DAD'S RAMBLINGS – THE EVIDENCE OF LORDSHIP
"Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and of one soul; neither did any one say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common….And Joses, who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement), a Levite of the country of Cyprus, having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet." (Acts 4:32, 35-37)
One of the evidences of the Lordship of Jesus Christ in the life of the believer is the person's attitude toward money and possessions. Who does the wealth belong to – the believer or God?
These early Christians came to understand early in their walk of faith that they did not own anything. Everything they had belonged to God.
It is so common to put a "my" in front of my possessions – my house, my car, my job, my retirement account – my, my, my. But in reality, nothing is our own. For the believer, everything belongs to God – His, His, His.
It has been said that a person's bank statement shows the priorities of the person. I don't think that is necessarily true. We all have obligations we have to pay for. However, if my attitude is that my money is mine, it will be reflected by what I spend my money on.
Barnabas is a good example of this principle. He was a "Son of Encouragement," and a part of this encouragement was using the resources that God had blessed him with to minister grace and blessing to others.
May God give us that spirit of liberality that frees us from grasping tightly onto the things that God has given us so that we can freely give to the work of Jesus.
Love, Dad
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