A Scoop Is a Scoop Is a Scoop . . . or Is It?

I had a friend who ministered on giving and used actual scoops to show the relationship between the degree of giving and that of receiving. A small scoop received a small return from God; a big scoop received a big return. It was a captivating object lesson and I was duly impressed. A few decades down the road, however, it has dawned on me that an integral element was not addressed in that otherwise well-thought-out teaching: All scoops are not created equal.

Huh? you say as you scratch your head in abject confusion. Let me repeat: all scoops are not created equal . . .

I think we're probably all in agreement that reaping what one sows is a sound Biblical precept. Sow kindness, you receive kindness. You sow peace, you receive peace, etc. And while there is some truth to the expectation that the degree of reaping is directly proportional to the degree of the sowing (as in, stingy giving = stingy blessings from God), we, as humans, are incapable of correctly judging the size of someone else's scoop of giving.

Dennis recently gave a sermon titled Message, Messenger, Method, and Measurement. The fourth M, Measurement, has been tickling my spirit ever since. In that part of his sermon, Dennis referenced the widow in Luke 2. That chapter starts out with the well known story of the widow who gave as her offering two itsy-bitsy coins worth but a few cents. As it so happened, at that same time and place there were other men, rich men, who were casting substantial amounts into the offering box. Yet as large as their offerings were, it was the widow and her meager offering that received the Lord's approbation. In verses 3 and 4 He said, "Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all: for all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had."

There we have it, from the horse's mouth so to speak, or rather, from the Creator's. As God told Samuel, when he was oohing and aahing over David's handsome, stalwart looking older brothers, "Look not on his countenance or on the height of his stature, because I have refused him; for the Lord seeth not as man seeth. For man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7). Instead of the poised older brothers, God had Samuel anoint the nondescript youngest as the future king of Israel. In God's economy, things are kind of like a murder mystery--things are not always what they seem! Looks can be deceiving!

And so are scoops! From a human standpoint, the scoop the rich men in Luke's narrative were using was big. No matter how you looked at it, they were giving a lot. But God doesn't look at what we see--He looks at the heart. He looked at the widow's heart and saw that her giving was sacrificial. While the rich were giving out of their abundance, the widow was giving out of her extremely meager possessions. She, unlike the rich, was giving all that she had. That spoke of a lot of love for God and a lot of faith. The BIble doesn't record what happened to the widow, but since God is faithful, we can rest assured that God honored her giving and blessed her where she needed blessing. Though her scoop looked small to us, to God her scoop was super-duper big!

Scoops, moreover, are not limited to mere money scoops. They can encompass any giving aspect of our lives. Remember when Moses was trying to squirm out of being God's mouthpiece to Pharaoh? The Lord told him, "What is that in thine hand?" (Exodus 4:4). It was a rod. And through use of the rod, what was in his hand, God wrought miracle after miracle. We are to give to God what is in our hand--our scoops can offer up anything God has blessed us with, be it money, time, or ministerial gifts.

My third book, a work still in progress, was birthed in part from my great-grandmother's story. She was not very literate, definitely not an important personage in the eyes of the world, yet she gave what she had to Jesus. Many were the days when, after finishing up chores at home, she would pack up her Bible and trek over to a relative's house, where she would visit, read them God's Word, and pray. Some listened politely and that was all. But others gave their lives to the Lord. There are generations of Christians who can point back to that humble little lady and say, "That is whom I can thank for my knowing Jesus." Her scoop was small in the eyes of the world, consisting of her time and humble abilities. But in God's eyes, her scoop was big--she was using what she had--and she reaped accordingly.

I recently had someone ask me what they could do for the Lord. I reminded my friend of those years when she had been used in the house of the Lord. If you are looking for a way to serve the Lord, that's always a great place to start, in your house of worship. Wherever God leads us to serve, though, we need to keep in mind the importance of not comparing ourselves to others (2 Corinthians 10:12). In a day when social media often has us drooling over what others seem to project in their posts: perfect little worlds married with perfect personas, we need to remember not to compare our lives--including our giving--with others.

When Peter heard Jesus tell him what would happen to him in the future, he got all excited (for some reason our flesh has an insatiable hankering for personal prophesy) and asked the Lord what would happen to John. Jesus kind of reprimanded him saying, "If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me" (John 21:22). Other people's scoops are not to be our concern. We are to follow the path Jesus has set for us. We are to offer up to Him what He has put in our hand. Their scoops are not our scoops!

Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." God has a path for me and one for you, as He has for each of His precious children. My work is not your work. Your work is not my work. My giving will differ from yours. But as long as I am walking the path He has set for me, giving in those areas that He has preordained, my scoop is just right!

I was blessed to see Katy Nichole interviewed on CBN recently. Her widely acclaimed song, In Jesus' Name (God of Possible). was birthed from three years of travail through pain and God's touch on her life. When she posted the song on social media, she told the Lord that if only one person was touched, that would be enough. Her humbleness paved the way for God to use the song in truly amazing ways. I can't hear the song without feeling the presence of the Lord, it is so anointed. But Katy used what she thought was a "small" scoop--she wasn't aiming at being famous, she was aiming at magnifying God through one "little" song. And in her humble obedience her "small" mite became great in the eyes of the Lord. The scoop He used to return to her what she sowed was a big one, that song becoming not only well known but also garnering her accolades and awards.

The path we tread, the offerings we give the Lord, might not reach the notice of the public like Katy Nichol's song did. But if we offer God our best, with all our heart, in God's eyes our scoop is big.

Thank you, God, for receiving my gifts to You as something precious, something worthy, something big.

"And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ." Colossians 3:23-24