DAILY READING
REFLECTION
Giving Like God
by Pr. Dave Mann
This week we are looking in the Scriptures at the many ways God calls us to be generous. This cheerful generosity is to be expressed through gifts of our time, words, skills, and finances. This is indeed the expression of love through our actions.
The classic command is the Golden Rule, which appears in the gospels of Matthew and Luke — "Do to others as you would have them do to you." (Matthew 7:12; Luke 6:31) This commandment is further strengthened by its context that followers of Jesus are to love their enemies. So, we are to apply this mandate, not only toward our family and friends but also to our enemies.
A similar instruction of our Lord originated in the Old Testament and reappears in the New Testament a total of nine appearances in the Holy Scriptures — "Love your neighbor as yourself." (Lev 19:18; Mt 19:19; 22:39; Mk 12:31, 33; Luke 10:27; Rom 13:9; Gal 5:14; James 2:8)
The Apostle Paul remembers another saying of Jesus that does not appear in any of the four gospels, nevertheless, the words certainly ring true as coming from the lips of Jesus — ... remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ (Acts 20:35)
The anonymous author of Hebrews challenges his readers — "And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased." (Heb 13:6)
I remember sitting in a class about finances, taught by one of our UALC members. He urged the class to develop the habit of being generous with their finances. He was not referring to the practice of tithing, which had been covered earlier, and was taken for granted as the norm. He was referring to being generous toward others directly—without getting any credit from the church, nor with the government as a tax deduction, nor to gain social accolades from other people. This was an encouragement to give, just to be kind, often anonymously. Amazing!
Why give? Don’t we have to be careful not to be taken advantage of by others? Jesus does not seem to be concerned about that. Jesus states in this passage that we are to give to others simply because we are children of the Most High God, who is kind even to the ungrateful and the wicked!
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, you continually seem to find more and more ways of surprising me. I want to be like my heavenly Father. Help me be generous with my time, my skills, my words, and my finances. Aid me to find ways to give and let me not forget to give to people who irritate me, so I grow in becoming like you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
