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My youngest son, Jon, was probably eight years old at the time, or just-turned-nine at the oldest. He so much wanted to buy me a Christmas present. We went to the mall together, and when we went into Penney’s, he asked if he could go over to the cosmetics department by himself. He had two or three dollars and a little change stuffed down in his pocket. When he returned to me, I was awestruck. The bag his gift was in was rather large, but of course, I could not open it until Christmas. He hid it carefully in his room. His face lit up when I opened it on Christmas morning. I had a full basket of body lotions, soaps, shower gel, and cologne. As delighted as I was with my son, I knew there was no way his something-like-three-dollars could have purchased it. Between listening to Jon’s excited story and examining the contents of the basket, all of which came in lovely lavender containers, I realized what the male clerk at Penney’s had done. In a major department store, he accepted what a young boy was able to give, and carefully put into the basket what he was able to give, and allowed my son to bring it home to his mom. My son is now an adult, but I still have the basket, empty, except for having become a holder for a small towel and some air freshener in my bathroom. It is a reminder to me of the spirit of giving.
The Bible as a whole is a story about the spirit of giving. It is God who has given over and over and over again, in awesome and incredulous ways – gifts of love poured out on His creation, and from the heart of a Father, the unmatched gift of His only Son. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. [He] sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts prompting us to call out, "Abba, Father." And in that giving, forgiveness comes and we belong to the Giver. The songwriter, Andrae Crouch, asks, "How can I say thanks for the things You have done for me? Things so undeserved, yet You gave to prove Your love for me ..." In words of prayer, he asks to please God with all that he is as a token of his gratitude. Part of that "all" is to nurture within ourselves the spirit of giving that God exemplifies. Paul encourages the Corinthians by saying, "God loves a person who gives cheerfully ... their good deeds will be remembered forever." He also tries to explain that giving is a joyful expression of our thanks to God, as well as a means of meeting another’s need that causes others to give glory to God, ... and they will pray for you with deep affection because of the overflowing grace God has given to you. Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words! Wow! That means the spirit of giving is a gift all by itself! Enjoy the gift! Delight in it! Use it!
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