“Granddaddy, can you take me to a flower store in the morning?” The question was asked by the five year old grandson with a show of secrecy. “I have some money,” he added. The next morning we went to the flower section of a large near-by supermarket where he began to shop. He resisted my steering him to the more reasonably priced, flowering pot plants to one of the most expensive ones that had a little plastic, heart- shaped flag that said, “Love.” He gave me his two dollars for the sixteen dollar plant and we paid at the counter and left. When we arrived at home, he directly took it to his mother and shyly handed it to her and said, “Here, mother this is for you! It’s to show you how much I love you.” Later, I tried to give him the two dollars back, but he refused it. The next day, I gave him two dollars to spend and he would accept it only after I insisted this is a different two dollars. He wanted his gift to his mother to cost him something!
In view of such natural outpourings of our emotions, it is not difficult to see why Christ could say, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35. Giving to another allows us the greatest avenue of expression and the accompanying joy. When we receive, there is an initial pleasure of acquisition that soon fades. Giving builds our character. Receiving constantly with no giving back, deteriorates it. Giving helps us to emulate Christ in one of the most important ways.
Giving is proving. This is true of our weekly contribution to our Lord. II Corinthians 8:8 says it proves the sincerity of our love. Also in verse 24 of II Corinthians 8 we are told, “Show therefore unto them in the face of the churches the proof of your love…”
There is no one who is more unlike Christ than the stingy person. In being liberal with His life, Christ was being god-like because God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. Examine your contribution to the Lord and ask yourself the question, “What am I proving?”
An old saying was, “Don’t give ‘till it hurts. Give ‘till it stops hurting.” We might go a step further and say, “Don’t give till it stops hurting. Give ‘till it feels good!”
Doyle Goodspeed
