Morning Message: April 29

We continue to hear about the extraordinary sharing done by the early believers in Jesus.

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles.

Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common.  With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.  There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold.  They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.  There was a Levite, a native of Cyprus, Joseph, to whom the apostles gave the name Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”).  He sold a field that belonged to him, then brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

Think about this silently in your heart.  What does it mean to be “in need”?  Are only poor people “in need”?

In the Bible reading today we heard about a group of amazing people. They were a unified group, caring for each other’s needs.  Their hearts were filled with love for Jesus and bursting with love for one another.  Many of the people were moved by the needs of the poor and needy, and they began selling the things they owned and handing over their belongings to the care of the leaders. Their love for Jesus caused everyone’s needs to be met.  Instead of being stingy holding on to the things they had, they looked upon their property as belonging to all the community.  No one said, “That’s mine; you can’t have it.”  They shared everything.

When we truly belong to God, everything we have belongs to Him as well.  All the things that we have here on earth like our houses, cars, food, clothing and even toys are all blessings from God.  He blesses us with these things to be a blessing to others.  Everything we have will one day be no more, but the love of Jesus within us will surely last forever.

Generous and loving God, we see your Spirit at work in the lives of the early Christians.  May we learn to share what we have with others, especially those who are poor or are in need.  We pray in the name of our Risen Lord, Jesus Christ.  Amen.