Giving: The Value of Sacrifice (Part 1)

Developing an unselfish attitude in young people is not an easy task. It is innate in our desires to take care of “numero uno.” We do not like to be in want or to be lacking anything. For this reason, we will get odd jobs, work overtime, and even volunteer for extra strenuous labors to take care of ourselves. This was true in my life as I became a teenager. I wanted some extra items for school, and I wanted a moped. My parents could not afford this when I was a teen, so they let me get some extra jobs to be able to buy those items on my own. I worked shampooing carpets, as a hospital file clerk, in a lighting distribution factory, and for a professional painter. I never complained (too much) about the long hours and hard work because I was doing this for my own benefit. I am glad that along the way, through this process, and for many years to come afterward, I had parents who directed my thinking in the area of sacrificial giving to the Lord. Through Bible study, prayer, and Godly living, my parents were able to steer my focus off myself and my wants. I learned that godliness in a person is shown by a giving spirit. Let’s consider two thoughts in Scripture in this regard.

First let’s consider the lad with the lunch.

John 6:8-13 “One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.”

I love this story because there are so many ideas that are conveyed in this text. The lad wanted to see Jesus, which is noteworthy, because it shows a spiritual inclination in this young man. I am sure that this young boy would have had friends in the neighborhood who would have loved to go fishing or go to their favorite swimming hole, but he wanted to go see Jesus. This at the outset helps us in developing an unselfish attitude in our young people. Make sure that your young person wants to be around the things of God. Work at developing a yearning for the things of God. A major part of developing this desire is being at all church events. When your children see a parent thrilled to be serving God, they will also have the same desires.

We see that this young man did not hesitate in offering his lunch up for Christ’s use. The conversation is not recorded between the disciple and the young lad. However, we do know that when they wanted to feed the multitude, this young man stepped up offering his lunch to the Lord. I have been involved with youth work for over twenty-five years, and I love the idea of this man volunteering for service. This is a great attitude to have in a young person. Most youth of our day are only concerned with receiving rather than giving. As you consider the life of a young person, it is so important that they come to the point of giving all of their desires, ambitions, and wants to the Lord. I do not believe that this young man had any promise of future reimbursement but he saw that there was a need and wanted to help in meeting the need.

The last thought with this lad is that the need was met, and he was filled up to overflowing. This is amazing when you consider the vastness of the multitude and the little that this lad had to offer. Can you imagine his astonishment as he saw what the Lord did with his lunch? This is helpful for parents and youth ministers as we consider the vastness of the need in church and mission work. The youth that God has placed in our care can be used to supply the need if they are completely given over to God. How is it possible to meet all the needs of the ministry? A life given over to God can be multiplied to meet the needs.