Love… Really Love?
The Bible tells us to Love our Neighbors as we love ourselves? (Leviticus 19:19)
Let’s carry that one out a bit…
If we define love as giving of gifts…
1. everything you purchase for yourself you would purchase for others?
a. groceries… check
b. New clothes… check
c. New shoes… check
d. New Car or truck… check
e. Season tickets to sports or plays… check
f. that new house.. check
2. everything we do we do for others?
a. Vacation to an exotic land.. check
b. Sending a kid off to college.. check
c. Spring Break cruise… check
d. rental home by the ocean… check
e. Movie and dinner night out.. check
f. a trip to Starbucks or Chipotle.. check
I wonder if we would think differently about how we spend our money more than how we give to others.
I know a time when a prominent pastor in our area challenged his congregation to give one… the idea was to give up one of your Christmas presents and donate one to a family or person in need.. to give up a present and give a donation to put a well in some African country.. All great ideas but he followed up the whole idea with… this doesn’t mean you should be cheap but to really dig deep and bless someone else.
I wold have liked to ask him how many people dug deep for someone else compared to shorted it out to save funds.
I know it would create tension in my life as it did making the list above. If I really took the idea of loving others as I love myself to the next level, the biblical level, then I would be required to raise my giving game and then be much much poorer, well financial poor but my heart would be over flowing with love, gratefulness and gratitude to God for the blessing of giving to others.
I then wonder what our world would be like if we truly took to heart giving out of our wealth to those who are without it?
Please prayerfully wrestle with this with me. Maybe God is calling us to a higher standard of living and conduct in the coming days, weeks, months and years…
Good loving to you friends.
It's just my junk 