It is amazing the things we find on television today. Producers seem to be fixated on producing reality shows. America can't seem to get enough of watching other people's lives. I'm sure it's the sinful nature in us driving it. My wife and I came across a reality show not too long ago which is really quite interesting and typically has a positive impact on a life. It's called Hoarders. It's interesting to see what triggers the hoarding lifestyle and then the painstaking process to clean up a person's home and then counsel them through it as their life is placed back on track. It is amazing to see the living conditions some of these people find themselves in. It's not pretty.
I'm sure there aren't a lot of hoarders in America as far as population statistics go. At least not many who would receive a clinical diagnosis. However there seems to be a hoarding problem, nonetheless, and it sits inside the church. Many in the church today are hoarding blessings. I'm not talking about splurging once in a while on something or a church doing some remodeling work to make their facility more functional or up to date. I'm talking about people and churches that hold on to their blessings so tightly their knuckles are turning white.
In Genesis 12:2 we find God making a promise to Abram, soon to be called Abraham. God tells him that He will make him a great nation and that He will bless Abram. He also says Abram will be a blessing. God doesn't bless us to receive folks. He blesses us so we can bless others. We aren't supposed to take the blessings from the Lord and lock them away in a dark place where no one can find them. God blesses us so we can bless others.
There are a few ways that God blesses us. He first blesses us with life. Each day we wake up, we have been blessed with another day in which we can share the love of Jesus with those around us. We are given opportunities day in and day out to share the love, grace, and mercy of Jesus Christ with our fellow man. Are you hoarding your life? Are you keeping your time all to yourself? Or are you making a difference in the world around you each day? Is your church operating like a social club or are you reaching out into your community with the time the Lord has given you to offer people the opportunity to hear the gospel?
He blesses us with knowledge. God has given each and every one of us talents and knowledge that we are supposed to use to bless others and further His kingdom. We try to use the excuse that we don't have time to help someone. Friends, we don't have the time to ignore someone who can benefit from our knowledge or talents. We all know how to do something or have a special knowledge that can be shared. Are you hoarding it? Are you using your knowledge or talents for your own benefit and then packing them away? Every church has a ministry capability they can use to change people's lives.
I had a joke e-mailed to me. A twenty dollar bill was talking to a one dollar bill. The twenty dollar bill was telling the one dollar bill how glamorous his life is. He goes to restaurants and the theater. He has been on cruises and to Disneyland. He is the most widely circulated bill in the world. The one dollar bill then tells the twenty dollar bill that he's not had that glamorous of a life. He spends most of his time at the Methodist Church, the Pentecostal church, and the Baptist Church. The twenty dollar bill interrupts him and says, "What's a church?"
It's sad but true. How often do we hoard our financial blessings for ourselves instead of blessing others? How often do we ignore another's need when we could help, just so we could do something for ourselves? How often do our churches stop relying on faith to provide and start packing hundreds of thousands of dollars, just in case? Don't get me wrong, everyone and every church should have an emergency fund but we take that to an extreme. I wrote about tithing before, and I'm not still beating that drum. I'm talking about above and beyond the tithe. I'm talking about a blessing that can be shared with someone else, if only for the purpose of blessing them. No strings, no pay backs, no favors down the road, just a blessing. I'm talking about churches partnering with para-church organizations or other churches to help the homeless, or send out missionaries.
We have a tendency to hold on to things with a tightly closed fist whether they are tangible possessions, money, or talents. We need to start holding things in the open palm of our hand. We can freely give as we have freely received, and we should. Don't hoard your blessings. It's not a pretty sight.
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