The Old Man

We have all heard it is better to give than receive.  But as we are doing our acts of giving, do we really perceive His blessing in reality?  Are we feeling God’s affirmation as we are obeying His prompting?

So many times we go into autopilot.  Autopilot.  Our giving becomes automatic, from the self and by oneself.  Our acts are reduced to a mental checklist of good deeds.  It is easy to detect when we are acting out of our own effort when our good will becomes a chore or something we dread.

Giving as Jesus displayed is something that comes from the abundance we receive from God.  Abundance.  So many of us are walking around completely depleted, without the time or energy to truly give.  When we are in need (or needy), our giving becomes selfish and manipulative.  This is a distortion of God’s perspective on sacrifice.

When giving comes by the prompting of the Spirit as opposed to an external standard of behavior, God is able to confirm us in a real and tangible way.  This is when God’s spiritual blessings break through into the reality of this world.  Sometimes this blessing comes in the form of a word.

The other day I got to experience this principle.  I was recovering from doing something I knew to be wrong.  I confessed to God but was caught somewhere in between the realization of my sin and forgiveness.  I was grieving the separation from the Spirit caused by my disobedience.  Instead of wallowing over my sinfulness which is so easy to do, I stepped into repentance.

I pulled into a shopping center I frequent when an old man camped out in front caught my attention.  He was asking for help.  I knew God was prompting me to give to him so I prepared my offering as I was leaving the store.  I positioned the van in front of the man and could sense there was something very different about this situation.  He gradually rose from the camping chair where he was seated and steadily walked toward my van.  Cars began to reroute as this encounter was already taking extra time.

When he reached my van he was rambling about a watch.  We exchanged a few words and he asked if he could take my hand.  I was surprised by how clean his hand felt.  He kissed it and looked me straight in the eye.  He delivered the most beautiful Word from God that healed my heart in an instant.  My eye was drawn toward the silver cross hanging around his neck.  I sincerely thanked him.

As I drove away God’s love enveloped me.  I was so grateful for His confirmation, encouraged to believe the truth about my sin.  By the blood of Christ I am clean.  I’m honestly not sure if the old man was homeless, or an angel.  Either way, God used that man to touch me deep in my heart.

To give or receive?  As I walk more and more in the generous heart God has given me, I’m not sure there is any difference.  When walking in the Spirit, there isn’t any sacrifice, just overflow.  And abundance.  Lots of abundance.