The
Pen
Give, and it will be given to you.
Luke 6:38
Out of everything in the world a person
could collect, Ed chose pens. “There’s nothing like the feel of a
good pen in your hand,” he’d say. Quirky, but that’s how he
felt.
Seated next to him at a conference, a
man asked to borrow Ed’s pen. Reluctantly, Ed handed it to him,
anxiously watching as the man bore down too hard on it! That’s when
God asked Ed to give the man the pen. “No way!” he silently
rebelled. The man handed Ed his pen back and Ed pocketed it. End of
story. Or so he thought.
During a short break, Ed was engaged in
conversation with a man wearing an eye-catching chain around his
neck. Ed commented on how nice it was. As he looked over the man’s
shoulder, he saw ‘Pen Man’ across the auditorium. God whispered
again, “Give him the pen.” Ed argued with God for the rest of the
conference, but finally relented. When the conference ended, Ed, pen
in left hand, headed toward the man. As he traversed the distance he
was stopped by ‘Chain Man.’
Reaching out to shake his hand,
intending to go on, he realized ‘Chain Man’ had given him
something in the handshake. Stopping in his tracks, he looked into
his open hand to see the chain he’d admired!
†
Most of us just are like Ed. We get
possessive of the things we have, feeling we’re entitled to
what we’ve worked hard for! God wants to rid us of such bondage.
Because when we train our hearts to be possessive we miss
opportunities to be God’s blessing to others.
Reciprocity is a spiritual truth;
“Give, and it will be given” aren’t just words on a page. It’s
God’s directive wrapped in a promise. But if we fail to execute the
first part of the equation, God can’t fulfill the second part.
Learning to hold on loosely to what God
gives us is paramount to being an instrument of blessing. And the
axiom, “It’s better to give than receive” is true.
Not sure? Test the theory today.
Prayer
“Lord, make me a vessel
of Your provision today. Help me become willing to give whatever You
ask of me. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”
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