Grateful to Give
Imagine having a friend named Tom who had absolutely nothing to play with—no toys, no cool gadgets, no balls or games. So, you let this friend borrow all of your best possessions—so many fun things to play with. Fast forward a few days…. You find Tom playing in the yard with some of the things that you lent him. You say to Tom, “Billy, who lives around the corner, didn’t get any presents for his birthday today. Money is tight because his dad lost his job. I’d like to give him one of the toys I let you borrow. You can still use the rest, but I just wanted to give him that ball over there. Ok?” What would you think if Tom said, “Aw, man! I don’t want to. I wanna keep playing with that. Can’t you give him one of the toys at your house instead? Or how about this toy over here. I know it doesn’t work as well and isn’t as nice, but Billy won’t mind?” No doubt, you would think that Tom is ungrateful and self-centered. He has no love in his heart for others and does not appreciate the favor you did for him. If Tom was grateful and unselfish, he would gladly give a toy to Billy because he cares for him and knows what it feels like not to have any toys. At the same time, he would thank you for letting him use the toy in the first place.
Did you know that when we fail to give to God or give to God reluctantly, we are having the same attitude that Tom had? When we give to those who are in need or give to God in the collection plate on Sundays, we are giving back to Him some of the money He lets us use, so that it can be used to help others. We should always be “ready to give” and “willing to share” (1 Timothy 6:18), “not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). Giving cheerfully shows our gratitude to God and our love of others. Are you a grateful giver?
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