Aspiring Artist’s Gift

By Sachiko Obara

My 14-year-old son, Eichiro, had a special plan for his summer vacation in Japan. He loved to draw, and he decided to save money to purchase a professional tablet and software that he could use to create his art.

Eichiro did careful preliminary online research to find out which tablet would be the best for him, and he even went to the store with his father to see it in person. At the same time, he eagerly looked for ways to earn money, even asking me to pay him for doing simple household chores.

Image © Pacific Press

After some time, he saved up 55,000 Japanese yen (U.S.$500), and he ordered the tablet online. “It will arrive soon!” he excitedly told me. Every three hours, he went online to check the delivery status.

A few days later, the package arrived. Eichiro carefully opened it, checked the tablet’s functions, and began to paint. For the next three days, he was like a professional artist holed up in a studio. Then he emerged from his room and made an astonishing announcement. “I’m thinking about giving the tablet away,” he said. He had seen a video, produced by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Japan, about a project to create a comic-book version of Ellen G. White’s The Great Controversy. In the video, he had seen a young Adventist artist starting to work on the project with an old tablet.

“If I could get her to use my tablet, I think it would help her to get more work done,” Eichiro said. “I’m asking God whether this is His will.”

At his insistence, I contacted the person in charge of the project and was put in touch with the young artist. It turned out that she needed a tablet just like Eichiro’s. But when she heard that Eichiro had worked so hard for it, she hesitated. So, I told her that Eichiro had made the decision with much prayer. “I’ll accept the tablet gratefully,” she said.

I believe that the Holy Spirit touched my son’s heart in a powerful way. Before buying the tablet, his only thoughts were about how to earn more money. But as the Holy Spirit worked, his focus shifted from self to God and His mission work. I’m very happy that my son heard God’s calling and was able to contribute to His work. Let’s all seek to obey God just as honestly when He calls us to fulfill the mission of proclaiming Jesus’ soon coming to the world.

This mission story illustrates the following components of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s “I Will Go” strategic plan: Spiritual Growth Objective No. 6, “To increase accession, retention, reclamation, and participation of children, youth, and young adults,” and Spiritual Growth Objective No. 7, “To help youth and young adults place God first and exemplify a biblical worldview.” Read more: IWillGo2020[dot]org.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission. Find more mission stories at adventistmission[dot]org

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/inside-story-aspiring-artists-gift/

Further Thought:

 The heavenly record book of remembrance also notes the financial faithfulness of God’s family members. “The recording angel makes a faithful record of every offering dedicated to God and put into the treasury, and also of the final result of the means thus bestowed.

Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com

The eye of God takes cognizance of every farthing devoted to His cause, and of the willingness or reluctance of the giver. The motive in giving is also chronicled. Those self-sacrificing, consecrated ones who render back to God the things that are His, as He requires of them, will be rewarded according to their works. Even though the means thus consecrated be misapplied, so that it does not accomplish the object which the donor had in view, — the glory of God and the salvation of souls, — those who made the sacrifice in sincerity of soul, with an eye single to the glory of God, will not lose their reward.” — Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 2, p. 518.

“God desires people to pray and to plan for the advancement of his work. But, like Cornelius, we are to unite praying with giving. Our prayers and our alms are to come up before God as a memorial. Faith without works is dead; and without a living faith it is impossible to please God. While we pray, we are to give all we possibly can, both of our labor and our means, for the fulfillment of our prayers. If we act out our faith, we shall not be forgotten by God. He marks every deed of love and self-denial. He will open ways whereby we may show our faith by our works.” — Ellen G. White, Atlantic Union Gleaner, June 17, 1903.

Discussion Questions:

<–Thursday

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/friday-further-thought-offerings-for-jesus/

Research has shown that only about 9 percent of people’s assets are liquid and could be contributed as an offering on a moment’s notice. Cash, checking, savings, money market funds, etc., are generally considered liquid assets, at least for those possessing things like this. Most of our assets, about 91 percent, are “invested” in real estate, such as our homes, our livestock (if we are rural), or other nonliquid items.

The differences in the percentages of liquid and nonliquid assets can be illustrated by putting 1,000 pennies in two different glass jars, with 10 pennies representing each percentage point. So you would have 90 pennies in a small jar representing the 9 percent liquid assets and 910 pennies in a large quart-size jar representing the 91 percent of nonliquid assets.

