By Nelly Favis Villafuerte
SOMEONE once said that "only a life lived giving to and sharing with others is worth living." As natural calamities wrought death and damages to some countries then and now, we see the outpouring of assistance from other countries. In our personal lives, we likewise see other people sharing their blessings to others to the poor, to the sick, and to anybody in need. Giving and sharing with others has a Biblical basis. The Holy Bible simply says: "Bless and you will be blessed."
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The Holy Bible says: "Whatsoever a man sows, that he will also reap." (Galatians 6:7) This is known as the principle of sowing and reaping. Applied in our daily life, we have to plant some good seeds in our families, careers, businesses and personal relationships, if we expect to reap a good harvest. For example – in the field of giving…if we want to experience God’s best for us, then we must be givers. Giving and sharing cheerfully and not grudgingly leads to fabulous and fruitful harvests. Here’s how one farmer who was known for giving abundantly to the Lord’s work expresses it: "I keep shovelling into God’s bin, and God keeps shovelling back into mine, and He has the bigger shovel!"
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It is easier to understand the impact of giving and sharing by telling stories rather than just citing principles/theories on the subject of giving. Let me now start with the story of how Benjamin Franklin shared his blessings with others:
"In 1784, Benjamin Franklin wrote the following letter to a man named Benjamin Webb: ‘Dear Sir: Your situation grieves me and I send you herewith a banknote for 10 louis d’or. I do not pretend to give such a sum. I only lend it to you. When you shall return to your country, you cannot fail of getting into some business that will in time enable you to pay all your debts.
"In that case, when you meet with another honest man in similar distress, you must pay me by lending the sum to him, enjoining him to discharge the debt by a like operation when he shall be able and shall meet with such another opportunity.
"I hope it may thus go through many hands before it meets with a knave that will stop its progress. This is a trick of mine for doing a deal of good with a little money. I am not rich enough to afford much in good works and so am obliged to be cunning and make the most of a little.
"With best wished for your future prosperity, I am, dear sir, your most obedient servant. B. Franklin (From Bits and Pieces)
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Here’s another amusing story:
"A pig was complaining to a cow that he was not appreciated. ‘I don’t understand it," he said, ‘people are always talking about how generous you are, giving them cream and milk and butter for their daily use. That’s nice, of course, but I give more than you do – ham and bacon and bristles and feet. Yet nobody has any use for me. They make fun of me and call me a pig. I don’t like it.’
"Perhaps the difference," the cow replied after a moment’s hesitation, "is that I give while I’m still living." (Roy Zuck stories)
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So often said that we should give do what is right, and not what is left. This story will illustrate this.
"Once upon a thing there was a man who had nothing, and God gave him ten apples.
"He gave him the first three apples to eat.
"He gave him the second three apples to trade for shelter from the sun and the rain.
"He gave him the three apples to trade for clothing to wear.
"He gave him the last apple so that he might have something to give back to God to show his gratitude for the other nine.
"The man ate the first three apples."
"He traded the second three for a shelter from the sun and rain.
"He traded the third three for clothing to wear.
"Then he looked at the tenth apple. It seemed bigger and juicer than the rest. He knew that God had given him the tenth apple so that he might return it to Him out of the gratitude for the other man nine. But the tenth apple looked bigger and juicier than the rest. And he reasoned that God had all the other apples in the world. So the man ate the tenth apple and gave back to God the core."
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One measure of the maturity of Christians is their attitude with which they give to the Lord’s work. Many times we hear many people say, "I could have done more" – long after the opportunity to share had long passed away. Too late! We should always remember that in the end, only what we have done for the cause of our Lord God while we live in this world will matter. Not our material wealth; not our successes in business and in our political life; not our luxurious houses; and not our relationships with the rich and the powerful. Here is a story to illustrate this point. A story that many of us are familiar with. I am referring to the story narrated in the film. The Schindler’s List. Here is an account of the story by author Morgan.
"The film Shindler’s List chronicled the heroic efforts of a German industrialist named Oskar Schindler. Through his unselfish activities, over a thousand Jews on the trains to Auschwitz were saved. Although the film, even on television, has some very graphic and disturbing scenes, the message itself is profound.
"After Shindler found out what was happening at Auschwitz, he began a systematic effort to save as many Jews as he could. For money, he could buy Jews to work in his factory which was supposed to be a part of the military machine of Germany. On one had he was buying as many Jews as he could, and on the other hand he was deliberately sabotaging the ammunitions produced in his factory. He entered the war as a wealthy industrialist; by the end of the war, he was basically bankrupt.
"When the Germans surrendered, Shindler met with his workers and declared that at midnight they were all free to go. The most emotional scene of the film was when Shindler said goodbye to the financial manager of the plant, a Jew and his good and trusted friend. As he embraced his friend, Shindler sobbed and said, "I could have done more."
"He looked at his automobile and asked, "Why did I save this? I could have bought 10 Jews with this," Taking another small possession he cried, "This would have saved another one. Why didn’t I do more?"
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There are many verses in the Holy Bible on giving. One is Luke 12:28 referred to by many as the verse on faith giving highlighting the fact that by faith many people give gladly and profusely to others trusting that our Lord God will meet all their needs. The biblical verse says: "If then God so clothe the grass, which is today in the field, and tomorrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you. O ye of little faith?"
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The law of sowing and reaping earlier mentioned is not a man-made principle. It is found in the Holy Bible, In 2 Corinthians 9:6 we find the following: But this I say. He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly, and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully." The sowing of seeds is not a replacement for our tithing. It is over and above our tithing. We have to remember that our tithe is the Lord’s and when we hold on to our tithes we are actually robbing from our Lord God. Let me refresh your minds with the biblical verse on tithing in the Book of Malachi that says: "With a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say. Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings." (Malachi 3:8).
Hopefully the article will remind us that all kinds of blessings come our way when we honor God in the area of giving.
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