Christian Living

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A Giving Heart
Pastor Jarod Cruthis
Covenant Community Church of God


Wednesday morning was just like any other morning for me. We roll out of bed, get ready for work and school, and out the door we go. Most mornings, my daughter and I stop off at McDonalds for breakfast, hurry through the line, and finally about half way to school we begin to discuss our day and the usual stuff that floats around the mind of a seven year old. Most mornings the teacher comes out in me and I begin to explain to my daughter about the importance of a good education, respecting her teachers, and to be thankful that she is privileged enough to attend a private school. I feel that by the time we reach our destination each morning, I have instilled a little wisdom or taught a simple lesson for that day. This time it was my time to listen. I don’t know about you, but I don’t always listen as well as I should when my child talks to me. I hear what she is saying, but listening is a totally different ballgame. As she was choking down the last bite of biscuit, and I steadily correcting her about eating with her mouth full, she says to me, “Daddy, why do we have to pay for food?” I quickly cut her off by answering with a quick, “Nothing in this life is free!” I am thankful for her persistence, because the next statement struck a chord in me and began a process of self-examination. “Daddy, everything should be free! If everything was free, then all of the “China People” could come to our country and eat and never be hungry again.” Now please understand the seven-year-old mentality. No matter how many times my wife and I explain it, anyone who is not from America is considered “China People” to her. Now let’s back up for just a moment. This conversation actually began because of yet another comment from the back seat. My daughter wanted a baby doll the other night and wanted to know why we bought her the “cheaper one.” “Are we poor daddy?” she questioned. What followed was another series of questions about why other kids seem to get “everything they want” and “We really are poor aren’t we daddy?” I did my best to explain a principle that most adults don’t even grasp. “Sweetheart, Mommy and Daddy will always have plenty of money because we put God first!” I talked to her about being wise with what the Lord had blessed us with, giving our tithe’s and offerings to the Lord, giving above what is required, sharing with those less fortunate, and how the Lord had blessed us. This didn’t seem to be doing the trick so I brought it down a notch. I began to explain about how the Lord had blessed us with certain cars, clothes, houses, and other things and how we should never take these things for granted because we hadn’t always been in the position that we were now. This is where the “everything should be free” statement came into play. What followed next blew me away. “Daddy, since we have so much money, then why don’t we give them free food?” The Lord used this statement and began to stir within my spirit. I started to ask myself a series of questions and began to examine my own life and the lives of the men and women of God around me. “Can we single handedly finance a program that will end world hunger, disease, and poverty? What can we do to “feed” all of those who hunger and thirst?” The Lord was quick to answer my questions. This giving that the Lord is talking about doesn’t require money or earthly things. It requires all men and women of God to give of that gift that is within them…the gift of God. This gift is free. It costs us nothing, but it cost Jesus His life. I Peter 4:10, “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” What is your gift? What has God placed within you? If you know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, then He has placed a gift or several gifts within you. It is our responsibility to use this gift without regards to color, social status, race, or religion. If we reach out to those who are in need and touch them on the basic human level, then this will present an opportunity to introduce them to the greatest gift of all…salvation. Most churches look to programs and committees to begin the ministry of outreach. I applaud those who are trying, but there is more to the story than meets the eye. Most of the men and women who are in these poverty stricken situations don’t want to hear another man-made speech about their eternal security. What they want is someone who can provide for the hunger, loss, or need that they may have. Wouldn’t it be better to allow the Holy Spirit to minister through us by meeting the basic needs of society, than to force a sometimes new and foreign idea? What we need is a group of believers who are more concerned with getting their hands dirty than knocking on doors and handing out literature that usually winds up in the trash. What gift do you possess? Are you using it to its fullest or are you constantly searching for excuses as to why you haven’t yet reached out to your neighbor. We must all be careful to do unto others, because that place of hunger and thirst for most is only a few paychecks away! I want to challenge all men and women of God to look around our community. Do you see sickness, suffering, hunger, and poverty? You don’t have to look very far to find someone who is need of the “gift” that is within each of us. Let us lean on the Lord and trust Him to work in us and through us. If we will approach this epidemic with compassion and understanding and allow those in need to experience the true love of Christ, then the doors of opportunity will open for us to take these men and women into a deeper walk with Him.

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