The Eye Of A Needle

The Eye of a Needle Rock Formation, Sylvan Lake, South Dakota

'What do you have that God hasn't given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift?' 1 Corinthians 4:7 (NLT)

'But who am I and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us!' 1 Chronicles 29:14

He was a young entrepreneur, a self-made billionaire, a very confident upstart. On hearing of a preacher of the same age attracting crowds in his home town, the rich young man approached Jesus, with some audacity, to ask whether he would qualify for eternal life. Firstly, Jesus told this man to keep the commandments, to which the smug gentleman proclaimed that he had kept all the commandments and almost boasted then what more was needed. Then, Jesus went for the weak spot, "If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come follow me."

This encounter was recorded for us in Matthew 19:16-24. It did not have a happy ending for the young man rejected the chance of a life-time to follow Jesus and  went away sad because he had great wealth. Bishop Solomon in his book 'Practical Christianity' concluded, "He was, unfortunately, a prisoner of his wealth and his greed that lay behind its accumulation."

The Eye of a Needle Gate

Referring to the Needle's Eye or  the smaller doorway of a Riad, the rest station of the caravans that prevents camels and other animals from entering, Jesus said

'I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. I'll say it again - it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!' Matthew 19:23-24 (NLT)

This young and rich man had a choice to make, God or Money and he chose money. He could not afford to part with his money so he parted with God.

To be sure not all wealthy people are like that young man. Many are very good people who are very humanitarian in nature. Many are philanthropists, very generous with their wealth, giving to the poor, supporting missions and social concerns projects. But wealth has its downsides, although many will not admit it.

Why did the rich young ruler walk away? Why can't the wealthy part with their money? The problem was not wealth per se but the insatiable accumulation of money and possessions leading to avarice, greed and selfishness. The Apostle James wrote of this, rather forcefully, in his epistle, James 5:1-6 

Money corrupts:

• The Encumbrance. The rich young man not only wanted to get to heaven but he also wanted to bring along all his hoarding and riches with him. He wanted to secure his future not only spiritually but materialistically. That hoard weighed him down, encumbered him and he is trapped, never free, 

'You have hoarded wealth in the last days' James 5:3b 

• The Excessive Greed. Despite the hoarding and accumulation of money, it is never enough. The Bishop Robert Solomon commented, 'Such greed can never satisfy. Like drinking sea water when one is dying of thirst, it will only make matters worse and finally destroy the greedy.' 

'You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves for the days of slaughter.' James 5:5 

• The Exploitation. The hoarding and greed for money can create in the wealthy, an insensitivity for the needs of others, an antipathy to the poor. Apostle James said that there is exploitation of workers by the wealthy, robbing them of just wages.

'Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your field are crying out against you.' James 5:4    

How do we deal with the problem of money? Jesus told the rich young man to sell all his goods and give to the poor. Jesus was saying that the wealthy should empathize with the poor and needy, to share their wealth. The wealthy is expected to give generously, Jesus is making a case for Radical Generosity, not just a trifle giving. Why?

• Our money belongs to God. Timothy Keller stated 'While secular individualism says that your money belongs to you, and socialism says your money belongs to the State, the Bible says that all your money belongs to God, who then entrusts it to you.' 

'Everything comes from You and we have given You only what comes from Your hand.' 1 Chronicles 29:14b

 

 'What do you have that God hasn't given to you. And if everything you have come from God, why boast as though it were not a gift.' 1 Corinthians 4:7b (NLT)

• Our money does not last. We may think money and possessions bring honour, prestige and fame. But these things are merely temporal, they do not have everlasting value. These material and lavish things cannot guarantee our future. Jesus said

'Don't store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal.' Matthew 6:19 (NLT)

• Our money should be generously donated. The type of giving amounting to Radical Generosity is described in two verses of the Bible

'One person gives freely and gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.' Proverbs 11:24 (NLT)

'They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor.' Psalms 112:9a (NLT)

In the Hebrew text, the meaning and nuances of the type of giving found in these two verses describe Radical Generosity. We are used to understand Biblical giving as Tithes, Offerings and Sacrifices. But the meaning in the above verses convey an exuberance, excessive, lavish almost wanton way of giving, a fourth type -  Shock Giving.

In amount the giving here is described as shocking, unbelievably large. In attitude the giving here is described as throwing it away; giving and forgetting that one had given. Once given, there is no need to control the use of the gift. It described the way the Jewish farmers would sow their crops, scattering liberally, extensively and freely on the ground.

'The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and who ever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must decide in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.' 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 (ESV)

So give cheerfully, after all that money you give away really belongs to God. There is a hymn often sung after during the offering in church, 'We Give Thee But Thine Own.' 

We give Thee but Thine own,

Whate'er the gift may be;

All that we have is Thine alone,

A trust, O Lord, from Thee.

May we Thy bounties thus

As stewards true receive,

And gladly, as Thou blessest us,

To Thee our firstfruits give.

O hearts are bruised and dead,

And homes are bare and cold,

And lambs for whom the Shepherd bled

Are straying from the fold.

To comfort and to bless,

To find a balm for woe,

To tend the lone and fatherless

Is angels' work below.

