S70P4 – The happy giver: a sign of change
Luke 19:5-10
And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
She was always a gear junkie. Whatever activity she undertook you could expect her to show up with every accessory she could possibly need for that activity. If she went hiking, it was not as simple as strapping on a pair of shoes, grabbing some water and heading for the trail. She always showed up with oodles of necessary gear. Her garage was full of items used only once or twice but which she thought she had to have at the time. The problem was that she actually thought she needed all of those things. When she got saved, something incredible happened. The gear collection got smaller and smaller. The clutter of things began to disappear. It was her parting with her stuff that was one clear indication that something had changed inside her.
I am sure that we all know people who seem to have been generous their whole lives. Even if it is the case that someone has a giving nature before coming to the Lord, there is something that we should expect whenever someone becomes a saint. Our attitude concerning material things and material wealth should change. We begin to understand how life is more than bread. It is also more than money and jewels. It is more than cars and homes. It is more than the trophies we collect to mark the events of our lives. The way we approach material things and material wealth is indicative of our spiritual maturity. Gaining an understanding of what truly matters also teaches us what does not matter so much.
The change of heart that we experience when we come to know Jesus Christ as our Savior should affect every area of our lives. As our outlook and perspective change, we begin to see the world around us more clearly. Parting with our material possessions should become an easy thing because our focus turns to spiritual gain. We know that our hearts can be found where our treasures are stored. The hope is that we store our treasures above, where moth and rust do not destroy. It is the eternal spiritual treasure which should be our focus and motivation. Father, give us a right understanding of the material treasures we have that we would make sure not to store our hearts there.