April 3, 2012—SnyderTalk Editorial: “Freely you have received, freely give.”

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“Freely you have received, freely give.”

Over the years, I’ve heard many preachers deliver sermons on stewardship, and frequently they develop their message around this theme: “Freely you have received, freely give.”  I’ll bet you’ve heard preachers use those words, too, in connection with financial giving to support local church ministries.  Do you know where that command is found in the Scriptures?  If you don’t, it will surprise you.

It’s found in Matthew 10: 8 and this is what the verse actually says:

“Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons; freely you have received, freely give.” Matthew 10: 8

Jesus was not talking about giving money to a local church.  He was making reference to unleashing the power of Almighty God in our world in ways that most people can’t even imagine.  If I were a preacher, I would never use that verse in connection with stewardship unless I was prepared to go into it in its entirety.

The Bible tells about a time when Jesus and His disciples were sitting outside the Temple treasury, and while they watched, a poor widow put two small copper coins that were worth about a penny into the treasury.  Many rich people came by while they were watching, and they put in large sums of money.  Jesus told His disciples,

“Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.” Mark 12: 41-44

Does it sound like Jesus was telling His disciples to give 10 percent of their income to the local church?  It doesn’t to me.  He commended the poor widow for giving everything she owned — all her resources.

If you give your heart to God and put all your resources at His disposal, He can unleash powerful forces through you.  He wants your heart so give it to Him.  Anything less is unacceptable.  You are making a terrible mistake if you think you can give God enough money to excuse you for not giving Him the only thing He demands — your heart.

Still, church tradition is incredibly strong, even when it’s way off base.  I used a poem to explain the power of tradition to my leadership students.  If you want to be a leader, one thing you must be willing to do is rethink everything, including every tradition that constrains your options.  The poem is titled The Primeval Calf:

One day through the primeval wood

A calf walked home as good calves should;

But left a trail all bent askew,

A crooked trail as calves all do.

 

A dog took up the trail next day

A bear, too, went along that way.

And then a wise bellwether sheep

Pursued the trail o’er vale and steep.

 

And drew his flock behind him too

As good bellwethers always do.

And from that day, o’er hill and glade

Through those old woods a path was made.

 

And many men wound in and out

And dodged and turned and bent about.

And uttered words of righteous wrath

Because was such a crooked path.

 

The forest path became a lane

That bent and turned and bent again.

And this, before men were aware,

Became a city’s thoroughfare.

 

And soon the central street was this

Of a renowned metropolis.

A hundred thousand men were led

By one calf, near three centuries dead.

 

For men are prone to go it blind

Along the calf paths of the mind

And work away from sun to sun

To do what other men have done.

 

They keep the path a sacred groove

Along which all their lives they move;

But how the wise old wood gods laugh

Who saw that first primeval calf.

(Author Unknown)

Jesus said, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be required.” (Luke 12: 48)  Paul said the same thing a little differently:

“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12: 1-2

We are the sacrifices, and God expects us to use all of our resources for Him — spiritual, physical, and financial.  If you think your time, talent, energy, and resources are being underutilized, you should take it to God in prayer because He will direct your path if you let Him.

Robert Frost suggested taking the road less traveled because it will make all the difference.  Jesus said it like this:

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter through it.  For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matthew 7: 13-14

If you read Matthew 7: 13-29, you will discover that these verses do not pertain to salvation exclusively.  They have to do with obedience — doing the will of the Father. (Matthew 7: 21)  Therefore, finding God’s will and doing it are absolutely essential.  If tradition is preventing you from obeying God, then you should abandon your traditions.

This is an excerpt from What Will You Do with the Rest of Your Life?

To see other SnyderTalk editorials, click here.

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Thomas Jefferson

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Jeremiah 50: 36-39

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My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

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