It's All About the Heart

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 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.”

We quote this often (Luke 6:37-38), praying for a great return on what we give so that we can get back more than we gave. And often, we give an absolute minimum (to the church, missions, church family members, etc) and expect many times the return on our "investment." I bet you can already tell where I'm going here: we're selfish.

I was recently able to buy a computer for a friend of mine who was very much in need of a new one for school. Her old one had been dropped repeatedly (by people to whom she had lent it) and was not functioning properly. I'm very grateful that I've had experiences and education that allowed me to revive her old machine at least twice after she had given up on ever using it again, but after a series of revelations and blessings in my life, it was time to replace it. It isn't the fact that I gave her the computer that is astonishing to me, it's the changes in my heart and attitudes that led up to it that have me looking back and wondering by what grace I've arrived here.

In the month or two before this, at church, we had been going through Pastor Robert Morris of Gateway Church's teaching on giving, called the Blessed Life. If you haven't tuned out, navigated somewhere else, or closed the window yet, let me implore you not to do it right now, either. He isn't advocating the "prosperity gospel" or trying to get you to send money to his church, he's trying to get you to become more like God, in whose image we were made.

Consider what is probably the most popular verse in scripture, John 3:16. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (NIV). No matter what translation you have, even the Message, the verse points out two things that God did: He loved, and he gave. Also, notice the order of them: he gave BECAUSE he loved. If God is love, and He is the ultimate expression and expressor (I think I made that word up) of everything that is good (James 1:17), and if we are made in His image (Gen 1:26), we ought to behave like Him, oughtn't we (John 5:19, Lev 20:26)? I don't feel like the conclusions I'm drawing here are heretical, or that I'm drawing a thin connection between obscure verses taken out of context. These things are core doctrine for the vast majority of the church. So, I say all that to say: if God gave out of love, so should we.

Pastor Morris starts his teaching on giving with tithing, and I won't go into how it isn't just an old testament thing, and that tithing itself will bring you blessing, and how it needs to be brought first, before you spend on anything else. Suffice to say that I've always tithed, and his teaching just helped me to do it in the right way, at the beginning, not after I had made sure I had enough. In this series, God opened my heart and mind to understand that He wants me to be more generous, so I started asking for opportunities to do so. At first, It wasn't much. Buying a meal for a friend, or a movie ticket, and not allowing them to pay me back. But the point was that I was putting my treasure into people so that my heart would be there, rather than with things I'd bought for myself. Then, over spring break (2012), I got some unexpected income from a series of computer service calls that totaled $350. The Sunday before this, I had revived my friend's computer for the second time, and we had been talking about me helping her look for an affordable and adequate replacement. So, when Dad told me to buy her a computer, I am somewhat pleased and surprised to say that I didn't balk at it--at least not right away.

The truth is, I was excited at first, and then it gave way to some resentment, because there are things I sort of need to get done, mostly to my truck, that this would have taken a large chunk out of. None of these things were keeping it from running, but it's nice to have an intact bumper and a power window that actually works. I prayed, though, and told Dad, myself, and the devil (yes, he's the one who "helped" me remember all the other things I could have done with the money) that this money was never mine in the first place, and that it was definitely going to pay for a new computer for my friend. So, that Sunday, we looked for computers like we had planned, and found a refurbished one with nice specs at well below what a new one with the same capabilities would have cost, for $299. Then, I brought it up to her, and at first she told me no. Which is understandable, except for the fact that God had told her that morning that I was going to do this for her. I eventually brought her back around to accepting what Dad and I were giving her, and I ordered it within 5 minutes. It is now in her possession, and from what she tells me, she loves it.

My point here is not to pat myself on the back for being a "good christian." I wanted to show you how God can turn a selfish heart into a grateful and giving one. I'm not saying I'm ready to sell everything I own and give it to the poor, but in this case I gave just to make her happy, and to be more like my Dad. I know there's no way she can pay me back, and I don't want her to. I'm just happy to know I could meet the need. And for those of you who may be thinking "yeah, but I bet you're waiting for that ROI, aren't you? (paraphrased)," I can honestly say I'm not. Like I said before, it was money I never expected to get, and it was immediately apparent to me that I wasn't meant to keep it. I don't think it counts as a sacrificial gift, yet. I am hoping (expecting) to get there, though.

To quote another friend of mine, may you have peace, love, joy, and happiness.

Have you ever been able to bless someone like this? Or have you been the recipient of a gift you could never pay back?

I may not have it all figured out, but I do say what I think. If you have any questions about faith in Jesus, don't hesitate to email me. It's my job to help you out. Have an idea for me? Let me know in the comments! If you see any spelling/grammatical errors, PLEASE let me know in a comment. I expect others to use correct English, so I should too. Twitter:@GetItReallyReal Please subscribe and/or share.