Good Tuesday morning! Do you think you need more to give more? Too many times I have caught myself claiming that I have a generous heart and then wishing that I had more loot to give away. We have all seen the extremely wealthy comment on how generous they are based on how much they give away. Being a large donor is a privilege of wealth, but does that giving merit the same treasure in Heaven as the widow and her two mites? Not hardly. Any of us could afford to be generous with great wealth. I can claim to be generous when I give when I cannot spare it in my human wisdom. Giving from a full purse is easy. Giving away the money for your last meal with nothing in the bank and no income in sight, as the widow did at the temple as Jesus watched, now that is generous.
We all have a long way to go with our generosity. We figure and plan, account and count up, but how much do we trust in God really? This is not an easy question to answer! Certainly it would be easier for me to counsel others to give away all their worldly money and possessions than to do the same thing myself. We look at the scriptures and see how the Jerusalem church sold or gave away all they had, but then needed to be bailed out by the other churches. Would it be right for one of us to give away everything and then accept money from our Christian brothers and sisters? Is that what Jesus would call 'carrying your own cross'? Tough questions for a Tuesday morning; I think I am hurting my poor little brain.
I don't have all the answers, but I do know that at times I feel the temptation of trying to earn my way into the Kingdom of Heaven by giving. This is different from showing my faith by giving in that it attempts to put God in obligation to me, which we know is not Biblical at all. God owes me nothing and I can never do enough to merit divine favor. I cannot out give God, but neither can I force God to provide for me by giving away all that He has provided and then sending up the prayer, "Look at me, God, I gave everything away and now I am broke before you!" It would be like walking into your dining room, deciding that you didn't like the chairs anymore, and sending them down to the Thrift Store so that God can provide you with shiny new ones. God is our Provider, that is true, but He is not at our beck and call to do what we want.
I suppose it is a question of motivation. Are you and I giving to show our love for others, or are we giving in a selfish attempt to gain more from God, treating our Lord like some kind of cosmic slot machine? If we are figuring that by giving enough God will then make us rich... we might be treading the wrong path in our Christian walk. We may look around and discover that Jesus is no longer by our side because we have strayed too far from the true path to Heaven. We also have our personal calling from God. Jesus told one rich young man to sell all that he had and give to the poor. Jesus also accepted the hospitality of those who had homes, and we may be called to host and support others. Missionaries can hardly be expected to send enough back to support a church at home. We know that it works the other way and are glad to give in support of our missions. That requires money to give and God provides. All that we own or think we own came from God's providence and we are glad to share it. We give to show our love and not our self interest, and God blesses us in return. We give in gratitude to God and give Him the glory for it!
Have a wonderful and giving day in Christ!
Bucky
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