Give in Love
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:3: If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Meditation: In their book, Boundaries, Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend say that if we do not have the freedom to say no, our yes is not worth anything. Our passage today verifies that stance. We can give everything we own, but if we do not have love, our giving is worthless. In today’s world, we are asked, exhorted, challenged and even begged to give. We do have a right and sometimes even a need to say no. The Bible tells us that God loves a cheerful giver. I think it goes deeper than that; if we don’t give with a willing heart – if we don’t give out of love, it is meaningless. Does that mean we don’t give – NO! But we need to weigh our giving – to give because we love God and have His love for people.
Challenge: Love the Lord our God with all your heart, mind and soul first; then to love your neighbor as you love yourself. When you have that kind of love – God’s love, working in your heart, giving will be natural and in love. I will venture out on a limb to say, don't give if you feel pressured or don’t want to give. The caveat is that you will want to examine your heart later about why you didn’t want to give. Giving is a heart thing; give because you want to and because God has done so much for you that you can’t help but give to others.
Thought for the Day: I will search my heart and check my motives – giving to others because God has done so much for me and I love Him and those He loves.
E-votion, a weekly electronic publication by Chris Garner from Fortified Marriages
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:3: If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Meditation: In their book, Boundaries, Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend say that if we do not have the freedom to say no, our yes is not worth anything. Our passage today verifies that stance. We can give everything we own, but if we do not have love, our giving is worthless. In today’s world, we are asked, exhorted, challenged and even begged to give. We do have a right and sometimes even a need to say no. The Bible tells us that God loves a cheerful giver. I think it goes deeper than that; if we don’t give with a willing heart – if we don’t give out of love, it is meaningless. Does that mean we don’t give – NO! But we need to weigh our giving – to give because we love God and have His love for people.
Challenge: Love the Lord our God with all your heart, mind and soul first; then to love your neighbor as you love yourself. When you have that kind of love – God’s love, working in your heart, giving will be natural and in love. I will venture out on a limb to say, don't give if you feel pressured or don’t want to give. The caveat is that you will want to examine your heart later about why you didn’t want to give. Giving is a heart thing; give because you want to and because God has done so much for you that you can’t help but give to others.
Thought for the Day: I will search my heart and check my motives – giving to others because God has done so much for me and I love Him and those He loves.
E-votion, a weekly electronic publication by Chris Garner from Fortified Marriages