Perhaps the following story will seem even more apropos in light of the
recent flooding in our own country's mid-west. A flood came and left a
very devout man stranded on his roof. A neighbor came by in a rowboat,
but the man said, "No, thank you—the Lord will save me!" Soon the
police showed up in a powerboat, but he gave them the same response.
When the peak of his roof was almost submerged, he even sent a rescue
helicopter away with the same declaration—"The Lord will save me!"

You probably know what happened—as the story goes, the man drowned.
When he met the Lord in heaven, he asked, "Lord, why didn't you save
me?" The Lord replied, "I gave you a rowboat, a powerboat, and even a
helicopter—what more could you possibly want???" So often we get it in
our minds that God is going to intervene in our lives through
lightening bolt revelations and thunderous miraculous touches. But, in
reality, he often uses a still small voice—often just giving us His
answers in everyday circumstances, using every day people. Recently, I
was just thinking about how much the Lord gives to His people, but, at
the same time, how much is actually either misinterpreted, and thereby,
mishandled by those who should just be receiving His gifts by faith.

The concepts of gifts and giving are actually paramount throughout the
Scriptures, appearing over 1,500 times throughout the Bible's pages.
Giving is what God does best! Well, actually, when you think about
it—He does everything best, but it all comes from His giving heart. We
see this with King David as he passes the kingdom on to his son
Solomon. In 1 Chronicles 28, we find that David had wanted to build a
temple for the Lord, but the Lord wanted to give that responsibility to
Solomon—if he would persevere in the ways of the Lord! Though David
couldn't actually build it, he could prepare the way. He gathered the
wood, stones, and precious metals, and then asked the people, "…who
then is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the Lord?"
(29:5b)

And what was their response? Verses 6 and 7 tell us, "Then the chief of
the fathers and princes of the tribes of Israel, and the captains of
thousands and of hundreds, with the rulers of the king's work, offered
willingly, and gave for the service of the house of God…" The list of
things offered is so long, I don't have room for it here! But we are
told—"Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly,
because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the Lord: and
David the king also rejoiced with great joy." (vs. 9) This is key as we
begin this look on how to handle gifts—everything must be offered
willingly. In one church I know, two families fought every year over
who would give the most. Each wanted to be known as the most generous
and devoted, but most certainly it was not willingly. Since their
hearts were not right in the matter, it actually would have been better
if they had given nothing! It must glorify God, not mock Him. You see,
we must understand that the ultimate Gift is actually Jesus, and to
handle Him poorly, mocks God. Herbert Lockyer once wrote, "What great
reward there is for all who receive the Savior as God's gift. How
blessed we are when, having received the Gift, we live for the glory of
the Giver! Having received the gift of eternal life, ours is the
obligation of living as those who, being heaven-born, are heaven-bound."

It was at Jacob's well that Jesus first gave Himself this title—"If
thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me
to drink; thou wouldest have asked of Him, and He would have given thee
living water."(John 4:10) Jesus had asked for cool water, not only
because He was tired and thirsty, but because He wanted to show her her
own need for Himself—the living water! Praise God—as the Giver was the
Gift, He willingly entered into the giving-heart of God—"For God so
loved the world, that He gave…" (John 3:16a) Yes, the Giver was—and
is—the Gift! But it doesn't end there—Jesus came, in part, to give the
Holy Spirit, so that the Christian life would not just be a matter of
having God nearby, but even within. Jesus told His disciples, "If ye
then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how
much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that
ask Him?" (Luke 11:13)
Just like rowboats, powerboats, and helicopters must be received in
order to have their intended effect, it is even more true when it comes
to the Gift of the Holy Spirit. How should this Gift be handled? The
Church of Jesus Christ had just begun—"And with great power gave the
apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace
was upon them all. Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as
many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the
prices of the things that were sold, and laid them down at the
apostle's feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as
he had need." (Acts 4:33-35) That is what should happen; this is what
shouldn't—a man and his wife, Ananias and Sapphira, sold some land, but
kept back some of the proceeds, giving the rest to the church. In that
moment, the Holy Spirit witnessed of the truth of the matter to Peter.
You see, it had been their land—they could do anything they wanted to
do with it or the money they got from it. But they claimed they were
giving the whole thing—they lied; and worse yet, they lied to the Holy
Spirit! And when Ananias wouldn't admit it and repent, he died on the
spot and was buried immediately. Then his wife came in and lied about
it, not knowing what had happened to him—and she fell to the ground
dead, too. Oh, a Gift mishandled!
It is actually the end of the story that says it all—"And great fear
came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things."
(5:11) Today, there is very little fear of the Lord. Many, even within
the church, live in deception—shading the truth and leading people to
believe that they are more devoted to the Lord than they really are.
Case in point—a tithe! It is all through the Scriptures, but many today
don't take it seriously. A tithe is literally 10%, and so a $300.00
weekly income would produce a $30.00 tithe; $500.00 would mean $50.00;
and so on. And this is only the basic, bottom-line Biblical
expectation—what about the "tithes and offerings" we speak about in our
services? Our giving, to truly glorify God, must be a "willing
offering"—a physical expression of the devotion and surrender that has
been implanted in the human heart. Malachi says clearly that the
withholding of the tithe is actually robbing God! How many places in
our lives do we pretend to be closer to the Lord than we really are,
and thereby "tempt the Spirit of the Lord?" (vs. 9) Not smart!

In Acts 8, we see the same thing, and, Praise God, even more. Verses 9
and 10 tell us of a certain man called Simon, who was "giving out that
himself was some great one," and everyone around, "gave heed, from the
least to the greatest, saying This man is the great power of God." He
had everybody fooled! But when he saw the Holy Spirit falling on people
under the ministry of Peter, he tried to buy it. Peter told him, "Thy
money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God
may be purchased with money." (vs. 20) Today, many think the gift of
the Holy Spirit can be bought through good works or traveling all
around the country seeking a so-called new thing. Many flock to
fast-paced, entertaining, mega-churches, sip their lattes—which they
bought right there—and hear snappy little pep talks on how to live—a
total mishandling of the Gift!

Listen—a gift is just that, a gift! A.B. Simpson once wrote, "Grace
carries with it two great senses always; it comes without charge, and
it comes when we are helpless. Grace does not merely help the man who
helps himself. The gospel is that God helps the man who cannot help
himself. Grace is given to the man who is so weak and helpless he
cannot take the first step." Haven't you ever reached out to help
another and your gift was rejected, whether it be your time, your
resources, or your compassion? And did that cause you to quit? If it
did, it shouldn’t have—where would you be if Christ quit reaching out
to you after the first time—or the hundredth time—you rejected Him? You
would be dead—drowned in the flood of your own sin and deception! When
you turn down His rowboats, powerboats, and helicopters, what is left?
If you put yourself on some spiritual pedestal, you will turn your back
on the amazing compassion of God, and then not have any compassion with
which to handle the Gifts intended for others. Proverbs warns, "Most
men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who
can find?" (20:6) God is looking for—and will have—a people who will be
honest before Him, handling His Gifts as though they are very precious,
for, indeed, they truly are!

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Posted By Christ Our Rock Bible Church to Christ Our Rock at 8/01/2009
01:00:00 PM