Matthew 10:8 says,Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give
Many of us give grudgingly, not reall wanting to give something, but feeling obligated to, or we are afraid that we might feel guilty if we don't. Granted, to give something grudgingly is better than to give nothing, but still, the Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 9:7:
Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
So God loves someone who give cheerfully, which is the Greek word hilaros, meaning propitious. This means that we should be happy to give. As God has given freely unto us, so should we to others; not out of the guilty, greedy heart of ourselves.
Do you give because you feel you have to? Or perhaps you give when others do, but when no one else gives, then neither do you. Either way, we should give to those who are in need, when no one else seems to notice the need of someone else, we should offer it to them. If someone homeless needs food, don't mind the fact that they are smelly and dirty, as some people do, but take them to eat or get them something to eat. It won't matter to them. They are just glad for the gesture.
No matter what you offer, I challenge you to offer something to someone this week. It doesn't matter if it's big or small, give it freely, and not because you feel obligated. God, after all, loves a cheerful giver.
Also, this month I will be giving away a $20 Amazon gift card. To be entered in the contest, all you have to do is comment below, and leave your name and email.
May God Bless,
Give, Love, Serve
P.S. I will draw the winner's name on the first of April. Good luck!
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Saturday, March 3, 2012
The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.-Psalm 37:21
He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.-Proverbs 28:27
Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.-Matthew 5:42
Many times does the Bible tell us to give, to love, and to serve others and treat as we would like to be treated. Nowadays, many of us don't do that. Sure, some of us give money to help the poor, we donate things to homeless shelters, and we give food to the poor and hungry. But is that really showing the love of God?
One of the Greek words for give, charizomai, primarily means 'to show favor or kindness" (as in Galatians 3:18). Another word, parecho, signifies to 'afford, provide, furnish, or supply". So yes, giving material things to others is a part of showing the love of God, but is that it?
1 Corinthians 2:12 says,
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
So what are some of the things God has freely given us? Well, He has given us freedom, love, mercy, forgiveness, healing, deliverence, life abundantly, and eternal life. These are just some of the few things that God has graciously bestowed upon us. All you have to do is ask for it, and He'll give it to you (Matthew 7:7).
Now, since God has freely given these things to us, shouldn't we freely give to others? When someone does something to hurt us, shouldn't we offer them forgiveness and a second chance? When we see a person shivering in the cold, shouldn't we offer them our coat? If we see something starving, shouldn't we offer to buy them something to eat?
I know some of this seems ridiculous, but when we give to others, God will give to us. We must extend a hand of mercy, love, and kindness. You never know, you could be the one that changes that person's life forever.
Before I finish, I would like to share a story with you.
Once a woman was in her home, just having a normal day, when, all of a sudden, God told her to go outside on her porch, and wave at the people passing by in their cars. She didn't understand why He'd asked her to do such a thing, but she did it anyhow, and sat on her porch, waving at the people passing by.
What she didn't know was that a man suffering with severe depression, getting ready to commit suicide, was driving down that road. He had lost hope in people who actually cared anymore. However, when he saw her waving, he stopped. "I guess there are still nice people in the world," he said. He did not commit suicide.
All she did was wave at him. That was all she had to do to prevent him from commiting suicide. So, please, give to others, whether it's a meal, or whether it's a "Hello, how are you doing?" You never know what effect it could have on others.
So, to celebrate a life of giving, I am going to try to give something away to someone once every month on this blog. I'll be sure to tell you when I'm having giveaways, just be aware, so you won't miss one.
Thanks so much for reading this, and I'll look forward to telling you about our first giveaway, here in the next couple weeks.
God Bless,
Give, Love, Serve
He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.-Proverbs 28:27
Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.-Matthew 5:42
Many times does the Bible tell us to give, to love, and to serve others and treat as we would like to be treated. Nowadays, many of us don't do that. Sure, some of us give money to help the poor, we donate things to homeless shelters, and we give food to the poor and hungry. But is that really showing the love of God?
One of the Greek words for give, charizomai, primarily means 'to show favor or kindness" (as in Galatians 3:18). Another word, parecho, signifies to 'afford, provide, furnish, or supply". So yes, giving material things to others is a part of showing the love of God, but is that it?
1 Corinthians 2:12 says,
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
So what are some of the things God has freely given us? Well, He has given us freedom, love, mercy, forgiveness, healing, deliverence, life abundantly, and eternal life. These are just some of the few things that God has graciously bestowed upon us. All you have to do is ask for it, and He'll give it to you (Matthew 7:7).
Now, since God has freely given these things to us, shouldn't we freely give to others? When someone does something to hurt us, shouldn't we offer them forgiveness and a second chance? When we see a person shivering in the cold, shouldn't we offer them our coat? If we see something starving, shouldn't we offer to buy them something to eat?
I know some of this seems ridiculous, but when we give to others, God will give to us. We must extend a hand of mercy, love, and kindness. You never know, you could be the one that changes that person's life forever.
Before I finish, I would like to share a story with you.
Once a woman was in her home, just having a normal day, when, all of a sudden, God told her to go outside on her porch, and wave at the people passing by in their cars. She didn't understand why He'd asked her to do such a thing, but she did it anyhow, and sat on her porch, waving at the people passing by.
What she didn't know was that a man suffering with severe depression, getting ready to commit suicide, was driving down that road. He had lost hope in people who actually cared anymore. However, when he saw her waving, he stopped. "I guess there are still nice people in the world," he said. He did not commit suicide.
All she did was wave at him. That was all she had to do to prevent him from commiting suicide. So, please, give to others, whether it's a meal, or whether it's a "Hello, how are you doing?" You never know what effect it could have on others.
So, to celebrate a life of giving, I am going to try to give something away to someone once every month on this blog. I'll be sure to tell you when I'm having giveaways, just be aware, so you won't miss one.
Thanks so much for reading this, and I'll look forward to telling you about our first giveaway, here in the next couple weeks.
God Bless,
Give, Love, Serve
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