Freely you have received, Freely Give

When I sat down to compose this article, I looked and searched through Bible verses to find something that would encompass all that we are focusing on for this Missions and Benevolence Sunday. We have a global reach – from Europe to India, Africa to Haiti, to right here in Connecticut. Widows are cared for, orphans receive food and education and health care, the unsheltered and poor in our own backyard of Willimantic receive food and warmth. They have physical needs, yes. But they also need their spiritual needs met as well. I looked up a quote I remembered just a bit of from somewhere. Blaise Pascal said that people have a God-shaped hole in their heart. How do we encompass all of that in this short article?

Freely you have received, freely give

This portion of Matthew 10:8 was part of the commission Jesus gave the 12 as he sent them out to minister. They were to go out among the lost sheep, proclaiming the good news that the kingdom was near. And they were to heal the needs of the people as well, the blind, the lame, the “unclean”, the demon possessed.

Freely you have received, freely give

Giving freely doesn’t apply solely to our physical means, although that is definitely included. Giving freely also involves sharing the gift of freedom in Christ. That gift is for all the world. It is not for us to judge who is or is not worthy of either physical or spiritual blessing, having physical or spiritual needs met. Caring for someone’s physical needs can provide the beginnings of a relationship. A relationship with the giver and even more, a relationship with The Giver of All Good Gifts.

Freely you have received, freely give

—Deb Rossing