Give or Get

In reflection today over some things.. Starting with the subject of Church.

I have had times in my life that I didn't attend church. I feel "church" is a personal decision on how you feel you should worship. For me , my worship experience actually began to grow through Celebrate Recovery and that led our family's return to traditional services on Sunday.

I think that where we form our spiritual family and how strong that relationship becomes has to do with our motives. Are we there to give or get?

Churches do help people. I see food pantry's, clothing drives, baby showers and overall people just helping one another. That's what we are there for, right? We want to help our brothers and sisters in Christ.

I think we do get to a point where we start looking for what we are "getting". I don't just mean sticking our hands out expecting something, I mean spiritually as well. We expect warm fuzzies, people to appreciate us, people to be our best friends, everyone to be perfect and exactly how we want them to be. That's never going to happen. That's not why we are supposed to be there!

We should be there to give, and to love. That's it, nothing in return from anyone! The reason , those warm fuzzies don't come from people, they come from serving our purpose and being in line with God's will. When we focus on people and set expectations we feel let down when they fail us. Really, we have failed to do our part, and that is to keep focus on God.

This pours into the rest of our life as well. Our careers, our families, our homes, our marriages can all benefit in a change of attitude. We can try to do more giving and not think about what we are going to get in return.

"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again." (Luke 6:38 KJV)

This verse doesn't say give so it will be given or give and it might be given, it says Give and IT SHALL be given.. We don't have to ever focus on what we will reap, only what we sow.

Do you try and give? Are you wiling to let go of what you might get? Are you ready to leave fingerprints?

A Grateful Believer in Jesus Christ

~Johnna