Today Scot Sellers reflects on how we can encourage others to give cheerfully and abundantly, as the Lord has done and continues to do for each of us.
The Lenten season is a time of preparation. It is a time for us to prepare ourselves to better understand and appreciate the great gift our Lord gave to each of us: His willingness to give His life up so that we could know Him and be with Him for eternity.
Philippians 2:4-7 reminds us that Jesus willingly sacrificed the highest place in heaven to spend time on earth with us, and He ultimately sacrificed Himself for us. What a blessing!
Jesus asks each of us to give of ourselves and our resources, to serve those in our world who are less fortunate. But how we give is perhaps the most important issue of all. Our Lord asks us to give cheerfully, in a way that displays happiness and optimism (2 Corinthians 9:6-7). As we give cheerfully to serve others, the joy of the Lord is visible through us and is contagious. Those we serve are blessed with joy and laughter as well as the blessings of a new home or the decent sanitation facilities we have helped them attain. Others, who may have the resources to give but who have not been as eager to share, may be inspired by the joy they see in us and may ask about the motivation for our giving. All this leads to more opportunities to serve Jesus as we help those around us.
Let’s consider how to encourage one another to give cheerfully and abundantly, as the Lord has done and continues to do for each of us. We can provide wonderful encouragement to those in our circles of influence to expand their horizons and experience the joy of sharing their abundance with others.
Prayer
Dear Lord, You have blessed us so abundantly, far beyond anything we deserve. Thank You for Your graciousness to us and for the incredible gift of our salvation. We desire to serve You, and to do so with joy and love that is contagious. Please develop in us the ever-increasing joy of being a cheerful giver and humble servant to those in need around us. We thank You that You always hear our prayers. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Click here to download all the reflections and prayers from the Habitat world during the 40 days of Lent
