Memorable Moments Hebrews
Hebrews 13:16 ESV
Speaking of sacrifices, and especially sacrifices that move the heart of God, the author of Hebrews tells the reader in Hebrews 13:16 “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”
I’ve known a few people in my life who do good and who also share what they have.
My dad was one of those people.
I saw his generosity of spirit even when I was young. I don’t remember being told to do good and to share what I have.
Instead I saw him doing good.
I saw him share.
What surprised me is that his generosity wasn’t always heralded for being a good thing. Now mind you, he didn’t care about that. As a matter of fact he taught me to respond to what God calls me to without expecting others to notice.
He told me to listen to God and respond secretly. He told me it was a blessing (or something God would bless). He also told me a blessing was God touching me with His presence.
When I was a child I took that to mean it was a secret between me and God.
Because we tend to hold onto concepts we learn very early in life, I held onto the blessing.
Fast forward several years.
As a young teenager when I went to Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City (where I lived for the first thirty years of my life) to hear Billy Graham speak, the Spirit of God came on me with hurricane like force wind.
That night changed my life forever,
After that night I heard an inner voice that was filled with peace. I saw pictures and movies in my mind. I had dreams and had a peaceful feeling about them and I noticed they would come true a while after I had the dream.
The first dream I remember that I had that came true was about a big black dog. I was probably around 15 years old. In the dream a huge black dog (bigger than two houses) tromped through my neighborhood. I was frightened when I woke up.
I didn’t think a lot about the dream except that I thought it was a bad dream.
A while after I had the dream I was outside one day and when I came around the corner of my house a big black dog cornered me. The dog was ferociously growling and showed his teeth. I screamed. I was so frightened that I froze.
We had a retired neighbor who lived across the street who spent a lot of time outside and he heard me scream. He came running with a hoe and he chased the dog off.
I told my mom about it and she thanked the neighbor.
When my dad got home from work I told him about the black dog and that Mr. P. chased him off. I told him the weird part was that I had a dream a while back about a huge black dog.
Really, hummmm…says my dad. He told me if I have other dreams to let him know. Telling my dad about my dreams that came true helped me to understand one way God speaks to me.
On that ongoing learning journey my dad was always good to help me understand what God was telling me.
He shared what he knew about dreams and visions from scripture. That was a game-changer for me. As I read scripture when I came across passages about dreams I would ask my dad questions.
When I prayed about this passage and what God was saying to me, God reminded me about the black dog dream. I couldn’t see what that had to do with doing good and sharing but I went with it.
At some point God helped me to SEE that doing good and sharing isn’t always about giving away goods (or money). While it can be about that, doing good and sharing is also about sharing information that will help someone.
Whenever God sends me someone I can help (especially with a spiritual problem) I love sharing information. It really blesses me.
I am super blessed when I have the opportunity to help someone understand their gifts. I was on a learning curve with dreams and visions for many years. Anytime I can help someone understand how to interpret their dreams and visions is a win-win for myself because I can share what I’ve learned and hopefully it’s a win for them.
Spiritual Practice: Doing Good and Sharing
Consider your gifts. If you know what they are, consider how you have used them for good.
What have you shared?
By helping others, your sharing is pleasing to God.
It makes God smile.
In God, Deborah
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