34 And if ye lend to them of whom
ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners,
to receive as much again. 35 But
love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again;
and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the
Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. 36 Be
ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. –Luke
6:34-36 (KJV)
Along with having a loving, humble, and gentle
spirit, Jesus commanded His followers to have a generous spirit as well.
Consider how easily wealth can consume people. I have known many
people who were what we would call wealthy, and yet they were unhappy
to the point of bitterness. On the other hand, I have known people
who possessed tremendous wealth and they were happy and contented.
What makes the difference? The difference includes taking to heart
what Jesus said about having a generous and giving spirit. Those
with the financial means to help others do so with wisdom, lest they
be taken advantage of, yet they also give with a joyful heart.
Then, of course, there are countless people who may not be financially
wealthy, yet they too are happy and contented. This comes from
the realization that they have much to be thankful for such as health,
family, and salvation through Christ. Such perspective makes for
a contented heart and joyful outlook.
I have joked many times about how if I ever
somehow became rich I would have to hire someone I trusted to help keep
track of my money. I must often remind myself that compared to
countless people in the world I am rich. In fact, when compared
to a majority of people on the planet I live a lavish lifestyle of millionaire
proportions. I live in a comfortable home, drive a nice car, wear
decent clothing, and have plenty of food to eat. Millions of people
in the world live every day without such luxuries. They also lack
even the most basic necessities of life. When we place
this in proper perspective we realize we truly have much for which
to be thankful.
Jesus spoke of helping others, even an enemy,
with an attitude of expecting nothing in return. It’s human
nature to want something given to us in return for what we have given.
Yet, Jesus said to give (lend) with no thought of getting anything back.
This is when giving for the benefit of others becomes sacrificial.
We desire nothing in return, including any sort
of accolades for our gift. In this manner we practice what the
Lord taught about sacrificially giving to those in need, enemy or otherwise.
I try to not be like the little boy from
my childhood who lived on my street. We both collected Matchbox
and Hot Wheels cars and played with them frequently. This little
boy appeared to be most generous, always wanting to give me some of
his cars. However, I soon learned this was a ploy.
He began to ask me for my cars, and if I hesitated, he was quick to
remind me of the gifts he had given me. Needless to say, I soon
caught on and became cautious about accepting anything from him.
When we give from a generous and Christ-like spirit we are blessed
and we experience the peace of helping others. As we are blessed,
so we then bless those around us.
God bless you today.
