Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
One of my favorite things about being a believer is that we are called individually, but we are not called to individuality. What I mean by that is God looks at each one of us personally. He looks at you and He looks at me and He says, "Follow me." He does that intentionally, knowing everything about you, wanting a personal relationship with you.
When He calls us to follow Him, He never wants us to do that alone. He always wants us to pursue Him in the context of a Christian community. There are so many things that the Bible explains that we can benefit from in community, and our Verse of the Day shows us a really, really powerful one.
When the Verse Doesn't Seem True
If you've ever been in a place where you were struggling, especially financially or with material needs, this verse might not seem to ring true for you. Amidst the anxiety of rent coming up and you not having enough to cover it all. That last letter in the mail with the big red stamp that says your electricity is going to be shut off if you don't pay that bill. Watching as the cash register numbers go higher and higher with each grocery that passes through the scanner, and you're counting your final pennies to see if you can buy food for your family.
We read this verse and we go, "Why is God not generously providing for all my needs? Why don't I have enough to cover everything and leftovers?"
This Verse Was Written to a Community
That's because this verse isn't written to an individual. This verse was written to a community. If you were to read this verse in context, Paul is actually addressing the whole body. He's calling all of them to be generous, to take what they have to give cheerfully—whether that was a lot or whether that was just a little bit. But to consider what God was purposing in their hearts and give it in faith to benefit the body of believers.
The Gospel of John Example
A great example of this system working out comes from the Gospel of John, chapter 6. Jesus is teaching the multitudes. They're following Him, and they typically will sit there all day long. When you're sitting there with nothing to eat, you're going to get hungry.
The disciples say, "Jesus, we cannot feed all of these people. We have to send them home." Jesus says, "Well, ask around and see what you can find. What do people have to offer?"
What they get is the lunch of a young boy—five loaves of bread and two fish. Certainly not enough to cover the meal for thousands of people. But Jesus takes that gift given in faith, given cheerfully, given generously. He says, "Pass it out to the people." As the disciples begin to hand it out, everybody eats until they're full, and they find that they have leftovers. They still have more to share.
When We Give in Faith in Community
See, when we give in faith in the context of community, God has the supernatural ability to multiply it, to spread the blessing beyond what we could ever imagine. The more that we do that in faith, the more that we stand as models for others to be testimonies of God using our gifts faithfully so that they might do the same.
Community is powerful because when we need, we can lean in. We don't have to be ashamed to ask for help. When we have an abundance, we give to bless others, reminding ourselves that God has so generously given to us—why wouldn't we use that to share with others?
God Is After Your Heart
Remember that God isn't after your money, or your wallet, or your bank account. He's after your heart. When you give Him that, I promise you He will bless you beyond measure.
