Life Plan Devotion #144 [How will you be remembered?]

Hi, Everyone.
Have a great day, and please remember those who are having or are recovering from surgery today.

Life Plan Devotion #144 [How will you be remembered?]

II Corinthians 9:9 "As it is written, 'He [the benevolent person] scatters abroad; He gives to the poor; His deeds of justice and goodness and kindness and benevolence will go on and endure forever!'" (Amplified).

     Our key verse defines God's giver as one who "scatters abroad" his gifts. That means that God's giver is a liberal giver. Visualize with me two seed sowers. One sower reaches into his bag of seed, grabs the biggest handful he can, and flings the seed, repeating the process over and over, until the ground is covered with seed. The other sower carefully counts out three seeds, to place in each hole, and repeats the process every 6 inches. Which one is the generous sower? The first one, of course. Which one will reap the abundant harvest? The first one.
     According to Psalm 112:9, God equates giving with "righteousness." An easy way to remember the meaning of "righteousness" is to think of it as "right standing with God." It also means "equity (or character or act)." God's giver gives because it's a natural outpouring of thanks to God, and, frankly, it's "the right thing to do."
     Based on the fact that the early Christian church had "all things in common" and "gave to those who had need" (Acts 2:44-45) and the fact that, over all, traditionally, Jewish people are well off because they take care of one another, I believe that if every churchgoer gave as he/she should give (10% tithe and over and above that, in offerings), there would be no need for government-funded social programs. It's rather difficult to feed someone spiritually, if that person is physically hungry. I know it's overwhelming; the need is so great all over the world, but what could happen if God's people gave and gave generously. 
     The "righteousness" of God's giver "endures forever." How long will you be remembered, after you're gone? One of the ways you can be remembered is by being a giver. No, you don't have to give a huge amount and have a plaque put up with your name on it (that would seem to go against the scripture that says, "When you give, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing" Matthew 6:3). Others will recognize a giver, because a giver will give of not only their treasure, but their time and talents, as well.
     When you give, you bless others, but you also reap blessings on yourself  and your family, blessings that will continue from generation to generation. God will see your secret giving and "will reward you openly" (Matthew 6:4), not only in "the here and now," but for all eternity.

What this has to do with weight loss: On the weight-loss journey, we can become too focused on our journey, too focused on the number on the scale, too focused on our weight issues, that we forget that there are more important things (and people). We must strike a balance between being focused on self and focused on others. There's room for both. In the end, though, it really won't matter how much weight we lost. What will matter is how we influenced others. May that influence be for good, not ill, so that when others reflect on our life, they'll remember how we helped and didn't hurt, and may the memories attached to our name and life live on long after we're gone.

Confession:
I am a generous giver, and my "righteousness endures forever."

Blessings,
Mary