Love the Person or Love the Relationship? Pt. 1

Sunday morning, we completed our overview of I Corinthians at Shiloh. I preached from I Corinthians 16. The passage reminded me of the fact that God is a giver. The Holy Spirit serves consistently, living within our bodies. The Father gave up his son, He loved us so much (John 3:16.) Of course, Jesus giving up his spirit (Matt. 27:50) only completed a life that was consumed with giving.

So Paul calls upon the church in Corinth to give, each Sunday, to help the poor. The poor concerned Paul. He once wrote that James, Peter and John made a request of him. “All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do (Gal. 2:10).”

This year I have been struck by how much the Bible emphasizes helping the poor. Did you know the Bible talks more about the poor and helping the poor than it does about anything else, other than idolatry? More than salvation; more than sexual morality or immorality; more than public worship services.... We have a few thousand passages about the poor.

You see God’s love and concern for the poor in the law given to God's people. It is the background for the book of Ruth. It is an important part of the practical godly life found in Proverbs. It is essential to the prophets. It is a fundamental concern of Jesus’ ministry.
Again, it is easy to see why--giving his godly. Who among us has not been given gifts? And I don’t mean simply a toy truck for Christmas, but are we not all blessed by the sacrifices of others?

You can start with the fundamentals: we had mothers who chose to bring us into this world. Soldiers have sacrificed that we might enjoy a life of freedom.

There been other ways grace has been given to us. In my case, I remember when Judy and I made the decision to go to Argentina, I left my job in real estate, got a job roofing so I could travel weekends to fundraise. It was tough. It took a while for the funds to come in.

I had a $600 house payment, and I did not know one month where the money would come from to pay. I sweated out the first missed payment of my life. However, Steve and Marsha Ridgell, dear friends of ours, gave me a check for $600 to cover that house payment. They had two children. This was a sacrifice for them. I have never forgotten that.

What the Ridgells did was godly. It was compassion. You have had people give to you in similar ways. We remember how others have helped us. We look to them, and we look to Jesus and remember how he helped us.

This love and gratitude motivates our ministry to the poor, for those in other countries, for those in other parts of our country, and for those locally who are poor.

We have received grace; therfore, we offer grace to the poor. But grace is only one side of the coin in helping the poor. Next week, I want to share about the godly ministry of accountability.

Our Life is Just a Vapor

I was reminded of the fragility of life this week. Bill Sparkman, the father of one of my daughter’s classmates, went to sleep Wednesday night and never woke up. He leaves behind a teenage son and daughter. Bill was a gentle giant. Our daughters are taking a trip to Washington, D. C. next year; we were both scheduled to go as sponsors. Now Bill is gone.

Someday, you and I will be the ones leaving this world and loved ones behind. Please keep his family in your prayers.

Five things I think I think (a tip of the hat to Peter King for this idea)

1. Rest in peace, Riley Martin. You were a good uncle—by blood and by marriage.

2. Come on Texas. You’ve made it this far. Just take care of business this Saturday and take your shot at Alabama or Florida.

3. I had my yearly dental appointment this week. I always have it the first Wednesday in December. These appointments are arriving faster and faster.

4. Today, I leave for Spearfish, South Dakota. I am excited to visit Jerry Savage and his family as well get to know the work there, which we help support. If anyone is interested, I hope to offer Twitter updates and post photos on my Facebook page. This ought to be an adventure, and South Dakota might be one too.

5. TAPPS (Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools) announced their volleyball Academic All State Team this week. Congratulations to Audra Wade, Morgan Ashbreck, and Haleigh Edge for making the team! I am proud of you girls.

Have a Great Weekend!