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A while ago, I came across a quote attributed to the then Mayor of Newark and now Senator from New Jersey, Corey Booker. It says “Don’t speak to me about your religion; first show it to me in how you treat other people. Don’t tell me how much you love your God; show me in how much you love all God’s children. Don’t preach to me your passion for your faith; teach me through your compassion for your neighbors. In the end, I’m not as interested in what you have to tell or sell as I am in how you choose to live and give”.
The quote rhymed very well, but beyond that is the message I got from it. It is the same kind of thing we have been trying to emphasize about our Christian life. We can talk all we want, but we must also be able to walk our talk. If you always love to talk and not walk the talk, there comes a point when people will stop being interested in what you want to tell or sell. The author of that quote says he is not interested in what you have to tell or sell as much as he is in how you chose to live and give. So, the author is interested in your living and giving.
Our God is also interested in how you live. I believe that true living starts when you give all of your life to God. Is that not interesting that to live your life, you first must give it away? I know whenever we talk about giving everyone’s mind goes straight to money. Yes, we need to give money, we need to give property and we need to give material things to people who are in need of them. The truth, however, is that none of these can be possible if we do not first of all give our lives and hearts to God. So, when it comes to giving, it is about giving all of what you have, yourself, your talent, your heart, and your money. When you do this, then you start living.
It is quite interesting that people love to talk and hear about the love of God, after all, it is mentioned about 600 times in the KJV Bible. People also love to talk and hear about healings in the Bible; it is mentioned many times and there are more than 90 healing scriptures in the Bible. It is interesting too that people love to talk and hear about blessings in the Bible. Everybody loves to be blessed and altogether, it is mentioned 522 times in the Word of God (KJV). However, when it comes to the word, ‘giving’, which is mentioned more than 2000 times, the excitement kind of dwindles. One thing about giving is that it is subject to the laws of reciprocity. “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” – Luke 6:38. You give, and it shall be given to you. Give love and you will get love. Give heartily and you will receive heartily. You will always receive in the same measure you use when you give.
In Isaiah 58 the Prophet made it clear that in giving, our light breaks forth, our healing springs forth, and the glory of God becomes our protection. SO, give love this year and receive love. Give light and receive light. Pray for people’s healing and receive your own healing. Help people out and receive help from above.
From the beginning, our living has always been tied to our giving; John 3:16 tells us that “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.” God had to give His only begotten son so that we may have life. This is the grace the Lord has given us, and this grace also works in our lives, just like Dr. Myles Munroe said before he passed. Your main goal should be to cheat death. You will cheat death if while you are alive you give all you can give and there is really no more to give. Many people have been cheated by death because they go to their graves without giving a fraction of all they could have given.
My brothers and sisters, why don’t you start living today, by giving all you can. Don’t be cheated by death, because your living can only have meaning when you have given all you can. Give all of your heart, all of yourself, and even your treasure because we truly live when we truly give.
January 08, 2023 – Pastor Simbo Odunaiya
