He Gave Generously

He Gave GenerouslyDale’s funeral was packed with all sorts of people who came to show their appreciation for his 50 years of service to the community. His life was a manifestation of Matthew 5:16: “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” I got acquainted with Dale shortly after coming to Danville 11 years ago. I first read about him in a newspaper article; he was a member of the school board. Then I read the editorial page of that same paper and discovered that he was the editor! I actually met him in the hospital where he was volunteering. I took a needy mother to the food pantry and Dale was a volunteer there as well. I started going to a weekly Bible study for businessmen and Dale was the leader. And these were only a few of the ways he served the Lord in his community. Once when studying Romans 12 in that study, one of the men asked how he could know his spiritual gift. Dale’s answer made so much sense: “The Lord didn’t give you your gift for nothing. Let Him use you where He wants, and He’ll use you in the area of your gift. Then you’ll know.” As I thought about this during the funeral, it was easy to see what Dale’s gifts were: “If a man’s gift is ... serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously” (Rom. 12:6-8). Dale served, taught, encouraged and gave generously throughout his life. All sorts of people came to Dale’s funeral – non-Christians as well as Christians. And in case anyone missed his motive for giving so much to his community, those who eulogized him made it very clear: Dale gave generously because he loved Jesus – the One who gave so much for us. I hope this month’s features encourage you to let your light shine by giving more generously of your time, talent and resources – as Dale did. By Larry Ondrejack