Giving and Forgiving

...Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full -- pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back....(Luke 6:37-38)

When you are anywhere in the vicinity of a toddler it's difficult not to interact with them. They naturally try to capture the attention of everyone who looks their way. Smiling. Giggling. Waving. They desire attention. And if you'll give it to them, you'll quickly have a new friend.

If you try to take anything away from them, however, you're likely to get a demonstration of the reason the toddler years are often called the terrible twos.

Most toddlers are a bit selfish. Giving is not their strong suit.

Because of this, people often ask toddlers if they can have things that they are clinging to. Cups. Pacifiers. Food. Like a game every adult knows the answer to. Most kids answer with a resounding no. Clinging tighter to whatever they have.

My son, Toby Jo, however, shocked more adults than I could begin to count because he would freely give anything, anyone asked of him. He has a naturally generous spirit. A rare quality.

Truth be told, the selfish attitude of toddlerhood often carries into adulthood.

We don't really like to give freely.

We measure our giving. We give if we think we might get something in return. Recognition. Praise. Glory.

Jesus touched on this human tendency when he taught His disciples to give to the poor and needy in private instead of publicly (Matthew 6:1-4). He warned them not to seek public admiration, but private rewards from God, Himself.

Every gift that we have the ability to give comes from God (James 1:17) so when we seek admiration for our gifts from those around us we are, in effect, stealing the glory from God.

Everything we give to those less fortunate than us should be given as though we were handing it directly back to God. A sacrifice from the heart. Because that is indeed what we are doing. Scripture says, Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD, and He will repay him for his deed (Proverbs 19:17).

Jesus went on to teach about gifts of worship to God.  Admonishing His disciples to pray and fast without drawing attention to themselves for the praise and admiration of others. Talk about stealing glory from God (Matthew 6:5-18).

The thought of turning worship into selfish gain brings tears to my eyes.....of shame and conviction....

With social media and the abundance of communication available to us, the trumpets we can blow in the streets to call attention to ourselves have been multiplied infinitely more than the disciples could ever have imagined.

Instead of giving our hearts and minds in prayer and our bodies in sacrifice, we steal the glory from God and live our lives on pedestals crafted by our own hands.

Prayer becomes a means of praise for ourselves. Fasting becomes a fashion statement for the elite followers of Christ.

We babble empty words like people of other religions. Those who don't recognize the sacrifice Christ made for us. Those who don't understand the gift we've been given so freely. The gift that should leave us speechless in our closet before God daily.

The gift of forgiveness.

Redemption for every good gift given for the wrong reasons. Grace for every prayer prayed for the benefit of those around us. Mercy for every fast fulfilled for the glory of living a Godly life in a fallen world.

In the midst of His commentary on giving gifts to the poor and needy, and to God in worship, Jesus touched on forgiving, and extending grace and mercy, to those who need forgiveness just as much as we do -- our fellow man. The lost world around us...And other Christians, who make the same mistakes we do.

Not only are we called to forgive the lost who we expect to sin regularly and fall short of living a Godly life, we are called to forgive other Christians. Those we often hold to a higher standard. Those we place on a pedestal that they can't stand on any more easily than we can.

Christians who blow their own trumpets in the street when they give to the poor and needy. Christians who pray to be seen by others. Christians who fast to be admired by others.

Christians who fail just as often as we do.

I can almost hear Jesus whispering to my heart....Forgive my beloved children who are so insecure in my love for them that they seek approval, applause and glory from anyone and everyone. Forgive the Christians who toot their own horns when they've done something right and, yet, toot their car horns in anger when they're having a bad day.

I imagine that few things sadden God's heart more than watching one of His children beat up on another of His children for failing to live up to their proclaimed Christianity.

Forgive the ones who fall short.....because don't we all fall short (Romans 3:23).

Don't we ALL wallow in sin from time to time?

Jesus said Don't throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you (Matthew 7:6).

All Christians are washed clean and pure and made ready for eternity by the blood of Christ. But while we're living in this filthy, sin-filled world, we're all wallowing in a giant pig sty.....And sometimes we forget we're not pigs anymore.

Whether we're giving money to the poor and needy, worship to God, or forgiveness to those around us, all our gifts -- all our pearls -- should be given AS IF to God, not the pigs wallowing in the mud of this Earth.

Our gifts should be returned to the Giver of all gifts.

After all, He's the only one who guarantees a full return -- pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap.....(Luke 6:38)

That is the gift of faith.

(Journey: Matthew 6:1-34, 7:1-6; Luke 6:37-42)