The Gift Of Giving

He [or she] who gives to the poor will lack nothing,but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses.

Proverbs 28:27 (NIV)

I love what Winston Churchill said: “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”

The Christian life is really a giving life. This is not the burden of it. This is the blessing and privilege of it. And often it’s not the bigness of the gift, it’s the sweetness in which it’s given that blesses the one who receives.

That is what makes the story of the Good Samaritan so powerful. The story starts out with a man traveling. Thieves attacked him, stripped him, wounded him, and left him half dead. Every time I read this I think about how many women all around us are hurting and wounded, not just physically, but emotionally and morally and spiritually. In this story the first two people passed by, and we know how they felt. They were busy. It wasn’t their problem.

But we do love the Good Samaritan. Pay attention to his reaction. “[He] . . . came to where [the wounded man] was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him, bandaged his wounds . . . and took care of him” (Luke 10:33-34, NKJV).

Let me emphasize the first three important elements. He saw him, had compassion, and went to him. After Jesus told this story, he said, “Go and do likewise” (Luke 10:37, NKJV).

“My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18, NKJV).

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

Why do we sometimes pass by the poor and needy? Truthfully, we’re already stretched. We’re afraid we’ll run short of time, energy, and resources we require for our own needs and families. But God makes an amazing promise: “[She] who gives to the poor will lack nothing.” Is that true? Are you wondering, Can I trust God to make good on his word? You’ll never know unless you step out in faith. The Good Samaritan gave up his plans for a few hours. But you can be sure there are three who never forgot it: the wounded man, the Samaritan who left the inn with joy deep in his heart, and God himself.

One Year Bible Reading

Daniel 9:1–11:1; 1 John 2:18–3:6; Psalm 121:1-8; Proverbs 28:27-28