends and loved ones especially now in those not so certain times to see how people are and just to check up on them.
I am so grateful for media like WhatsApp and Instagram although there are many down sides with people using it as a tool to send all manner of absurd/offensive and abusive material at times.
But let us choose to be thankful for these mediums of communication and realize that it is a privilege to have access to them and an even greater privilege to have access to people through them.
We must be guided in our use of social media….it may seem strange to you, but I try to pray before I use any social media tools that I would conduct myself in a manner worthy of an ambassador of CHRIST…and it has helped. I can practice restraint in what I post and also in my responses and comments and in the materials I send out to people.
So let’s remind ourselves that keeping in touch and connecting is great, but we must be responsible while doing so.
Close to the heart of JESUS is the prisoner.
In fact in HIS mission statement, JESUS came to set the prisoners free…. In reality..no human being is meant to beloved up. Prison is a horrible place to be…the intention is that those that find themselves there are able to find hope and restoration. This is very difficult.
I can only ask you, to offer a prayer for prisoners today.
What is our motivating force? Why do we do the things we do?
Who are we seeking to please?
We are looking at giving today.
Does you right hand know what your left hand is doing?
The WORD of GOD tells us to be generous and not make a show of it.
Why?
In living your life to please GOD by being a blessing to those whose lives you touch and not living to please or impress people, announcements of your acts are not necessary as the ONE WHO really matters knows you have done those things and is impressed with you only because of JESUS.
Let’s learn to be truly generous with others – a blessing to those we rub shoulders with.
Remember if you give…because of show the WORD of GOD tells us:
Matthew 7:26-27
26 But everyone who hears these words of MINE and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.
Be wise today.
People fall out with each other… When relationships break it results in pain for both parties and others in between them.
It is not easy to apologize and even apologies are sometimes unable to ease the pain of a broken relationship.
Mediation is often required to help the parties to heal and move on with their lives….reconciliation to bring peace…more than any other thing.
Learn to be a bringer of peace…. Choose to be a bringer of peace… Romans 12:18
18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
When you find yourself in conflict purpose in your heart that you will be at peace with them…. This attitude requires persistence and courage…there will be pain but are you willing?
CHRIST was willing.
Be intentional.
With the closing of the physical doors of churches to the public there was uproar by many Christians worldwide…regular and not regular church goers.
Sunday worship which many saw as a non obligatory task has suddenly become inaccessible….but do you know that there are thousands that going into a physical church building is not an option….that the mere professing of their faith is not an option?
Do you know that the Church is persecuted worldwide?
In countries such as North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria and Nigeria many risk their lives to serve and worship GOD.
Today as we mark the death of a MAN many hundreds of years ago WHO bled and died for our sakes, let us pray that these brave men and women who put their lives on the line to push the gospel in unwelcoming places know the Lord’s comfort and strength.
Let their examples encourage us to do better.
We see the Cross within our sights, standing as the ultimate symbol of love triumphing…freedom won and debt paid.
Remember the parable about a man who successfully pleaded to have his debts cancelled. Sadly, instead of modelling the grace and mercy he’d received, he went out and demanded repayment from someone who owed him relatively very little.
Let’s think on this today
JESUS’ sacrifice has released us from all that we couldn’t repay.
Who owes you something?
Can you extend mercy to them?
Will you extend mercy to them?
The choice is simple and, yet it’s one that will unlock so much richness of life.
Thank YOU JESUS for the grace YOU have given to us.
May we in turn extend that grace to others
