Giver or Taker?

No one has ever become poor by giving.
~ Anne Frank

Perhaps you have met one of these people.. they are always seeking ways to help others. They are ever ready with a helping hand, a plate of food, or a shoulder to cry on. These are the givers. If they know you have need of what they have, it's yours. When you just need someone to talk to, they are always there to listen. They are givers.

I know you've met the other person, this type is ever so much more plentiful, unfortunately. They are only worried about themselves and what they can get out of life. Their main concern is their own happiness, even if it comes at the expense of the joy of others. These are the takers. They take without ever giving back. They take and take as long as you have something they want, then when they have exhausted a resource, they move on to greener pastures. They are takers.

We live in a world of takers. The new philosophy is to look out for number one, yourself. Obviously, this is not God's philosophy. Luke 6: 38 states that we are to give, and when we give, we will receive even more abundance than what we gave away.

How would the world be different if we lived in a world of givers? Just imagine... Those that are so concerned about what they can get have such a small world. When a person is concerned only about himself or herself, life can be so depressing. When one sits around thinking about how rotten life has treated them and how they deserve so much more, they will teeter on the brink of depression. The best antidote for this type of depression is to get outside of self and seek how one can help others.

Jesus tells us in Luke 6:35, that we are to be willing to lend (or give) not expecting return, but that we will be rewarded for our giving. Sometimes that reward doesn't come for a while. Sometimes the reward will be when we least expect it. And sometimes the best reward is the look of joy on the face of the one receiving what you have given.

The first part of verse thirty-five tells us to love our enemies. In other words, we are not just to give to those that we love or even like. But we are to be willing to give to those that don't even like us! Ouch! That's getting down to the nitty gritty! But that is when we are truly giving of Christ's love.

So what is it that you have to give? Many of us do not have unlimited financial resources, but we might have time or love to share. And how much RICHER we will be, because we have given it away!