Seek the Lord while He may be found

All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.

Acts 4: 32-35

When I was a child, I remember a day where my father and I were in the kitchen putting an ice cube tray in the freezer. I asked my father, an engineer, what happens if water is at exactly 32 degrees Fahrenheit? Is it melting or freezing? To the best of my memory, I recall him saying that it would be doing both, while some molecules were becoming solid others would be melting to a liquid. And thus, I was introduced to the idea of paradox. 

It may seem a paradox that giving is the path to abundance and that emptying oneself is the path to fullness, but this path is not a simple straight line. This path is a circle that is ever increasing. Lines divide, but circles encompass, surround, hold, complete. 

Poverty means lacking. Poverty means absence. Poverty means emptiness. Lacking the ability to receive and accept is a quiet path to becoming impoverished. How can we give generously if we do not acknowledge that God is the source of all we have? There is reciprocity in giving and receiving: money, love, help. Sharing is a path to realizing that we have because we have been given… everything- life, intelligence, strength, love, education, challenges, health, illness. 

“I” is the loneliest, poorest word in the world. “We” is the most expansive and generous word in creation. Both sharing your wealth and love while also accepting with a joyful heart joins us to God and all of those that surround us. 

If you receive and receive but never share, then you will be impoverished. If you give and give and give but never accept, then you will be impoverished. When you give, if you do it with others, with God, with the knowledge that you are giving because of all that you have received from those that surround you, then you will have vast wealth that cannot be depleted. When you share in this kind of wealth your path is not a line that divides but a circle that connects. 

Our prayer today...

Dear God, May we always begin with a heart filled with all that you have shared with us and those around us. May we be one in heart and mind with all who surround us. May our circle be ever expanding.

This devotional was written by Jill Pope and read by Amy Large.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.