{"id":27677,"date":"2020-02-27T03:30:08","date_gmt":"2020-02-27T11:30:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/?p=27677"},"modified":"2020-02-21T13:31:36","modified_gmt":"2020-02-21T21:31:36","slug":"february-27-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/2020\/02\/27\/february-27-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"February 27, 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cSo I thought I should send these brothers ahead of me to make sure the gift you promised is ready. But I want it to be a willing gift, not one given grudgingly.\u201d <\/em>2 Corinthians 9:5 NLT<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>Yeah, But Are You Willing?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Here\u2019s the bulk of a text conversation my daughter and I had recently at 4:17PM.<\/p>\n

\u201cWould you be willing to get food on your way home?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll depends.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you willing to get?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m guessing you want DQ?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, but are you willing?\u201d<\/p>\n

Pause \u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cGrudgingly, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n

I could feel the internal struggle through my phone. \u201cThanks.\u201d<\/p>\n

She knows I don\u2019t like to go through Dairy Queen\u2019s (DQ) drive through, especially not on a Friday night after a very long week of work and life. However, she\u2019d been through the long week too, so after the long pause I grudgingly answered yes.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, the Lord worked on my heart and I had a plan going into the inevitably long wait. I would read the Hawaiian Pidgin Bible I keep in my car which always lifts my spirits. The words blurred before my tired eyes so I set it aside, but the one scripture I read wasMatthew 8:2-3.It made me think about all the things Jesus is willing to do for me, with no \u201cgrudgingly\u201d in sight.<\/p>\n

When I got to the window, the cashier was coughing. I asked how she was doing and with a surprised look on her face she leaned out the window with a big smile, said she was good, that I was the first one who had asked her, and it made her night! Grudging feeling gone!<\/p>\n

How simple was it to help two young ladies have a good evening? Very simple. It became a willing gift of some time, money, kind words, and a little Royal Cheesecake Blizzard on my sweatshirt.<\/p>\n

In today\u2019s 2 Corinthians passage, Paul is talking about the Corinthian\u2019s promised gift of money to the believers in Jerusalem. Verse 9:7 goes on to say, \u201cSo let\u00a0<\/em>each one\u00a0<\/em>give\u00a0<\/em>as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Are there things where God is asking you, \u201cAre you willing?\u201d Gifts you have that you\u2019d be willing to share? Things you may not necessarily like to do or think you can do, but He\u2019s calling you to nonetheless? It\u2019s been my experience that if He calls you, He equips you.<\/p>\n

Verse 9:8 (NLT) tells us, \u201cAnd God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Doesn\u2019t life really boil down to what we are willing to share with others: time, money, love, kindness, the gospel, or whatever?<\/p>\n

Father God, we\u2019re so grateful You were willing to share Your Son. May our answer ever be yes when You say, \u2018Yeah, but are you willing?\u2019 Amen.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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