From the Heart

December 14, 2018

If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:3

Ever succumb to the temptation as a parent to take something away from a selfish child and give it to their sibling in order to teach them to “share”? Or to take French fries from someone who hasn’t offered because “we’re sharing”? Neither of those actions come close to the definition of sharing. The definition of sharing is “to willingly use or enjoy something with another.” If a willing choice; a heart decision, is not made, it’s simply division. Or even worse. The child who has the toy taken from them feels resentful. The relationship between the siblings does not improve. It likely becomes tenser.

That’s the essence of giving or sacrifice without love. We can be shamed into giving, made to feel guilty if we don’t give, we can brag about how much we did for someone or how much we gave away. But the famous Love Chapter, 1 Corinthians 13, tells us that there are no benefits to be gained personally for it. “I would have gained NOTHING.”

God is not in pursuit of our stuff, not for Himself or for others. He is in pursuit of a love relationship with us, because He knows when we experience His love, we will grow more and more like Him, loving the things and the people He loves. We will become givers from the heart, because that is who and what He is. If He has our hearts, if He has our love, our resources and abilities come with it. If we have His love at our core, we will love and give to the people He loves. We will do it from the heart: true loving, giving, and sharing.

What is motivating your giving this Christmas? Obligation? Duty? Shame? Love?

Ask Christ to help His love overwhelm and transform you into a from-the-heart giver in every situation.