The Desire to Give
Passage to be read: 2 Corinthians 9: 1-15
"Each of you should give as you have decided in your heart to give.
You should not be sad when you give, and you should not give because you feel forced to give. God loves the person who gives happily. And God can give you more blessings than you need. Then you will always have plenty of everything - enough to give to every good work."
(2 Corinthians 9:7,8)
We have learned to receive. "Thank you" has become such a common word amongst us. The habit of giving is no more nurtured in most of our lifestyles. People run towards an offer with a discount or a sale, but very few walk towards the spot where contribution is needed. It's not the purse or the notes inside it, or it's not even the bank balance you have that matters; but it's the desire. The desire to give!
The Bible says, 'God loves the person who gives happily' (2 Corinthians 9:7). More than any other reward that the following verses would promise, being loved by God is the greatest. There is nothing greater than being loved by God. And when we begin to give happily, God's love in abundance fills our lives and we enjoy His presence, and that fills every vacant space in our lives.
It is so important that we teach our children to give. Nowadays it is hard to see a child dividing an eatable into two and offering it to another, voluntarily. And children no more are aware that 'sharing is caring.' There were times when we have heard of fathers and mothers who buy one for their child and another for the child in the next door, without forgetting. Things were so beautifully shared. Giving made everything beautiful in yesteryears. And God gave them more than what they needed, and they always had plenty of everything- enough to contribute towards every good work as just as the blessings are promised in 2 Corinthians 9:8.
It is not just the things; it also includes our time, our talent, our knowledge, our skills, our experience, our support and many other that we could give, and thus helping others to improve in their lives. Your giving could change a life. And one of the most influential giving that ever happened in the history that changed the way we looked at the world was when God gave His only begotten son, Christ Jesus. So that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life. God gave, so that we could have! Following this example in our lives changes everything. And Christ Jesus gave everything up on the cross, so that we would have freedom from the chains of sin.
Something important in the goodness of giving is that, we must learn to give without expecting. Not just from the people to whom we are giving, but also from God as blessings. Do not give so that God will bless you more. That is not giving; that is investing! When you give there must be a loss, and this loss is the price we pay for the gift of giving that we practice. God has promised to bless you not because He has measured with a measuring scale the amount you had given, but because He loves you for your goodness of 'giving happily.' And this love God has on you makes Him bless you abundantly in ways that you never imagined of; a magnitude that you never thought of.
Let us learn, one by one, to give. Let us cherish this 'gift of giving' that God has blessed us with, and let us always remember the example God has set before us by giving His son Jesus amongst us, and again what Jesus did for us on the cross. Let us also nurture the same among our children so that we create a generation that gives so that others could have a better life.
I pray that all of us would grow stronger and deeper in our desire of giving happily, so that we are loved by God, and the love of God would be our greatest treasure that we ever need.
May God bless you.
Yours in Christ,
It is so important that we teach our children to give. Nowadays it is hard to see a child dividing an eatable into two and offering it to another, voluntarily. And children no more are aware that 'sharing is caring.' There were times when we have heard of fathers and mothers who buy one for their child and another for the child in the next door, without forgetting. Things were so beautifully shared. Giving made everything beautiful in yesteryears. And God gave them more than what they needed, and they always had plenty of everything- enough to contribute towards every good work as just as the blessings are promised in 2 Corinthians 9:8.
It is not just the things; it also includes our time, our talent, our knowledge, our skills, our experience, our support and many other that we could give, and thus helping others to improve in their lives. Your giving could change a life. And one of the most influential giving that ever happened in the history that changed the way we looked at the world was when God gave His only begotten son, Christ Jesus. So that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life. God gave, so that we could have! Following this example in our lives changes everything. And Christ Jesus gave everything up on the cross, so that we would have freedom from the chains of sin.
Something important in the goodness of giving is that, we must learn to give without expecting. Not just from the people to whom we are giving, but also from God as blessings. Do not give so that God will bless you more. That is not giving; that is investing! When you give there must be a loss, and this loss is the price we pay for the gift of giving that we practice. God has promised to bless you not because He has measured with a measuring scale the amount you had given, but because He loves you for your goodness of 'giving happily.' And this love God has on you makes Him bless you abundantly in ways that you never imagined of; a magnitude that you never thought of.
Let us learn, one by one, to give. Let us cherish this 'gift of giving' that God has blessed us with, and let us always remember the example God has set before us by giving His son Jesus amongst us, and again what Jesus did for us on the cross. Let us also nurture the same among our children so that we create a generation that gives so that others could have a better life.
I pray that all of us would grow stronger and deeper in our desire of giving happily, so that we are loved by God, and the love of God would be our greatest treasure that we ever need.
May God bless you.
Yours in Christ,
