You have to laugh when Solomon says of himself: “God gives great wealth, riches, and honour to some people; they have everything they want. But God does not let them enjoy such things; a stranger enjoys them instead. This is useless and very wrong” (Eccl.6:2).
Christians and churches are quietly obsessed with the notion that “great wealth, riches, and honour” can speed the gospel along (all the while making life happy and comfortable for us along the way).
It is easily forgotten that Jesus relied upon none of these things to achieve His mission. With nothing he came into the world and with nothing he went out. He was raised in a lower-working class family in a tiny town in a tiny country, but in the space of three and a half years he changed the world forever—without “great wealth, riches, and honour.”
What did Jesus ask for? As our High Priest he asked that the Father’s will be done in His death on our behalf, and that this good news would go forth to unite the world to Him as He is united with the Father.
Jesus is God’s gift of mercy. Forgiveness that frees man from the consequences of sin. Where man was guilty and destined for hell, he is now forgiven and destined for heaven.
It is in this context that we are called to give:
“Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return” (Lk.6:38).What you give, and what is given back, are all the true blessings of ‘mercy received’ and ‘mercy given.’ Think about it. This is the give and take paradigm in which Christians live and breathe and have their being.
Right here is where I can do my best work!
John Staiger