Love is the Key

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 NIV

God showed us His love in action when He gave us His son. Not only was it the ultimate sacrifice, but it was a sacrifice that He willingly made for the greater good of mankind. God, in His infinite wisdom, had a backup to the fall of man in the garden, but it included His son. As a mother, I know that I would not have been able to make that same decision to give up my child for the greater good of anyone. I posed this question to our church one day: “God gave because of His love for us. What are you willing to give because of the love that you have for Him?”

My Pastor often references what we can give as children of God: “Time, Talent and/or Treasure”.

Here are some practical tools that we can implement in our day to day life of giving.

Time: Be available. Be willing. Be punctual. Be present. There is a noticeable and felt difference in being in a place content and willingly versus being in a place grudgingly, unappreciatively, and always complaining. Your perspective on the value of your presence in a space will shape the experience of not only your time given but your time received by those with who you are around. Growing up there was a lady who always complained about everything. We all thought, “OMG. If they had a complaining committee you could be the chairperson.” Nothing was ever good enough for her. She never joined any ministry, and if the pastor asked us to go visit a church, for whatever reason, she never went and complained about us having to go. Don’t give of your time in that manner. Do the work to be a part of what you believe in by being all the way present.

Talents: What are you good at? What do you love or even just like to do that will be an asset to your community. Smiles are one of the easiest things that we can offer someone. Smiling at the kids as they walk past your front door, or serving as a greeter at your church can change someone’s day. Don’t sit on your talent when you know you have something to give.

Treasure: Financially give a seed. Invest in what you believe in. Every day you invest in McDonald’s, your local grocery store, the mall, the casino. You take your treasure everywhere else than the place that it can benefit the most: the storehouse/the church. The Bible says in Malachi 3:10 NIV, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.” It’s a cycle of giving and receiving; an exchange that goes both ways. You give to Him and He gives to you.

The Bible also states, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails”. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8 NIV)

Love is Love. It gives a lot but takes less. I look at this scripture, and my spirit becomes vexed when I think about how we have taken love and distorted both the word and the action. We see what love can offer us, but seldom do we see how someone else receiving love from us can do so much more. God is Love (1 John 4:8). Love gave so that we can give. The Bible gives some insight and instructions on how we should love. We are to, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:5 NIV). We are instructed to love God with everything that’s within us. We use the word love predominately as a noun and not an action. We view it as an object that we can do with as we please. But love is an action word, and God showed us how we are to utilize the action He gave.

Giving love isn’t always reciprocated. We give it and do not receive it in return. Some may misuse or mistreat your gift of love, but you cannot stop giving it. God gave His Love for all as an example of how we should love; freely, but He also gave us the choice to love or not to love. The choice is ours. Every gift we give or withhold is ours to do so with, but I challenge you this month to give freely and openly of your time, talents, treasure, and your love.