Paying it forward.

1 kings 17 verses 13-15

13 Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’”

15 She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family.

One of the basic principles of Christianity is sharing. During the early days of the disciples recorded in the Acts, the principle of sharing and the activities around it is mentioned in detail.

This is especially true when we receive numerous blessings from God, not only in terms of material things but more importantly the blessing of peace offered by Jesus.

In the quoted verse the widow shared her last meal. At that point in time she did not know her food supply was going to be blessed and become never ending.

In some countries "Pay it forward" is implemented in contract law of loans in the concept of third-party beneficiaries. Specifically, the creditor offers the debtor the option of paying the debt forward by lending it to a third person instead of paying it back to the original creditor. This contract may include the provision that the debtor may repay the debt in kind, lending the same amount to a similarly disadvantaged party once they have the means, and under the same conditions.

Today Pay it forward is a movement. Not an organized one but one based on our belief, wherein we share what numerous blessings we have with people less fortunate. Here is a quote from one of our readers which shows the effect of this principle in action -

"Every time we were lonely, especially on an important family day, someone would invite us to their home and lift our spirits; or they would come home and share our joy or sorrow. Every time we needed, someone would share. The gratitude we felt to that person was only superseded with our gratitude to God for placing that person in our life."

Transforming Sadness to Hope

Proverbs 19:17

Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will repay him for his deed. ESV

17 Mercy to the needy is a loan to God, and God pays back those loans in full MSG

In the quoted verse I believe that the thought is better represented by the word "needy" rather than the word "poor" as it is inclusive and refers to various needs of people.

Meeting those needs creates a transformation - From Sadness to hope. Such a transformation creates hope in the hopeless when their mental or physical needs are met.

This transformation can happen to anyone and everyone, who asks, as God is the author and the architect. But we too can participate in the transformation helping God with small things. 

It could be helping someone buy groceries, share time with someone who maybe lonely. Maybe chat with lonely elders and listen to their stories, which, by the way , are usually very interesting, entertaining and informative. Sometimes all we may need to invest is a smile; or time; God will never ask us to invest what we don't have.

Today, can you think of one person you can help transform?

On this first day of the week, may our prayer be:

Lord Jesus, I surrender to You my case! Help me to be an agent of transformation in someone's life. Open the eyes of my heart so that I can see the needs of people around me so that I can be your channel of comfort to them. In my own life, I too want to be made whole by You! I believe in Your ability to work powerfully in my life as well over all the difficulties I am facing. As I rise up and walk, towards being an agent of your transformation, thank You for transforming me because You walk with me on the journey in Jesus’ name! Amen!

ReplyForward