Anyone who’s had children know that they need teach them about sharing. Their toys, their games, their food, etc. Sharing is caring, right? But those children don’t ever seem to grasp that concept. In their immature mindset, everything is about them. They are afraid of losing their things if they let someone else take hold of them, even if just for a couple of minutes.
The idea of sharing is a more mature concept. That’s why it has to be taught to the immature ones. The mature ones now understand that they won’t lose their possessions just by letting someone else partake in their joy. And even if they did, that’s OK too. They know it’s more about keeping people happy.
This is where the old cliché, “sharing is caring”, probably comes from. I’m sure you’ve heard of it. The more we become accustomed to the idea that life isn’t all about us, we begin to seek more to enrich the lives of others.
The Bible also gives us insight into sharing. Look at what Paul writes in his first letter to Timothy. “Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.” (6:17-19). He is saying that God and His promise of eternal life is worth more than anything they own. He wants for them to focus on God and not on their possessions.
This reminded me of the story found in Mark 12:41-44. Here, Jesus witnessed people giving money to the treasury and saw a widow throwing two mites in. Mites were small brass coins back in that time, similar to our penny. Their value was of the lowest measure, but when He saw her, He called some of His disciple over to praise what she had done to them. For her, those two measly mites were all she had in her possession and she gave it anyway. This ought to be the mindset of every believer. To help those in need with what has been given to us so that we all can prosper.
This is exactly what we see when the church first began in Acts 2. Many had converted after hearing the Holy Spirit inspired apostles speak about what they had witnessed; Jesus’ resurrected body and ascension into Heaven. After these people had been forgiven of their sins, in verses 44 and 45, we read “Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.” Can you imagine? Think about you receiving something from your neighbor that you needed and them receiving something from you the they needed. Think of the joy they all had. It’s a win-win! And after, it says they continued “praising God and having favor with all the people” (v. 47a). This is what a sharing church looks like.
As the church began to grow, we’re given a little more insight with an example at the end of Acts 4 which you should read. Very encouraging. More and more people were being added among the disciples of Christ and more people began selling their possessions to help one another out. This is just one aspect of Christian living that sets us apart from the world.
But, what are we to make of verses like Matthew 19:24? How does this tie in? Here, Jesus says, “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” That sounds pretty harsh. He says this to his disciples nearby as they just witnessed Jesus encounter a young rich man walk away because Jesus tells him to sell his things (vs 16-22). Or what about the story in Luke 16:19-31 where a rich man ended up in torment after death because he wouldn’t share with a beggar at his gate “desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table.” Or even Ananias and Sapphira who were struck dead in Acts 5:1-11. I hope you can see the contrast in these stories and others like them.
So, is it evil to have possessions? No, it most certainly is not. The contrast here is, of course, your attitude towards your possessions. We should share them with others who are in need instead of building bigger barns for our things (see Luke 12:16-21). “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21) In the examples in the stories above, these rich people’s hearts weren’t in the right place. You can be a wealthy Christian, if your heart is right with God. Like I said before, sharing is caring. When we share, it shows we care more for others needs rather than our own. It’s showing that sacrificial love we have for others as Christians ought to be displaying.
See, the immature mind doesn’t like sharing. Possibly because they are afraid of losing the thing they’re sharing. They seek to protect all that is theirs. This is why children need to be taught this idea. As we mature, we realize that the things we have don’t define who we are. Too, we see they aren’t really even our things anyway. It all belongs to God to which he has bestowed upon us. We must be good stewards of the blessings He has given us and sharing them with the people around us. We ought to be storing our treasures up in Heaven as Jesus says (Matthew 6:19-20).
But what does that mean? I’ve pondered on this passage from time to time. Have you? What is our Christ teaching here? What does it mean to lay treasures up in Heaven and how do we do it?
Going back to 1 Timothy 6, Paul is instructing Timothy on how to deal with the wealthy people in his area and in verse seven he says, “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” We don’t take anything with us when we die. That’s what a will is – a dead giveaway. It’s the dispersing of what you’ve accumulated to the ones you left behind. So, if we don’t take our things with us after death, what kind of treasures will be in Heaven?
Well, what is the one thing that we can take with us into the hereafter? It’s people.
People are the ones we’ll see in Heaven. In our limited display of Heaven in the Bible, we see people praising God for eternity. There might be other things there too. I can’t say. But people are the one thing that is shown to us.
Which leads me into the most important thing that we should be sharing with others. The thing that God has blessed us with the most. And that is the gospel. Letting people know that they too can be forgiven of their sins and live a new life in Christ.
Yes, we should be using wisely what God has given us. Sharing with others our food, money, and other goods we’ve earned helps us build those relationships with people and ultimately being able to share the good news of Jesus Christ of what He’s done for the entire world.
Imagine being forgiven from a wrong you committed against your neighbor, friend, or family member. How did it make you feel? It feels pretty exhilarating, huh? Now, imagine being forgiven of every wrong you’ve committed against God. Going back to what you felt like as you were washed clean down in the waters of baptism. Share that with the people you meet. Your friends and your family. Share with them that they too can feel that same joy that you felt way back when. Share with them that there is a better way to live here on Earth. It’s with God.
So, what do you have that you can share with others? How can we start sharing more? I hope that “sharing is caring” isn’t just something we say but something we do. Let’s continue putting it into practice each and every day.