Daily Devotions: The Lost Summer

2 Corinthians 8:14 At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need.

There was a time in my childhood when my siblings and I were all fostered out to our aunts and uncles. It was during the summertime and my mother had been taken in to the local lunatic asylum. My Dad was unable to stay off his work to look after us and so we were broken up as a family to be cared for by our relatives.

I was fostered to my Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Phamie. They had a large family of their own which meant that my brother Andy and I were taking up precious space and using their resources. We were still too young to understand how much of a sacrifice our relatives were making, but I now realize that their kindness and compassion during that lost summer kept our family from being broken up by the Social Services.

My cousins were great about giving up their rooms and played with us all summer long. It turned out to be one of the best school vacations that I’ve ever experienced. I think it also made me appreciate my wider family and now that I’m thousands of miles away from them, I cherish them all in my heart.

When Paul refers to equality in 2 Corinthians 8, he’s writing about Christian charity. In these tough economic times, Christian charity goes a long way to help others in need. Instead of getting hung up about ordination issues or biblical doctrines, we need to set aside our differences and make war on want, poverty, hunger, and inequality.

If it hadn’t been for my relatives practicing real Christian charity to my family all those years ago, I don’t know where I would have ended up. I guess the challenge for me today is this: where can I best practice the same principles today and effectively use my God-given resources to help others in need?

Prayer:             Lord Jesus, thank You for the blessings that You have given to us each day. Help us to refrain from hoarding and instead to seek opportunities where we can fully practice Your charitable and faithful teaching. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s passage or receive these devotionals via email, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

If you would like to help other people, but don’t know where to start, check out www.kiva.org. It’s an international charity where a contribution of $25 can help families in developing countries set up their own businesses.

4 Minute Devotions: Blog Action Day

Today is Blog Action Day around the world and this year's theme is Poverty. Bloggers from many nations are highlighting this serious issue and offering solutions.

Podcast version here

Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."

Today is Blog Action Day around the world. Thousands of bloggers are posting articles about poverty and making suggestions about how we can rid this scourge in the world. It’s an amazing network that has been established and any profits from the whole venture will go to KIVA, the international organization that helps small businesses in developing countries by giving loans through contributions that people in richer countries have given.

It’s a wonderful system and to date, I have helped seven different small businesses in Tanzania, Samoa, Peru, and Cambodia through the contributions I have made. It doesn’t involve government or political leaders. It’s about ordinary people helping other ordinary people across the world. Red tape and bureaucracy is kept to a minimum and most of the loans are paid back within a year to the lenders, who can then lend their money to someone else.

It’s the gift that keeps on giving and if you would like to participate in this great opportunity to directly help the lives of others, then visit the website at kiva.org. Registration is easy and contributions can be made via the secure Paypal system.

Poverty is a man-made disease, but if we pool our resources together, even in simple ways like Kiva offers, then it can be overcome. Some one once said that if you give a man a fish, he can eat for a day; but if you teach him how to fish, he can eat for life. There’s one more part I would add to that: he can eat for life if you give him access to the fish pond.

Kiva is doing that by giving people access to the business loans that they need to work in their community. And I firmly believe that the Lord takes great delight in what they are achieving amongst the poor. For once, it’s all about everyone’s need, instead of inhumane greed.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You once said that “You will always have the poor with you; do for them whatever you can.” Thank You for the great work of KIVA, its philosophy and practical ideas that are positively changing lives all around the world. Help each of us to seriously consider giving from we have, to those who can use those resources effectively. In Your Holy Name, we pray for an end to poverty. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

4 Minute Devotions: Scattering Gifts

We all want to change the world and make a difference in the lives of others. Last year, I came across a charitable website that enables donors to do this. A short devotion on Psalm 112 v 9.

Podcast version here

Psalm 112:9 He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be lifted high in honor.

Last year, I came across a wonderful business site on the internet. It’s called Kiva and its whole purpose is to get people to invest in small businesses across the world. Investors are encouraged to make a $25 donation through the website, acting as sponsors of people in developing countries. The hope is that these small investments will enable the entrepreneurs from other lands to successfully establish and market their own skills. Thousands of people are joining Kiva to do this. They are fulfilling today’s verse from Psalm 112 by scattering abroad their gifts to the poor.

To date, I’ve managed to help sponsor five businesses. The entrepreneurs come from Samoa, Tanzania, Peru, and Cambodia. Because I feel that they have a harder time growing businesses in developing countries, all of my chosen beneficiaries are women. They are working hard for their families, as well as their own self-esteem. Each month, they pay back some of their loans and when they have completed it, the initial $25 can be re-invested into another business, in another part of the world. It’s a gift that just keeps on giving and one that makes me feel that I am helping someone else make a positive difference in their community.

You can find Kiva on the internet at http://www.kiva.org/. For those of you who subscribe to the email devotionals, look for a Kiva invitational email to come your way soon. It’s a wonderful organization to support, and I think it’s a great way of advancing God’s Kingdom throughout the earth.

So, if you ever wanted to make a difference in the world, but didn’t know how to go about it, perhaps Kiva is the vehicle to help you do that. If you have any questions about it, just send me an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, there are many people around the world who need help in a dignified way. They want to build up their lives and communities by establishing their own businesses and using their unique skills. Help us to help those who seek to help themselves in honest, hard-working, and effective ways. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor at Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee