Mother Teresa of blessed memory, once said “It’s not how much we give but, how much love we put into giving”. When we voluntarily give to the needy, it serves as a humanitarian act, without any self-interest. It is being generous and helpful to those in need. Giving can be in the form of money or materials.
Biblically, we are encouraged to give willingly but not sparingly. “Remember this, whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” –2 Corinthians, 9:6-15″(NIV) . God wants us to give to His people abundantly, generously, and sacrificially. This is not because God needs anything, but because by giving, we show our love for Him. Also giving is an expression of obedience, trust, gratitude, and joy. However, “Matthew 6:1-4 states that giving should be done in secret, not for show. Keep your giving between you and God. Remember the saying that, when you give, your right hand should not know what your left hand is doing.
As we give to God through Tithe, seed offerings, the first fruit of the harvest, or alms-giving, we should not forget to give to the disadvantaged people in our community, the widows and the poor, in society. And what better time than during this period of Easter for us to show our love to God and man. As we celebrate Easter, let us use this valuable opportunity to demonstrate our love by sharing what we have with others and more importantly, let people know that Jesus is Lord.
As Christians, Easter is the climax of our belief because, here we believe in the pain, death, resurrection and glorification of Jesus, which is the core of our faith. Consequently, giving freely during Easter is a confirmation of Jesus ‘s love for us. Therefore, Easter can be a wonderful time for us to put our money where our love is. Just as Brian Tracy says, “Love only grows by sharing. You can only have more for yourself by giving it away to others” Remember that, the secret key to the true spirit of giving is when we expect nothing in return.
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