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| Share Agape for the week of January 12, 2004 |
| Givers & Takers "If there is a poor man with you, one of your brothers, in any of your towns in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand from your poor brother; but you shall freely open your hand to him, and shall generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks�You shall generously give to him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all your undertakings." Deut. 15:7-10 My father-in-law recently commented: "When you look around, do you ever notice who amid your friends and family are the givers and who are the takers?" I think you know what he means; don't some seem to take-take-take, but never give anything in return, while others give constantly and unselfishly? Which begs the question: Have you ever considered which category you fit into? Does that question make you go "Ouch!"? The Bible gives us very specific information about how we should interact with each other; God says there will always be needy folks, and that we should open our hearts to them. That means we can't go around thinking, "That guy's an alcoholic; he doesn't deserve any help. He brought it all on himself. I certainly won't waste my time helping him." We can admit that yes, he may have brought it on himself--but according to God, that should have no bearing on our generosity. We should give anyway. That doesn't necessarily mean we should take the easy route and hand him some cash. In the case of an alcoholic, for example, giving cash will just make it easier for him to continue down a destructive path. But we can give money to charities that encourage homeless drug abusers to clean up. We can volunteer at the local shelter. We can give the guy a warm coat. We can offer him a good hot lunch. And whatever we give, God says we need do it with a loving heart�otherwise, it doesn't count. If we give because we know we should, but we're busing thinking, "I could use a warm meal, too!" then we aren't doing what God commands. The Bible promises that if we have faith and do what God commands, he'll bless us. That whole concept of "you reap what you sow" came from the Bible, ya know (2 Cor. 9:6). The farmer has a choice of how much seed to sew. If he doesn't plant any seed, he won't get a harvest. If he only plants a few feet of seed, he'll reap very little. But if he plants as much seed as possible, he'll reap great rewards. The choice is his. The choice is yours. But don't fall into the trap of thinking you'll end up rich because you're generous. Some television evangelists try to make us think that's how it works, but it's not what the Bible says. "The Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all your undertakings." Yes, sometimes God blesses Christians with money. But more often, he makes their car run longer without breaking down, or helps them accomplish a dream they never thought they'd manage to see come true, or blesses them with a child after years of struggling to conceive, or draws them to Mr. or Miss "Right," or gives them a circle of friends who are truly supportive and helpful. Some rewards may even be reaped in the next life. The most important thing is just to give. Give, and then pray about your attitude. While it's vital to give unselfishly, without expecting anything in return, we can ask God to change our hearts--to make us unselfish givers. And he'll answer our prayers. So, give. Give of your time. Give of your heart. Give of your money. As far as God is concerned, all ways of giving are important. When you wake up in the morning, do as my dad-in-law suggests: Consider how you can help someone else that day. You'll see: Giving will change your life in ways you never would have expected. This week's recommendation is a website that lists Biblical verses related to giving. You'll find it at: http://fundraising-ideas.org/orgs/churches/biblepassages.htm MORE ~~~> |
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