Giving out of our need.
Pastor Ted offered some great thoughts yesterday in our office devotions on the subject of "giving out of our need." He used the example of Pastor Peter, who is the pastor at our Cham Chao home (the Training Center) in Phnom Penh, as well as the President of Foursquare in Cambodia.
Ted shared about his first experiences with Peter, who had very little in terms of wealth and possessions, including no more than one or two pairs of clothing and no sort of transportation to get around the country. The latter part was becoming more of a necessity as the church was quickly growing beyond just the scope of Phnom Penh.
Ted talked about going through his own closet to pull out shirts and pants that Pastor Peter could wear.
And with each offering, it wasn't long before Peter would have given every bit of that clothing to someone else who was in need.
This not only kept happening with clothing, but eventually Pastor Ted gave Peter his own truck in order to travel around the country.
Well, there was another pastor who apparently also needed a vehicle to do evangelism, so one day Pastor Peter drove that truck out to visit this pastor…and came back to Phnom Penh in a taxi :)
This happened with 2 more cars.
This is quite the example of extreme generosity in the midst of apparent lack. This man, who has lived through the Khmer Rouge and seen countless tragedies that should have left the mark of bitterness and self-preservation, literally gave what he had, not because he had more than enough, but because he saw another person’s need and trusted the Lord enough to provide for his own.
This is staggering to me in all reality. And incredibly challenging. It requires the kind of selflessness and trust that I talk so frequently about and yet struggle to grasp. I do not want to hold so tightly to things that I fear it will cost me too much to let them go.
2 Corinthians 8:2,3,7. “Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Just as you excel in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness – see that you also excel in this grace of giving.”
Ted shared about his first experiences with Peter, who had very little in terms of wealth and possessions, including no more than one or two pairs of clothing and no sort of transportation to get around the country. The latter part was becoming more of a necessity as the church was quickly growing beyond just the scope of Phnom Penh.
Ted talked about going through his own closet to pull out shirts and pants that Pastor Peter could wear.
And with each offering, it wasn't long before Peter would have given every bit of that clothing to someone else who was in need.
This not only kept happening with clothing, but eventually Pastor Ted gave Peter his own truck in order to travel around the country.
Well, there was another pastor who apparently also needed a vehicle to do evangelism, so one day Pastor Peter drove that truck out to visit this pastor…and came back to Phnom Penh in a taxi :)
This happened with 2 more cars.
This is quite the example of extreme generosity in the midst of apparent lack. This man, who has lived through the Khmer Rouge and seen countless tragedies that should have left the mark of bitterness and self-preservation, literally gave what he had, not because he had more than enough, but because he saw another person’s need and trusted the Lord enough to provide for his own.
This is staggering to me in all reality. And incredibly challenging. It requires the kind of selflessness and trust that I talk so frequently about and yet struggle to grasp. I do not want to hold so tightly to things that I fear it will cost me too much to let them go.
2 Corinthians 8:2,3,7. “Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Just as you excel in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness – see that you also excel in this grace of giving.”
Comments