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Home Sections The Daily B.R.E.A.D. June 17, 2009 - Wednesday Meditation (Be A Cheerful Giver!)
June 17, 2009 - Wednesday Meditation (Be A Cheerful Giver!) PDF Print E-mail
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Sections - The Daily B.R.E.A.D.
Written by Bobot Apit   
Monday, 15 June 2009 11:45
T he words of today’s gospel also serve as a reminder that what we do in service, in prayer, or in fasting should come so naturally to us that it is a seamless part of our lives. The giving and the praying is not an exception but the rule.


2 Corinthians 9:6-11
Psalm 112:1bc-2, 3-4, 9

M atthew 6:1-6, 16-18 "Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in  heaven. (2) "Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. (3) But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, (4) so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (5) "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received  their reward. (6) But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward  you. (16) "And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I  say to you, they have received their reward. (17) But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, (18) that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.



* Meditation by Carol Zuegner
 
G od loves a cheerful giver.  I love this phrase from Corinthians, not just in its meaning for alms and good works. God doesn’t just mean that we smile when we write out a check or grin when we drop off clothes at Goodwill (thought I think that’s a good idea too.)  When I think of God loves a cheerful giver, it reminds me of finding God in all things, in our day-to-day lives -- not only when we are in church or praying or performing service. I want to be a cheerful giver among my co-workers, my neighbors, the woman at the checkout line at the grocery store.

I can give of my time and my smile. I can be patient and kind, even when I do not feel overly patient or kind. I can take a deep breath before becoming annoyed. It is those seemingly small times in life, when we give of ourselves that I believe we are truly becoming a cheerful giver.  It is when we truly pay attention to our family members, instead of just nodding because we’ve heard that story before. We can be cheerful givers when we put away or turn off the TV or the cell phone and pay attention to those around us.

The words of today’s gospel also serve as a reminder that what we do in service, in prayer, or in fasting should come so naturally to us that it is a seamless part of our lives. The giving and the praying is not an exception but the rule.  I do pray that God helps me become a cheerful giver.
 
 

* Supplementary Reading
Forgiveness and Peace

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, 'Lord, how many times shall I forgive someone who sins against me? Up to seven times?' Jesus answered, 'I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.' – Matthew 18:21-22



H ave you ever lost something small? You look for it everywhere—under furniture, in pockets, in drawers—but it's nowhere to be found. Finally you get desperate enough to search one last place—the garbage can. Maybe, just maybe, it ended up there.

You go out to the garbage can and start rummaging through it. It's hard to avoid touching the slimy old leftovers and rotting chicken bones with sauce on them from a few days earlier. And oh—the smell! If it's summer and hot outside, the smell practically drives you away before you even get started.

That's what it's like when we constantly think about someone's sins or offenses. We dive into the emotional/spiritual garbage can and pick through the things that were disposed of, that were supposed to stay disposed of, and we experience them in all their glorious noxiousness.

Yuk!

Self-control and Spirit-control must rule together in our lives if we're going to live peacefully. And peace and forgiveness go hand in hand. When we refuse to forgive, we trade the sweet smell of peace that is rightfully ours because Christ lives within us, for a fitful romp in the garbage.



* * *

Remembering the grievances you have against others and rehearsing them in your mind is like rummaging through the garbage. Have you been doing this? Is there someone you need to forgive…again?

* * *


Note: This devotional was taken from  "God Is Closer Than You Think" by Juan Carlos Ortiz


GOD BLESS US ALL!

PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU.




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