But to do good and to communicate forget not, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. Hebrews 13:16
When I first read this verse, I thought I was going to be able to fulfill this verse very easily. I love to communicate. In fact, I expect the most commonly made comment about me behind my back is that I talk too much. I certainly enjoy talking with all types of people in all kinds of situations. But that is not what the apostle is referring to when he speaks about God being well pleased when we communicate. The meaning behind this word is entirely different from the way we use it today. Instead of talking, it means sharing. To be more specific, it means sharing what we have with others. Now, we can understand how God would be well pleased, because our Heavenly Father is the fount of all generosity, and He loves to see this same trait in His children.
If you would question God’s generosity, consider how many life-preserving heartbeats He has given you since you started to read this message. Consider His willingness to maintain a great energy source – the sun – at just the right distance from our planet to allow all of our food to grow as it should, and all of our activities to be possible. Today, He fed you and me – and all the little birds you saw outside, and clothed and preserved us. Temporally speaking, He is a generous God. Spiritually speaking, He has blessed us far beyond our power to understand, let alone appreciate. No matter how we consider our God, we cannot deny His willingness to share His great blessings. As our text proclaims, God is well pleased when we imitate His generosity.
No, we don’t have the same access to infinite resources as God. But we have access to Him, and He has bidden us to ask for what we need. How often do we ask Him for that which we can share with others? The most generous people are often those who have the least that they can share. Maybe it’s because they know how good it is to receive from someone else’s generosity. Maybe it’s also because those who have more than enough often place a higher value on possessions than they should, so they tend to hold them tighter. But our God, Who loves a cheerful giver, also loves a cheerful sharer. With whom should we share? Those who we see are in need. If we can’t identify any in need, ask the Lord to show them to us. They are all around us, and we should be open to His guidance, not our own prejudices, when it comes to sharing.
God is well pleased with the sacrifice of sharing. And it’s an exercise that does us good. Takers may eat better, but givers sleep better. – Jim MacIntosh