Sharing! It can be a problem.
I know we had a "friendly neighbour" across the road from us, and down about four homes. A seemingly nice guy, always going around the streets, entirely ready to help in all situations, and I must admit it appeared that what he was offering was nice and really helpful.
I remember a day when our friends, directly across the road from us, were visited by our "friendly neighbour" and asked if they would like one of his home-grown cabbages. Well, they thought how nice and "thank you," they said.
Right from the start of our childhood, sharing is pretty much a given. I know from experience, and I guess we all know that a lack of sharing can be so wrong. It really borders on selfishness. Other people can be so important to us.
Jesus shared everything. Constantly in the Bible, we read in all sorts of situations, Jesus was the sharing person.
In the Bible in Matthew 13:52, Jesus said to his disciples, "Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old."
What Jesus was saying here is that sharing everything we have with others is from God, and we should all be really prepared to do just that. Not withholding anything to make sure we keep everything to ourselves. Coming to Christ can be a huge lesson to us. Jesus shared everything, and when we become a Christian, sharing what we have with others comes naturally and very easily.
When you read the Bible, it contains heaps of examples of sharing and caring with and for others. However, (there is pretty much always an "however", isn't there?) we all have sins stuck inside us, regardless of whether we come to Jesus and ask Him to take over our lives or whether we don't.
Selfishness can so often rule supreme in our lives, and I can't possibly poke a finger at anyone, believe me! We so often let selfishness rule instead of sharing and caring. Maybe something inside of us tells us we don't want to share. We can look to the world like we care and share, but inside we might be thinking Oh no! I don't want to do this!
In the very first church in the first century, Jesus really taught us to share, and the church grew really quickly. In the Bible, in Acts 4: 32-37 it describes the early church's profound unity, where believers shared all their possessions and made sure no one was in need. They really showed us firmly what Jesus was clearly teaching us.
Coming to Christ can change us so much. We can and often do come from one side of our personalities and convert to the other side. Looking through the Bible, we can see just how much Paul changed.
Here was Paul or Saul, as he was known back then, persecuting and even organising the killing and torture of Christians. Stephen was a prime example. Saul organised Stephen's stoning to death, and he stood and watched him being killed and looked after all the clothes of the stoning guys.
Saul had absolutely no idea he was going to change so much after he was miraculously converted and came to know Jesus, who had been crucified so cruelly. Saul was out to get all those who turned to this so-called Saviour, Jesus, and he made sure they all suffered horribly.
Stephen lived in the city and was just a helper in the church, and he looked after poor widows and orphans and made sure they had enough food. He taught many people about the miracles of Jesus and actually what Jesus did on the cross and how he rose again.
Saul was horrified and determined to undermine any teachings of Stephen. Saul and the leaders of the church at that time were out to get him, and they were pretty pleased and angry at the same time that Stephen used to go to the synagogue to tell the people of the Good News about Jesus.
They certainly didn't want to hear anything about Jesus, whom they had planned and worked out how to execute. So, they began telling lies about Stephen, hoping to make everyone hate him. They told everyone that Stephen was saying bad things about the Jews and God. All lies, and yet those lies had a marked effect.
Stephen was dragged before the highest priests in the land, and he answered their accusations by telling everyone there and all present outside as well how God had sent his son Jesus to save and lead them and how the Jews had rejected Jesus and had him crucified, probably one of the cruelest deaths at that time.
The leaders and Saul became so angry that they dragged him out of the city and organised a horrible and ghastly death by stoning. While all these brutish people were delighting in stoning him (which I can only guess would have to be one of the cruelest ways to die), he prayed and said: "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit". He fell to his knees and cried loudly, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them!" Then he died. You can read about it in the Bible in Acts 7.
So, where does that leave us? Well, Saul was pretty pleased with himself and got some letters from the High Priest so that he could go over to Damascus and organise a lot of Jesus' followers to become prisoners and obviously executed like Stephen. he was breathing out murderous threats and letting everyone know how great he was.
As he neared Damascus, suddenly this overwhelmingly bright light from Heaven flashed around him, and a voice said to him, " Saul, Saul why do you persecute me?"
Long story cut short, you can look up one of my blogs called NIGHTMARE ON STRAIGHT STREET, and you can see what actually happened to Saul after he came to know Jesus as His Lord and Saviour.
He also became one of the most amazing disciples of the Lord, considering that Jesus had been crucified and risen again to go to his Father's home in Heaven. Saul became Paul, and he fully trusted Jesus and travelled so far and wide, preaching the word of God.
Even today, so many people have become followers of Jesus after just reading the many letters of Paul recorded in full detail in today's Bible.
In the parable mentioned above, Jesus was saying that not only do we change when we become followers of Him, but we should always be ready to share with others the amazing love and truth of Jesus Christ and what he did for us on the cross of Calvary.
Where are you in your faith and love for Jesus? Do you want to give your life to Him? Ask Jesus to come into your life and lead you in everything you do. Ask him to become number one in your life today.
God bless you today, and I hope to see you next time.
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