FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19
So the believers in Antioch decided to send relief to the brothers and sisters in Judea,
everyone giving as much as they could.
Acts 11:29 (NLT)
A THRIVING CHURCH IS QUICK TO HELP OTHERS
Hattie Wiatt, a little girl, came to a small Sunday school and asked to be taken in, but it was explained there was no room for her. In less than two years, she fell ill and slipped away on her last pilgrimage. No one guessed her strange secret until beneath her pillow was found a torn pocketbook with fifty-seven pennies in it, wrapped in a scrap of paper on which was written, “To help build the little Temple bigger, so that more children can go to Sunday school.” For two years she had saved her pennies for the cause which was nearest her heart. The pastor told the incident to his congregation, and the people began making donations for the enlargement. The papers told it far and wide, and within five years those fifty-seven pennies had grown to be $250,000, and today in Philadelphia, can be seen a great church, the Baptist Temple, seating 3,300, a Temple College with accommodations for more than 1,400 students, a Temple Hospital, and a Temple Sunday school so large that all who wish may come and be comfortable. (Source Unknown).
The early church was known for giving to each other whenever a need arose. The church in Antioch learned about the persecution and struggles of believers in Judea and immediately sent what they could to help. It has been said that we are most like Jesus when we are giving.
Reflection
Do you think churches are typically known for giving or for taking? If we want to be known as a giving church it is going to require us to follow the example of the New Testament church and everyone give what they can. One of the ways our church is committed to giving is through our monthly Big Give campaigns. These are opportunities to give in meaningful ways to our community and to people in need around the world. Keep your heart open to being a part of the next Big Give.
Praise
Thank God for always meeting the needs of His people through other believers. Ask God to use our giving in such a way that we are known as a giving church and not a taking church.
