Giving (1)

In His Name Devotionals
GIVING (1)

“...God loves the person who gives happily.” (2 Corinthians 9:7)

Confessions of an inner-city Bible teacher: “There I stood in my new jeans and new shirt, looking at a room full of young faces. Some were clean, but most dirty—some smiling, but most scowling. The room was in the basement of a church building in one of the not-so-great parts of town. The faces were those of the inner city children I’d been sent there to teach. I was supposed to talk about Adam and Eve and the Garden, but I was lucky if I could get 5 seconds to tell them my name.

“The kids weren’t mean and they weren’t rude. They just wanted my attention, my time. Unfortunately there were lots of things that wanted my time—like my parents, my sister, my school activities, my boyfriend, athletics, and my friends. So these children only got about two hours of my time once a week.

“Class time to them was nothing compared to the two minutes it took to ask how they were and to show I cared. All they wanted of my time was two minutes and a hug. They were content with this. When all the other things in my life required money and brains and ability, all they needed from me was love. Honestly, those were the most rewarding minutes of my week. Giving had never been so easy. My idea of really giving to the Lord was devoting my life to mission work or giving lots of money on Sundays. God’s idea of giving was something totally different. Instead of traveling oceans to help His people, I needed to travel only a few miles. Instead of money, it was time He wanted me to spend.”

So, what is it going to be for you? Is there an elderly person in your neighborhood who needs some grocery shopping done, or a kid on your street who needs a friend? God likes the small gifts, because what may seem little to us may be a big deal to someone else. So, give a hug to the person next to you—a smile, your time, your friendship, your love. Show someone the spirit of the Lord by GIVING.