The Alpha of Generosity

UV 3037 / 10000 The Alpha of Generosity
Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
Luke 6 v 38

Giving is a spiritual discipline that blesses both the giver and the one given to. There are many forms of giving : we can give of our time, talent, treasure to those who need it. When we give time and attention to another person, we are demonsrating our love for we are giving of our life. When we give in the name of the Lord, we are sowing in the kingdom of God. If we sow bountifully or generously, we also receive bountifully or plentifully for the Lord makes His grace abound to us in every way so that not only we have sufficient for our own need but are able to give to others. When we give to the poor, it is written in scripture that we are actually lending to the Lord. We are doing what is veritably impossible for who can lend to the Lord for everything we have – time, talent and treasure – are all portions given to us generously by the Lord.

Though we do not give in order to get a return as from investment, the Lord does not want to be any man’s debtor. He invariably blesses us as a reward for any form of giving that we do. If we give time to Him or His work or His word, He extends the length of our days and indeed, of our lives. If we give of our talent or ability, He multiplies our abilities and its impact. If we give of our treasure, He blesses us many times whatever we have given. Recently, I had sent a small sum in response to a pastor running an orphanage. On the same day, I got a call from a potential buyer with a sizeable quote for a document that till the other day commanded only a negligible rate.
Giving is a test of our heart whether we set greatest store by our money or material resources or whether we obey the command of the Lord to give to the needy. Even when we give something in kind like a meal to the servants of the Lord, He keeps an account of it and hastens to bless and reward us in due time. When we give generously, it kills the incipient love of money that is in our hearts. When we give, our attitude counts. We need to give not grudgingly or with resentment that we were forced to give. We need to give cheerfully and willingly for the Lord loves a cheerful giver. We need to cast our bread or money on the water as we do not know in what events will unfold and what kind of need we ourselves are going to confront. I once helped a constable get a sum of money from various quarters in order to get a heart surgery done for his wife. Some months later, I was badly injured in the human bomb assassination of a former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi at Sriperumbudur. The Lord sent an unknown officer and an unknown young man to carry me to a jeep and accompany me till I got medical assistance in a nearby hospital. The Lord was sending the bread I had cast on the waters a little upstream back to me downstream. When we give to the needy in a crisis as in the most recent floods in Kerala state, we are not only helping to save them but saving something for us on our own "rainy day".