Image © Krieg Barrie at Goodsalt.com

Most people give their offerings or contributions from the small jar — from their liquid assets. This is what they have in their checking account or pocketbook. But when someone really gets excited about something, they give from the big jar. The Bible tells many such stories.

Read Mark 14:3-9 and John 12:2-8. Who were the main characters at Simon’s feast? What was the value of Mary’s gift? Why did she anoint Jesus at this time?

Mary’s gift was worth 300 denarii — a full year’s wages. It was, most likely, a “big jar” gift. Following this incident Judas betrayed Jesus for a little more than one third of that amount — a “little jar” gift, 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 26:15). It takes real love and commitment to make big jar gifts — from our investments. But when we get greedy, like Judas, we can sell our souls for next to nothing.

The work and activities of Barnabas are mentioned 28 times in the New Testament. We know him primarily as a companion to the apostle Paul and as a great missionary. But the foundation for all of this is established in the first passage where he is mentioned. In Acts 4:36-37, , we read of his giving, truly, a “big jar” offering. What a powerful example of Christ’s words: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21, NKJV).

<–Wednesday Friday–>

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/thursday-special-projects-big-jar-giving/

Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7

Image © Darrel Tank from GoodSalt.com

Soviet Pastor Richard Wurmbrand, the author of Tortured for Christ, suffered terribly for the Lord. Yet he said that even while in prison, he saw fellow Soviet believers practice generous giving. “When we were given one slice of bread a week and dirty soap every day, we decided we would faithfully ‘tithe’ even that. Every tenth week we took the slice of bread and gave it to the weaker brethren as our ‘tithe’ to the Master.”

I tend to think that God did not demand that these prisoners tithe their bread and soap. Yet they felt compelled to do so in order to express their love for God. After understanding the awesome sacrifice Christ had made in expressing His love for them on the cross, they wanted a way to express their love for Christ. They wanted to give all of themselves to Christ since He had given all of Himself for them.

It is the same case with the woman in Mark 14:3-9, who broke open a bottle of ointment costing a year’s wages, so she could anoint the feet of Jesus. She was simply giving all she had because Jesus was giving all He had for her. Like the Soviet prisoners she needed a way to express her love.

God did not give us the tithe and offering system because he needed our money, but because He knew we too would need a way to express our love. God nor the church needs our money. Both were getting along just fine before we came along and both will do just fine after we are gone.

I have a plaque with a picture of the cross and written on it are the words,

“ I asked Jesus how much do you love me?”

“This much” He said, ’Then He spread out His arms and died.”

God will finish the work with or without our money. Yet He has given us the tithe and offering system so that when He asks us, “How much do you love me?” We will have a way to answer.

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/expressing-our-love-for-christ/

Read Mark 12:41-44. Whether we are rich or not rich, what message can we take from this story? What’s the principle that this teaches us, and how can we apply it to our own worship experience?

Jesus and His disciples were in the temple courtyard where the treasury chests were located, and He watched those who were bringing their gifts. He was close enough to see that a widow had given two copper coins. She had put in all that she had. “But Jesus understood her motive. She believed the service of the temple to be of God’s appointment, and she was anxious to do her utmost to sustain it.

Image © Lifeway Collection at Goodsalt.com

She did what she could, and her act was to be a monument to her memory through all time, and her joy in eternity. Her heart went with her gift; its value was estimated, not by the worth of the coin, but by the love to God and the interest in His work that had prompted the deed.” — Ellen G. White, Counsels on Stewardship, p. 175.

Another very significant point is that this is the only gift Jesus ever commended — a gift to a church that was just about to reject Him, a church that greatly deviated from its calling and mission.

Read Acts 10:1-4. Why did a Roman centurion receive a visit from a heavenly angel? What two of his actions were noted in heaven?

Apparently, not only are our prayers heard in heaven, but the motive of our gifts is also noted. The passage notes that Cornelius was a generous giver. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21, NKJV). The heart of Cornelius followed his gifts. He was ready to learn more about Jesus. Prayer and almsgiving are closely linked and demonstrate our love to God and our fellow men — the two great principles of God’s law: “ “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,” and “your neighbor as yourself” ” (Luke 10:27, NKJV). The first is revealed in prayer, the second in almsgiving.

<–Tuesday Thursday–>

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