“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”- John 3:16 NKJV
God gave.
The word “give” is used 376 times in the New Testament. It is from the Greek word “didomi” which means to supply or furnish necessary things. http://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/nas/didomi.html
God so loved.
God’s love is a precursor to His giving. His love happens first and foremost because love is the nature of God’s character. God is love.
And God gave His love to a world that was devoid of it.
To give to that which is empty, lacking, and in need is the essence of life here on Earth. It is the calling card for every Christian believer.
Giving is the root of charity.
As Swedish theologian Emanuel Swedenborg once wrote, “True charity is the desire to be useful to others with no thought of recompense.”
God gives for the benefit of others without regard for what He will or will not receive in return from those He so graciously lavishes.
And in doing so, He gives of Himself.
God has given Himself to us:
- As Word – in the form of the Holy Bible
- As Flesh – in the form of Jesus Christ and
- As Spirit – in the form of the indwelling Holy Spirit within those who believe in Him
And since we are created in the loving image and likeness of God’s character, we are to give—as God does—to a world today that so desperately needs it.
Charity has become a vessel fueled by the desire for tax deductions rather than being fueled by genuine love for one’s neighbor.
The desire to help someone else becomes secondary to the desire to benefit oneself at their expense.
As love gives way to lust, altruism gives way to egoism.
We are to closely examine the intentions of our hearts and align our will with the will of God.
The benevolence of God is a model for us to first understand, then to embody, and finally to execute and minister throughout the world today.
As God so lovingly and willingly gave His one and only begotten Son, Jesus Christ so lovingly and willingly gave His own life for the benefit of our salvation.
You are a witness and living testimony to that. And your benevolence shown to others today can be the catalyst for someone else’s understanding and acceptance of God’s love for now and all of eternity.
God Bless,