No strings attached…
The Lord inspired the psalmist to write: “They share freely and give generously to those in need.” Psalm 112:9 NLT
Freely and generously. The blessings of God are upon the doers of the word, not those who only dream about obeying him. And freely means no strings attached.
Gifts aren’t gifts if strings are attached.
What do I mean by “strings”? There are people who love to “give” to others, and along with the “gift”, are instructions on how to use the gift. “I’m giving you this money so you’ll take a vacation.” The phrase seems innocent enough, doesn’t it? But there’s something attached; “take a vacation.”
But what if the person has another, more pressing need at the time? Like, maybe their oven just gave up the ghost, their car needs new tires, or the baby needs new shoes. Vacation?
But they can’t use their “gift” because it is earmarked for something else.
And what about giving to the poor, or better yet, the homeless person who stands on the corner of a busy intersection with his sign, “Out of work veteran. Please help”, and his three-legged dog? Would it be giving if I gave him twenty dollars and told him to buy food for himself and his three-legged companion? No, it would be something different.
How about the vagrant who walks into the church office, asking for a hand-out? Their story is they haven’t eaten in four days. Would it be giving to take the person to the grocery store and buy him several bags of groceries? Yes.
If you don’t feel right about giving per the person’s request, don’t give. But if you’re going to give, remove your demands and trust God.
Generosity gives up its right to control…
Are you a control freak? Do you have a hard time with generosity?
Thanks for reading and commenting. To order the complete eBook “Generosity – the Life Giving Power of Doing Good to Others”, please click on link:
Jan Grace 