OceanSide church of Christ

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WHAT GIVING GIVES BACK

Victor M. Eskew

 

          When we hear the word “give,” we often think in terms of giving something away.  Giving away our money.  Giving away our time.  Giving away our knowledge.  Instead of thinking of giving as giving something away, we need to think of what our giving gives back to us.  That’s right!  Our giving often produces a return greater than the amount we have invested.  Jesus noted this interesting facet of giving in Luke 6:38.  “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom.  For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”  God through the prophet Malachi challenged Israel with the same truth.  “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it” (Mal. 3:10).

            When you and I give generous gifts of money to others, there is a spirit of good will that is given to us in return.  Most individuals who received generous gifts from others know that a sacrifice was involved.  Most understand that the gift was given voluntarily.  It was not something that was forced upon the individual.  Most who receive a generous gift know that the person who has given the gift has acted out of a sense of love and compassion for another.  In the New Testament, we learn of a relationship that existed between the apostle Paul and the church at Philippi.  One of the things that made this relationship so special involved the generosity of the Philippians toward Paul.  In the opening verses of Paul’s letter to the Philippian congregation, he informs them of the gratitude he expressed to God for them.  “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now” (Phil. 1:3-5).  The words, “your fellowship in the gospel,” refer to the financial support this church gave to Paul as he preached the precious gospel of Jesus Christ.  In fact, one of the purposes of this letter was to express appreciation for a gift that he had received from the church.  “But I rejoice in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again…” (Phil. 4:10).  Dear readers, the generosity of this congregation brought good will toward them from a very prominent man in the church, the apostle Paul.  The friendship they had with Paul had a value that was more than any all of the gifts they had given unto him.  Giving will always produces a spirit of good will toward us by others.

            When you and I give our time to others, strong relationships are given in return.  The apostle Paul was a man who was willing to give his time to numerous young Christian men.  He sought them out, took them on his missionary journeys, and trained them to become faithful evangelists for the cause of Christ.  The time he gave to these men brought him a rich return in relationships.  In the book of Philippians, Paul informs the church that he will be sending Timothy to them shortly (Phil. 2:19).  He also includes a brief description of this young man.  In verse 22, he writes:  “But ye know the proof of him, that, as a son with the father, he hath served me in the gospel.”  When Paul obeyed the gospel, it appears that he left much of his family behind.  But, his investment in others like Timothy brought him some very precious relationships.  Timothy was like a son to him.  Titus seems to have been another young man that was like a son to Paul (See Tit. 1:4).  Again, it was Paul’s investment in them that brought a return to his life.  If you will read Romans 16, you will find that Paul had many cherished relationships.  These did not happen by accident.  Paul understood that by investing time in others, you reap a profitable return in your own life.

            Another investment that we can make is the investment of love in those who are hurting.  Our love can be shown in many different ways:  our presence, listening, encouragement, advice, and gifts.  When we invest our love into the lives of the hurting, the fruit that is reaped is healing.  This is seen in the Parable of the Good Samaritan.  “But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.  And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come, I will repay thee” (Luke 10:33-35).  The investment this man made saved a life.  There is hardly anything more precious than that.  This wounded man may have never seen the Samaritan again.  Both, however, knew that a life had been preserved.  Prior to healing there is sickness, pain, affliction, tears, sorrow, and grief.  An investment of love brings healing.  Healing brings peace, joy, happiness, and meaning back to a person’s life.  Those things are a rich return on one’s investment.

            Still another thing that we can give involves our knowledge, wisdom and skills.  Many of us have educated and trained ourselves for years.  We have learned much in our trade and career.  We can keep all of those things to ourselves, or we can give our knowledge and wisdom to others.  Paul exhorted Timothy to do this.  “And the things that thou has learned of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:2).  What do we reap when we give ourselves in this manner?  We receive a legacy that continues long after we are gone.  Workers, teachers, ministers, and leaders are created because we were willing to give ourselves to training others.  Think about this.  We can leave 10, 20, 30, or 100 or more of us behind when we leave this earth, if we are willing to give our knowledge and skills to others.

            Giving is not a one-way street.  We, in addition to the one to whom we give, receive things in return.  Giving always gives back.  The book of Proverbs contains numerous passages that confirm this beautiful truth.  Let’s close with a few of them.  “Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase; so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine” (Prov. 3:9-10).  “There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.  The liberal soul shall be made fat:  and he that watereth shall be watered also himself” (Prov. 11:24-25).  “He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again” (Prov. 19:17).  “He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack:  but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse” (Prov. 28:27).  My friend, don’t withhold your giving.  When you feel the temptation to do so, remember the words of the Christ:  “Give, and it shall be given unto you…”