More Like God

‘…Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us!’ 1Chr.29:14.

A man took his son to an eatery and bought him the best-made potato chips ever. Sitting across the table from his son, he watched as the boy pleasurably consumed each chip. And instinctively, the father reached out to share in the experience but the boy slapped his father’s wrist and said ‘no dad, this is mine!’. Immediately, three thoughts ran through the father’s mind. Firstly, does this boy not know I got him the potato chips? I am the source of these potato chips. Secondly, as the source of the potato chips, I control its availability. I can afford to drown him in potato chips if I wanted to. Thirdly, I don’t really need his potato chips; I can go and get some chips for my self. I am certain that we can all relate to this story, either from the perspective of a child or a parent. Many times, this is how we are with our heavenly Father. We plainly refuse to share the ‘plate of chips’ that God has provided with Him. When God asks us to share a ‘meal’ with Him, it isn’t because we can feed Him but because He wants to teach us vital lessons. God is the source. God controls the ‘chips’. And guess what, He does not even need our ‘chips’.

God wants us to excel in giving because giving makes us more like God. God is love. You can give without loving but you cannot love without giving [John 3:16]. ‘If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking’ James 1:5. In other words, God gives to all generously and ungrudgingly. The proof of loving is giving. If you are in a marriage relationship for example and your spouse never gives you anything, something is wrong with that. Or you are about to get married and you find that you are the one always giving to your intended, again something is wrong with that. Run for your life. Ever since I fell in love with my wife I have never been able to put my money in my pocket. I keep giving her and vice versa. We can only give God what is already His own, nothing we have is actually ours. So every time we are generous, we become more like God.

Prayer: Father, help me live in the reality of the fact that all that I have was first given to me by You, in Jesus Name.