The “Poor” Giver
Anne Frank, the famous Jewish girl who journaled her thoughts while hiding during WWII, once wrote "No one has ever become poor by giving”. What she wrote was not a new teaching:
"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." (Luke 6:38)
God’s promise here is not a blanket promise for unconditional wealth as we give, but a depiction of what it looks like when we cultivate a generous heart.
December is traditionally the month of record giving to charities. Filled with warm hearts of Christmas cheer, Americans open their purse strings and dig deep to get a child a gift, to save the stray pets, or to help the homeless. But what happens in January? Americans reel back from holiday overeating and overspending and return to routine. But what about you?
What if in 2016 we gave more intentionally and generously? What if we decided to give to others in need as often as we thought of our own needs, blessing others as we have been blessed?! What would happen if every time I heard my stomach growl, I set aside groceries to take to the food bank? What if next time I am tempted to get the latest iPhone, I instead wrote a check to provide solar-powered audio Bibles for the illiterate in remote Papua, New Guinea? (It’s real. They are called “GodPods,” by the way!1) You don’t need to be a millionaire to do this! In fact, credible studies reveal that with few exceptions, the less you earn, the more likely you are to be generous with your earnings.1 There are countless opportunities for each of us (rich or poor) to cultivate generous hearts.
Last year around this time, for the first time in my life, someone I did not know very well gave me a huge gift that I would have great difficulty repaying: a brand-new vehicle. I resisted. They insisted. They discovered that mine was dying and had compassion. I will never forget their response. This person said “I regret that I am not giving more. I am giving out of my abundance, my overflow. It is not a sacrificial gift!” I reassured them to not lose sleep over it, that they were blessing my family and ministry more than they could imagine! But that is the heart of God…He cannot give enough!
Will you make it your aim to bless others this year? Will you endeavor to bless as you have been blessed? Your joy will over flow, because:
“He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” (II Corinthians 9:6-7)
1https://www.itiswritten.com/support-godpod
2https://nccs.urban.org/nccs/statistics/Charitable-Giving-in-America-Some-Facts-and-Figures.cfm
Travis Patterson is the pastor of the Waller Seventh-day Adventist Church on Hamilton St.
