The poor will eat and be satisfied. (Ps. 22:26)
IF YOU VISIT MY HOUSE, you will notice that I have a lot of “things” from southern Africa. Some of them hang on my walls, while others are displayed on shelves throughout the house. I look at them and remember the wonderful years we had serving as missionaries. There are wood carvings from Zimbabwe, embroidered wall hangings from South Africa, clay pots from Venda, and copper pictures from Zambia.
What I especially prize are some baskets that were given to me by believers in one of the villages of Mozambique. These poor believers literally existed on the bare necessities of life. One would have thought that this would have given them a negative outlook on life, but these Christians were full of joy! This was reflected in how they worshiped God. Their singing was enthusiastic, and their dancing was energetic.
Before the preaching began, the pastor presented me with the gift of baskets. As she handed them to me, she said, “We have responded to God’s message of salvation and have found that there is great satisfaction in walking with Him. Satisfied people do not feel as though they need to always be the receivers. They recognize that they can also be givers! Missionaries are always giving us things. Today we have decided to be the givers. These baskets represent us as satisfied containers of God!”
Find joy in giving, even if you think you don’t have much to give.
Jim Lo is the author of Connect with God: The Purpose of Prayer (Wesleyan Publishing House) and the dean of chapel at Indiana Wesleyan University.
