Continuing with the promises of God that I started last time, the one I am going to focus on is charity. When I think about charity without looking it up anywhere, I think about either giving or being given things that meet basic needs like food and clothing, shelter and safety. The Bible defines charity as giving to those in need what they are completely unable to repay. One of the verses that is well known for this is Luke 6:38. It says, "Give, and it shall be given to you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give to you. For with the same measure that you give out, it shall be given back to you." This is a verse that I feel is well known because it talks about something that many worry about. If I give, will I have enough of my own to meet my own need? What if God calls me to give sacrificially, and my family isn't taken care of? There are two issues here. One is that of lack of belief in God's sufficiency to meet our need. The cattle on a thousand hills belongs to Him. He takes care of the birds of the air, how much more will He take care of us that are His and made in His image? The second issue is willingness to let go of that which in many of our cases is extra. Many of us tend to be accumulators by nature. Our eyes are big and we find more and more things to add to what we have. I am guilty of this at times. I have a closet full of shoes, clothes and purses that I do not wear or use. I buy things and either don't use them, or barely use them because they sounded good at the time, but I ended up not liking it, or something about it didn't work for me. Instead of finding a place to pass it on to, I hold on to it, just in case.
Charity is really about a heart attitude. When I give it must be from a desire to please my God by taking care of those who are in need. It isn't just about giving either, its also about taking care of others, being other minded. Loving people more than self, taking care of them, even at times sacrificially, and stepping into the gap when there is a need. It is a shameful thing that we in the body of Christ often are the least generous of all. Many people who do not know Jesus are more generous than the church is. My prayer is that I will grow in my love for others and be willing to share out of the abundance of what I have so that if there is someone in need I will wholeheartedly give because I love Jesus and want them to see Jesus through me so they will know His love too. How about you? Are you a loving, generous person, or is this something that needs to change in your heart as well?
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