CHURCH:
A good place to give and 

a good place to receive.
By Richard Lineberry

I know the “church” is not a building but the people of God that are called out to be His.  But what happens in your heart when you “go to church?”  The gathering of believers should be a place for both giving and receiving.  To receive you only have to be spiritually hungry and thirsty and come with an open heart.  God will fill us.  If we come already satisfied with good things of this world only, God won’t find much room.

As to giving, (and I’m not referring to money), I’ve learned that there’s a place in the spiritual journey that requires a giving heart BEFORE receiving.  Scripture tells us that Jesus came to serve, not just to be served.  He came as a giver.  He gave time, love, healing, nurturing, encouragement to the hurting and, of course, His very life for the salvation of all who will believe and accept God’s great gift of eternal life.

To come celebrate the Lord with others should be a well planned endeavor.  Here are some good warm up prayers: “Lord, how can I give today?”  “Who may I pray for?”  “What words can I speak to someone that will benefit them and glorify Your Name?”  “How will you guide me to use the spiritual gifts you have given me?”  “What are you saying to me?”

Never yet have I seriously prayed these kinds of prayers that the Lord didn’t give me a chance to spend myself on God’s favorite target—people!

My prayer for all of us today is that we give ourselves the opportunity to receive something from God that we don’t have by giving something to someone else that we do have. 

Praise be to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of all compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

                                    II Corinthians 1:3-4