LOVE GIVES

"For God so loved, He gave..."  Yes, I know you're already saying the rest of that line:  "...He gave His only begotten Son" or "His one and only Son."  Point is, God loves, He gives.  That's the nature of Love which is the nature of God.  "God is love" and its His nature to act out what He is - He gives!

The beloved song, "He Giveth More Grace" reminds us that "...His love has no limit; His grace has no meaure, His power has no boundary known unto men.  For out of His infinite riches in Jesus, He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again."

What can you give?  Answer - Give what you got.  Don't always think of going out to buy something when what you already have is valuable enough!  There are many things we all have that you won't find in any store.  It's just a matter of knowing how best to "give" these things to others.  Think of your ears.  I like to tell people that God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason:  Learn how to use your ears twice as much as you use your mouth!  You'll certainly get yourself in a lot less trouble if you do, (as long as you're not listening to gossip!)  People often need someone to "give" them their listening ears.  Many people are surprised how the gift of listening means so much to others.

Another thing is to give your abilities where they can really matter.  It may be physical strength, or knowledge of how things work, or a calming influence in a tense situation.  You may possess special abilities that could benefit others if you were willing to help.

There is something very special that you also can give to people.  It was Charles Ryrie who gave a good definition of love: "Love is that which seeks the will of God for the object loved."  Seeking God's will for another is seeking the BEST thing they really need.  And that "seeking" is an act of giving.  You do what you need to do to make sure that someone you love comes to know what is the "good and acceptable and perfect will of God," Romans 12:2.  Nothing is better for them than that.

Love will always seek a way to give without drawing attention to itself.  True Christian love will give in a way that God gets all the glory.  And the person who does the giving will receive the blessing of doing so.