The captive to release,

To God the lost to bring,

To teach the way of life and peace-

It is a Christ-like thing.

And we believe Thy Word,

Though dim our faith may be;

Whate'er for Thine we do, O Lord,

We do it unto Thee.

Lionel  

Ref 1: Bishop Emeritus Robert Solomon. Practical Christianity Chap 12: A Warning to the Wealthy. Cru Asia Ltd, IMprint Edition, 2022 

Ref 2: Tim Keller on Justice in the Bible

https://quarterly.gospelinlife.com/justice-in-the-bible/

Generosity - the Joy of Giving

Generosity
Originally Uploaded by richbeechina

‘Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them?’ Ecc 5:10-11  

In today's materialistic society, we are tempted to buy more than we actually need. Going home after shopping, we are carrying lots of shopping bags full of things we will seldom use. We shoppers do not open our eyes. We fail to see that in the same places where the shopping is good, there are also many people who are very poor and needy. Many of our neighbours struggle to put food on the table. Yet we go around wasting our money and showing off our wealth.

Can we give up our spendthrift ways? Can we help others in need? Someone shared:

Why should we give money to save the heathen abroad 

when there are heathens in our own country yet to be saved.

Why should we give money to those in other parts of this country 

when there are needy ones in my own state.

Why should I give to those in other parts of the state 

when there are needy ones in my hometown.

Why should I give to the poor in the town 

when my own church needs the money.

Why should I give to the church 

when I should give to the family

Why should I give to the family what I want for myself.

Why?

Because I am a Christian and I am not a heathen. 

And a Christian is called to be generous.

 

What is generosity? It is the act of helping and giving willingly without expecting anything in return.

The first offerings described in the Bible is that by Cain and Abel in Gen 4:3-7. Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. God’s preference of Abel's to Cain's offering has nothing to do with meat over crop offering. Cain’s attitude in giving back to the Lord mirrors the attitudes of many Christians, we give what we think is good enough for God but not the best, not our first fruits.

Proverbs 3:9-10 encourages us to ‘Honour the LORD with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.’ The Christians who expound the prosperity gospel see this as a guarantee to wealth; give and you will get more. Grace and Blessings are not the results of bargain or tit-for-tat. To give generously and not expect anything in return is to honour God.

How can we be generous Christians?

Generosity comes by Purpose: John Wesley in his sermon “The Use of Money " had this to say “The love of money, we know, is the root of all evil; but not the thing itself. The fault does not lie in the money, but in them that use it. It may be used ill: and what may not? But it may likewise be used well: It is full(y) as applicable to the best, as to the worst uses.” The first lesson about being generous is to learn to use money for the good that can come from it. Cor 8:3,4 notes, "For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing the gospel." Instead of giving impulsively, give purposefully. 

Dr David Livingston, missionary and explorer extraordinaire said “I will place no value on anything I have or may possess except in relation to the kingdom of Christ. If anything I have will advance the interest of the kingdom it shall be used or given away. Only as by giving or using it, I may promote the glory of him who I owe all my hopes in time and eternity.” Another great doctor-missionary Albert Schweitzer said, “One thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve.” 

Generosity comes by Grace. 2 Cor 8:6 notes “ .. we urge Titus that as he begun so he would also complete this grace in you as well…meaning he would continue to encourage you to give as God’s grace enables you to.” We think that only rich people can be generous. When we meet a truly generous person – we know that it is a gift from God, a person given by God the gift of generosity.  Those who really give a lot don’t boast about it. They can be rich and they can be poor but they know deep inside that they can give only because they have experienced the love of God, the touch of God and they feel gratitude.

Hudson Taylor, a poor medical student, once chanced upon a widow with many children. One child was sick and in need of medicine. Hudson Taylor was filled with compassion; he started to pray. As he was praying he heard a voice whispering to him, “hypocrite.” He continued praying but the voice again said, ‘hypocrite.’ Hudson reached into his pocket and he felt a half a crown which was the next week’s tuition fees. Hudson gave that half crown to the widow and left, not knowing when he would eat his next meal. The next day, in the mail Hudson received a letter from a friend. The friend had written that he was moved to hand some money to Hudson. In that envelop was money seven times that half a crown.

Generosity comes by Giving. 2 Cor 8: 5 “And this they did not as we had expected but they first gave themselves to God and then to us by the will of God." John Wesley in the same sermon on the use of money said, “Let not any man imagine that he has done anything, barely by going thus far, by "gaining and saving all he can," if he were to stop here. All this is nothing, if a man go not forward. Add the third rule to the two preceding. Having, first, gained all you can, and, secondly saved all you can, then give all you can."

This is the time to give. The Corona virus pandemic is not just a threat to public health but also to economic livelihood. The requirement to stay at home and to close all businesses in order to break the cycle of transmission will bring untold suffering, loss of income and savings. Many Singaporeans will have difficulty to make ends meet. Furthermore thousands of foreign workers have been afflicted by the virus. Many of them are not able to work as the government shuts down all construction work. These people will need help.

If there is someone who has given generously, we will find in this person someone given to God. Our lives are in God’s hands. If you are truly consecrated to God what do you have to fear? That you have no money?

Lionel