You’ve heard the adage that ‘sharing is caring.’ You’ve been told to share with your siblings probably a million times growing up.
Maybe you’ve seen the Taco Bell commercial that mocks the concept of sharing. Lamenting that you’ve had to “share all your life” and with some cleverly placed ‘flashback’ footage of kids having to share in their growing up years, the announcer barks “Share this. Share that.” And then they promote some NEW nachos that are all inside one tortilla in one hand. Your hand. And now you don’t have to share anymore. If you haven’t seen it – there ya go – I just saved you 30 seconds of your life and perhaps some unnecessary flashback trauma.
I get it. Sharing is challenging and yet cool. Depending…
Sharing is fun sometimes. Sometimes we feel compelled to share. Compassion moves us and we’re delighted to have others included.
But sometimes we feel repelled to share. We want the spotlight, the gift, the experience for ourselves alone. We want to cling to what is ours and not have anyone else included in on it.
Sharing might ultimately be motivated by how we came to possess the item, experience or benefit we’ve acquired. Did we earn it ourselves or was it a gift we stumbled upon?
It reminds me about the gospel – how the Apostle Paul frames it as the Good News of God that is the gift of grace.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. ~Ephesians 2:8-9
Freely given.
And meant to be freely shared.
As recipients of God’s Good News – that we can have a restored relationship with our Creator through faith in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus – we’re the benefactors of an awesome treasure!
Not via what we DO, but solely by what Jesus has DONE. We stumbled into a GREAT treasure and eternal gift!
It’s a treasure that we can hoard. But should we?
No, the gospel is a gift that is meant to be shared. Inviting other wandering souls, home. Inviting others to experience what we’ve found.
There’s a story in 2 Kings 7 that highlights 4 lepers who stumbled upon a treasure that changed everything for them. 4 lepers that were stricken with a grave condition and facing an insurmountable situation. They had no hope, but God went to work and they suddenly found themselves with an unlimited hope staring them in the face.
They were given an amazing gift of food, drink and supplies in the midst of the great siege and famine their city had been under. They were mere moments from death, but now they were experiencing the rush of life-giving supplies. They went to one tent, took the items, went out and buried them. 2nd tent, the same protocol.
It seems to be tent number 3 where they have a realization of the boundless treasure and gift that has been given to them and it changes their mindset. They went from looking at things from a scarcity vantage point, to seeing the true vastness of the gift. Too much for merely these 4 and no more. They have a decision to make: they can choose to stockpile or they can choose to share.
They decided to share the news and invite others to experience the rush of having hope renewed and their lives changed.
They became Good News people who were inviting others around them to experience this Good News.
That’s the effect of the gospel within the lives of those who truly remember the amazing grace and hope we’ve been given in Christ. See Ephesians 2:8-9 again. You did nothing to earn it. Or think about the great benefits you’ve received as a follower of Jesus – the psalmist reminds us to remind ourselves…
Praise the Lord, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits… see Psalm 103
Simply put:
Good News people don’t STOCKPILE, they SHARE.
That’s the effect that God desires to see unfold within the hearts of his children who have been rescued by His gift of grace. The truth is: rescued people, rescue people. We SHARE the Good News of the gospel of Jesus with others who are searching and needing good news that can bring life-change.
Sharing really is Caring.
Yes, it matters that we SHARE.
So, are you?
*if you want to see the sermon on this, click here
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