I once heard a preacher talk about giving with the symbol of an open hand. He said that the open hand is a symbol of giving, or generosity, because when you give something to somebody, you reach out your hand and let go of whatever it is that you possessed so that they can receive it.
Conversely, the closed hand is a symbol of holding onto something. The interesting thing about this illustration I heard was the connection between the open hand and receiving. You see, not only must you open your hand so that the recipient of your generosity may take what they are about to receive, but also you, when you are about to receive, must open your hand.
When your hands are closed guarding what you have and holding on to protect your possessions, they cannot at the same time be open to receive fresh goods. That is the really interested paradox at work behind the spiritual truth that Jesus revealed when He said, “Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, crushed down, full and running over, they will give to you. For in the same measure as you give, it will be given to you again.”
The principle is that you cannot receive without also giving. You can, but you will be corrupted. It is similar to a pond with a stream in but no outlet. The pond becomes stagnant and nothing can live in that pond. In order for a healthy ecosystem to occur, there has to be both a source feeding the pond, and an outlet.
The other important thing that Jesus was revealing in this passage is that measure that you use to judge others, forgive others, express generosity, love or any other action, is the same measure that will be used to determine what you receive. You cannot give with a half heart, instead wanting to save what you are giving, then expect what you want to be generously given to you.
What areas do you need to “open your hand” in? Is there any way you feel that you need to adjust your measuring scale?
Friday, October 10, 2008
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Blessed are they who have not seen and yet believe
Seeing is believing. We have all heard that line. It is a very popular philosophy today. Many people are convinced that if they could just see God – or some evidence of Him, that they would have plenty of reason to believe.
But they do not understand how faith works. Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as, “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” And Paul, writing to the early Christians at Corinth said, “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7) implying a dichotomy between the two. Basically, Paul was saying that you can either choose to walk by faith, or else you can choose to walk by sight – but the two choices are at opposite ends of the spectrum.
Indeed, even Jesus affirms the fact that true faith is not based upon visual evidence. Let’s take a look at His encounter with Thomas after the Resurrection. (John 20:24-29) Here we read about Thomas, one of the twelve disciples. According to John’s Gospel, Thomas was not with the other disciples when they first saw the resurrected Christ. When they confront Thomas to tell him of their encounter with Jesus, he reply’s by saying, “Unless I see in His hands the nail prints, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”
Since the text often does not completely reveal the mood of the speaker, it is difficult to tell whether Thomas is literally as skeptical and cynical as he sounds, or if he is simply astonished. But we get some insight into that from what occurs next.
About a week later the disciples are all gathered together, this time Thomas with them. They are indoors somewhere and according to the text the doors are shut when Jesus suddenly appears in their midst. After greeting them and calming them down a little, Jesus turns to Thomas and says: “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into my side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” After this incredible rebuke, Thomas humbles himself and worship’s Jesus, calling Him, “My Lord and my God!”
Something to note is that Jesus doesn’t only rebuke Thomas, but He also offers Thomas what it was that he said he needed in order to believe. He invites Him to come and examine to see if it is really true. We are not told in the text that Thomas then get’s up and examines Jesus before believing. No, Thomas seems to respond the right way, by doing what he failed to do in the first place – trust Christ.
Finally Jesus gives Thomas and the rest of the disciples a little lesson on faith, and how it looks in real life. He says to them, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
But they do not understand how faith works. Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as, “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” And Paul, writing to the early Christians at Corinth said, “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7) implying a dichotomy between the two. Basically, Paul was saying that you can either choose to walk by faith, or else you can choose to walk by sight – but the two choices are at opposite ends of the spectrum.
Indeed, even Jesus affirms the fact that true faith is not based upon visual evidence. Let’s take a look at His encounter with Thomas after the Resurrection. (John 20:24-29) Here we read about Thomas, one of the twelve disciples. According to John’s Gospel, Thomas was not with the other disciples when they first saw the resurrected Christ. When they confront Thomas to tell him of their encounter with Jesus, he reply’s by saying, “Unless I see in His hands the nail prints, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”
Since the text often does not completely reveal the mood of the speaker, it is difficult to tell whether Thomas is literally as skeptical and cynical as he sounds, or if he is simply astonished. But we get some insight into that from what occurs next.
About a week later the disciples are all gathered together, this time Thomas with them. They are indoors somewhere and according to the text the doors are shut when Jesus suddenly appears in their midst. After greeting them and calming them down a little, Jesus turns to Thomas and says: “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into my side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” After this incredible rebuke, Thomas humbles himself and worship’s Jesus, calling Him, “My Lord and my God!”
Something to note is that Jesus doesn’t only rebuke Thomas, but He also offers Thomas what it was that he said he needed in order to believe. He invites Him to come and examine to see if it is really true. We are not told in the text that Thomas then get’s up and examines Jesus before believing. No, Thomas seems to respond the right way, by doing what he failed to do in the first place – trust Christ.
Finally Jesus gives Thomas and the rest of the disciples a little lesson on faith, and how it looks in real life. He says to them, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
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