DIRECTOR'S BLOG

Dr. Sam Martin

'Open the eyes of my heart, Lord
Open the eyes of my heart
I want to see You
I want to see You
Open the eyes of my heart, Lord
Open the eyes of my heart
I want to see You
I want to see You
To see You high and lifted up
Shinin' in the light of Your glory
Pour out Your power and love
As we sing holy, holy, holy’

Do you ever wonder why people do not give to the work of God, to the Mission of the Church? Of course I am sure you have many answers, but In Matthew chapter 6, Jesus speaks about a ‘good eye and a bad eye’ and if you think about this and explore the scripture you will discover that giving is not about money, but our eyes! Here is what Jesus says: "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” Now let me share what a New Testament Commentator said about this:

“Jesus here is using terms that the Jewish people would understand. The words ‘good eye’ refers to kindness, generosity, goodness even caring and sharing, and the words ‘bad eye’ the opposite.” To put it simply, the people who heard these words from Jesus knew that a ‘good eye’ was a kind caring person and a ’bad eye’ a miserable uncaring person. So giving is truly a ‘heart issue.’ In 2 Corinthians 2, Paul commends the Corinthian Church to learn from the example of the Macedonian Christians, to excel in the grace of giving.

Perhaps we need to pray “Open our eyes of our hearts Lord…” However there is another principle, giving is not only a matter of the heart, it is a measure of our relationship with the Lord! Read 2 Corinthians 8 and in the 5^th verse you will discover the secret of the generosity of the Macedonian Christians. The scripture says, “ they first gave themselves to the Lord!” Perhaps that is why Paul says “each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under pressure, for God loves a cheerful giver!.’

May the Lord truly open the eyes of our hearts!