The Nature of Giving

It is Better to Give than Receive—R Fritz

It is always better to give than receive. Looking at what somebody else gives is none of our business. I saw people telling a small business owner on a social media site because they believed this business owner should give more to a weather disaster. What we give belongs to us because what we give to anyone is personal; money is not the only thing we can give to people in distress. Apparently, people do not know that spending time talking to people about Jesus and his grace, mercy, and the hope he has for everybody. Our love shows when we take our time and spend it with people who have lost everything worth something; let the people with significant finances do that, as we give financially as we can. When people try to make a business owner give more to make them look bad in front of other people, it is extortion, as we are supposed to give with a cheerful heart. 2 Corinthians 9:7 says, “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”  To tell somebody they are not giving enough when we should be looking at ourselves first is sad and judgmental. We should be looking at ourselves and giving that same amount or more than we tell somebody else. Matthew 7:1-4 says, and this is Jesus speaking: “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgement ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete. It shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote (speck) that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam (plank) that is thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is thine own eye? As we are just looking at the monetary part and not the other things that help people in disaster need. People need a personal touch where we have an opportunity to show them who Jesus is through our actions and the light we shine through the Holy Spirit. This is our opportunity to show people we care and who Jesus is and what he did for us, as well as love that still happens. Love is what people are looking for, as some people are still in shock and need tender loving care.

We need to look at our own hearts and see if our hearts have the Holy Spirit and God’s love. Our words speak about what is in our heart and our soul. I have learned how important it is to think about what we say before we say it and how it will affect the people around us. I try to teach people that our words either build up or tear down somebody and how important this is. James 1:19-20 says, “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.” What I am going to tell us is that it is not that I do not get angry at people; I choose my words before they come out of my mouth, something the Holy Spirit has taught me to think about how my words will affect that person at that moment so I can answer who I am talking to right away. I thank the Holy Spirit for being with me to become a person to be able to teach others. Our love should show even when people are not kind to us. Matthew 12:35-37 says, and this is Jesus speaking: “A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” How we treat or speak to people and what we give to people, such as hope or love, is what we give to mankind, whether it is our words or our actions. We must remember that we are the person God put to be with people, knowing that should put us on guard to listen for what the Holy Spirit has for us next.

The words in the Bible come alive as the Holy Spirit lives in us. Isaiah 55:11 says, “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” When we speak, the Holy Spirit speaks for us, as the words that come out of our mouth are from the Holy Spirit and are words that can hit somebody’s heart and change their outlook on life. We do not know how we can change people, not because of us, but because the Holy Spirit lives in us. It is when we surrender, and the words we speak have power- Holy Spirit power. We must remember the fact that whatever the Holy Spirit has planned, we need to do it without getting ourselves in the way. We might think it is by chance that we are speaking to people we have not seen in a long time, or we have met people that we have seen after we were talking with them; our meeting was ordained by God.

We do not see or understand in real time what we are giving to people or friends. We see money or gifts, but not the words or the hope we give or other things we do that nobody else sees. Yet somebody will come along and call us out. We do not have a right to judge anybody; that is where God comes in. First, look at ourselves and are we doing God’s will and doing everything He wants us to do. If we are to say something to somebody else, God will give the words to speak; God’s words will convict that person’s heart. They are not meant to browbeat or make that person feel they did something wrong; that is what Satan does. Think before we speak or react, and ask for wisdom to show up because I see it happening as I am speaking, so it will happen to anybody who asks. God Bless.