And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive”. (Acts:20:35)
When we are changed by the Spirit of Christ and are “Born Again” a huge transformation takes place as we begin to take into our lives the character of Jesus. Where once we only thought of ourselves, now others become more important to us and we want to give our lives away. Such was the testimony of four amazing believers when, at Camp Meeting, we witnessed the Ordination into the Christian Ministry of four Missionaries; Raymond & Suzanne Ruddy who work for the Lord in the Philippines and Robyn Solia and her twin sister Denise Burrows who minister the Word of the Lord in Africa. They were sponsored by Pastors Barry and Sandra Cunnington of the “Promise Faith Centre” and “The Tent of Promise” in Queensland. It was my privilege as Bishop of The ICCC (Aust. Inc.) to ordain them in recognition of the work each one is already doing to the Glory of God.
The surrendering of our lives into the work of the Kingdom of God is the most precious form of giving. Jesus never said that giving would be easy, because the giving of ourselves demands our life, our soul, and our all. eg I remember praying for a very special Vision student, Jackie Hamill, whose sole desire was to minister to the poor and needy in the gaol’s of the Philippines. She was taken hostage when the inmates rioted, continuously raped and shot; she died a Martyr’s death! Yet even in her greatest pain and shame Jackie spoke continuously to these inmates of just how much God loved them. One prisoner threw down his gun and received Jesus as his Saviour. Her life’s possessions fitted easily into a cardboard box. Her testimony (1992) touched our nation and for several days made headlines on every news broadcast. When speaking at Jackie’s Memorial service in Sydney the only word the Lord gave me was, “But many who are first will be last and the last first”. (Matt 19:20)!
After 47 years of ministry I’m still learning to give, yes, after this length of time I realize I haven’t given much at all, compared to Jackie Hamill. However, Jesus says afresh to me: “it may be hard and difficult Harry, but it is more blessed to give than to receive”!
In His Grip + Harry