Eggs and Rice

This past Sunday evening at Willow we were treated to a mission report from India by Brother Ratnam and his grandson. Although it took an extra effort to understand their accents and sometimes we did not hear every word, the words that we did hear were powerful. It is important for us to be reminded that we are in the mission field all of the time.

One thing in particular that stood out to me was what Brother Ratnam's grandson said about the people in India and their giving. When they had no money to give to the Lord, they still gave something. If it was only a bag of rice, they gave it. If their chicken layed an egg, they gave it. Even though they were hungry, and they could have eaten the rice, and they wanted the egg, they said, "No, we are giving this rice and this egg to the Lord!"

The attitude displayed in this type of giving exemplifies what it truly means to be a child of God. Once Jesus is Lord, he is Lord of all. He is not just Lord of Sundays. He is not just Lord of our free time. He is not just Lord of what we have that we do not need. Jesus is Lord of every breath we take, every thought we think, every feeling we feel, and every deed we do.

The giving of eggs and rice also reminded me of the fact that the church should be first in everything. Christians must put their own selfish concerns aside and constantly think about what is best for the kingdom of God. When we put the church first unity is accomplished, God is glorified, and souls are obedient to the will of God. We should all come to an understanding that the best decision we can make for our own personal interests is to put ourselves last.

This Sunday, when the offering plates are passed, I will be thinking of eggs and rice. I will give cheerfully and thankfully to my God, who has given me everything - not even sparing his only Son for my soul.

"...and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" ~ 2 Corinthians 10:5