Giving, Not Getting
[Jesus said:] Freely ye have received, freely give.
Matthew 10:8
There are clearly two philosophies about money. The first is Satan’s. He says to every man as he said to Christ, “All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me” (Matthew 4:9).
The second philosophy is Christ’s. “Sell all that thou hast, and [give it to] the poor . . . and come, follow me” (Luke 18:22). The first is motivated by selfishness; the second, by unselfishness.
The first has greed at the center; the second has God at the heart. The first has an eye for this world; the second has an eye for eternity. The first is slated for failure; the second, for success.
Tell me what you think about money, and I can tell you what you think about God, for these two are closely related. A man’s heart is closer to his wallet than almost anything else.
It is a staggering fact that in recent years Americans have spent more than ten times as much for luxuries and nonessentials as we have for charitable and religious purpose. This is more than a cold statistic. It is a commentary on the shallow and superficial religious faith in a nation that is nominally Christian.
The Scripture teaches that we are stewards for a little while of all we earn. If we misuse it, as did the man who buried his talent, it brings upon us the severest judgment of God.
One of the worst sins that we can commit is that of ingratitude. In the midst of sorrow and trouble, this life has many blessings and enjoyments, which have come from the hand of God.
Life itself, preservation from the dangers to which life is at every instant exposed, every bit of health that we enjoy, every hour of liberty and free enjoyment, the ability to see, to hear, to speak, to think, and to imagine—all this comes from the hand of God.
Even our capacity for love is a gift from God. We show our gratitude by giving back to Him a part of that which He has given to us. What have you done lately to show your gratitude to God for all that He has done, and is doing, for you?
Our Father and our God, You are the Giver of life and love. Please accept my heartfelt gratitude for every gift You have given me personally—my life, my family, my job—I humbly offer back to You my heart, my talents. Please use the possessions You have entrusted to me to magnify You. In the Master’s name. Amen.
Billy Graham, Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010).