For some time now, I have been asking myself why is it so hard to give? Of our finances, our time, our goods, our talent, our friendship? After all, the only reason we have any of these things is because God has given them to us, so why can’t we pay it forward?

Growing up I remember how generous my maternal grandfather was to family and friends. Of course, he did it at the expense of my grandmother’s time because she was the one doing the cooking for meals promised, for watching relative’s children when she was tired from watching her own, of hosting people invited for dinner without being informed. My grandmother never grumbled, and just went along with his wishes. The funniest thing I remember from these moments is not my grandmother complaining, but my grandfather complaining because those same people never gave back to him or my grandmother.

Commitment to God and generous giving are closely related (Exodus 35:21-22). I don’t know if my grandfather understood this concept because we never spoke about what it meant to give according to God. Gramps was a cheerful giver, but his priority was what he received in return! (Matthew 6:3) He didn’t understand the spirit of giving mentioned in Mark 12:41-44, about being a generous and sacrificial giver.

Genesis 4:3-5 speaks about the quality of what we offer when we give to God and others. Our giving should be done with a joyful heart because of what we cangive. We should not be worrying about how much we are giving up, for all things are God’s in the first place.

I’ve been reading the book Heaven by Randy Alcorn, and I wish this book had been around for my gramps to read. He would have seen how much God has given us: life, community, fellowship, friendship, all rooted in the triune God himself. All of this came at a price (1 Corinthians 6:20). As Randy Alcorn says: “…the price was important, the shed blood of God’s Son, Jesus Christ”.

If Gramps were alive, I would share this thought with him: “If you are giving just to receive back it will never happen. Do good, hope for nothing in return and your reward will be great.” (Luke 6:35)

God has given us so much. In his book Heaven, Randy Alcorn gives us a biblical vocabulary on these gifts: redeemed, restored, reclaim, recover, return, regenerate, resurrect. Randy states that “renewal means to make new again or restore to an original state. Resurrection means becoming physically alive again, after death. God gave us another chance in Christ”.

Continuing in my quote from Randy:

“Jesus restored people to health, life and freedom from demonic possession.

By faith, through grace (another powerful gift), God is going to restore nature, making our world whole once more.

Just think what God is going to give us: a renewed humanity who will live on a new earth, in the presence of their resurrected Savior!!

God gave His life for our future and the earth’s.”

My grandmother knew how to give, and she never complained, nor did she expect anything in return, and because of this she had great peace, and people always treated her with great kindness and love. My grandfather was always grumbling about people’s selfishness. But it was my grandmother who restored people to health and happiness with her loving kindness.

If you have a “Gramps” in your family, would you please share this with him? Let him know it is far better to give, then to receive. All you need to do is point him to Jesus who has paid it all.