“May my lord pay no attention to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name--his name is Fool, and folly goes with him” (1 Samuel 25:25a).
Do people live up to their names? If true, a Denzel would become a “wild one” and a George would become a “farmer.” This sounds implausible. However, researchers have found a statistical correlation between names and behavior. For example, one research showed that boys with names commonly given to girls (e.g., “a boy named Sue”) were more likely suspended from school for disruptive behavior. One explanation is that children with unusual names tend to grow up with a negative impression of themselves along with the constant teasing from other children. In a paper David E. Kalist and I coauthored ( “First Names and Crime: Does Unpopularity Spell Trouble?”), we state, “… juveniles with unpopular names may be more prone to crime because they are treated differently by their peers, making it more difficult for them to form relationships. Juveniles with unpopular names may also act out because they have a conscious or unconscious dislike for their name.”
A case in point is found in the Bible. Consider the story of David, Nabal and Abigail in 1 Samuel 25. David had many wives including his first wife named Michal (a daughter of King Saul), but Abigail was his most intelligent and beautiful wife. Abigail was first married to a man named Nabal, a Calebite, who lived in the Desert of Mahon. Nabal was a wealthy man with thousands of sheep and goats. But he was a surly and mean man. He was shearing his sheep in Carmel when David sent to him a messenger asking for food and drink in return for the protection of his shepherds and sheep against pillage. At this time, David was fleeing from Saul who tried to kill him out of his jealousy towards David (his jealousy had started after some women praised David more than him). David needed Nabal’s help for his 600 hungry and thirsty men. But Nabal spurned his offer, saying, “Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days. Why should I take my bread and water, and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where?” (1Sa 25:10-11). Nabal insulted David and did not appreciate the protective service that David’s men were providing for his flocks. David was about to punish Nabal for paying him back evil for good.
Enter Abigail. When one of the servants reported the situation to Nabal’s wife, Abigail, she lost no time. She immediately sent enough food and drinks to feed the 600 men to David. Then she made a trip to see David. Bowing down before the political fugitive with her face to the ground, Abigail personally apologized for her husband’s selfish, ungrateful and foolish behavior. She said to David, "My lord, let the blame be on me alone. Please let your servant speak to you; hear what your servant has to say. May my lord pay no attention to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name--his name is Fool, and folly goes with him. But as for me, your servant, I did not see the men my master sent” (1Sa 25:24-25). She also acknowledged God’s purpose for David. She pleaded with David not to “have on his conscience the staggering burden of needless bloodshed or of having avenged himself” (1Sa 25:31). David accepted her wise counsel and sent her home in peace.
Meanwhile, Nabal was holding a banquet like that of a king at his house. Abigail decided not to say anything to him that night because he was too drunk. In the morning when he was sober, she told him what had happened. Upon hearing about it, Nabal had a heart attack and died ten days later. Afterwards, David asked Abigail to be his wife, and she became the mother of Daniel, one of David's many sons.
Moral of the story? We should respect God’s servants and provide help to those who are in need. Also, do not give your child a bad name such as Nabal lest he lives up to his name. I don’t know what the New Jersey couple was thinking when they named their son “Adolph Hitler.” Not a wise decision, if you ask me. By the way, Abigail means “source of joy.”
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
What's in a Name? (1)
“No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.” (Genesis 17:5)
Recently, David E. Kalist, a colleague of mine, and I coauthored a research paper entitled, “First Names and Crime: Does Unpopularity Spell Trouble?” which was published in the March 2009 issue of Social Science Quarterly . We were surprised to receive much attention from various media outlets including Time , Fox News , USA Today, Chicago Tribune, Daily Telegraph (London), and others, not to mention numerous blogs. We also received many phone calls and e-mail messages concerning the research from readers, giving us feedback on the topic. One school teacher wrote to us to say that our findings confirmed his belief about the connection between names and children’s behavior based on his experience in school over the years. Not all comments were positive. One person questioned why we spent the time for a research topic like this when the country is going through a serious economic crisis.
Many people consider economics as a field that focuses on macroeconomic topics such as GDP, inflation, unemployment, interest rates, and so on. Some even think it is about money. Economists take on a much broader view. We usually define economics as a science that studies the choices made by people, firms and governments. Whenever and wherever choices are made, we want to apply economic principles to see how good choices can be made. So topics such as getting married or divorced, having children, committing crime, and the like, have been researched by economists as they involve choices. Choosing names is one of the first things parents do for their children when they are born. Selecting a popular name or uncommon name might have an impact for the child’s life.
What’s in a name? This is the question that Shakespeare asked in his famous play, Romeo and Juliet (c. 1591). Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet meet at a masked ball and fall in love. They want to get married but the two families are feuding with each other and won’t allow them to. In the balcony scene (Act 2, Scene 2), the frustrated Juliet says to Romeo,
“O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name;
Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And I'll no longer be a Capulet.”
When Romeo says, “Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?” Juliet continues,
“'Tis but thy name that is my enemy.
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What's Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face. O, be some other name
Belonging to a man.
What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other word would smell as sweet.
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo called,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name;
And for thy name, which is no part of thee,
Take all myself.”
Using the mouth of Juliet, Shakespeare implied that a person’s name is nothing but an artificial and meaningless designation. But is this true? Would a rose by any other name smell just as sweet?
I have always been interested in names of people. As a student of the Bible, I learned that the name of a person represents his or her character, personality and identity. There are several name changes recorded in the Bible. God changed Abram, meaning “exalted father,” to Abraham, meaning “father of many nations.” God said to Abram, “No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations” (Genesis 17:5). After Noah’s Flood, God began his long-term redemptive plan to save the mankind from their sin. The plan would culminate when his own Son Jesus comes to die on the cross as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). For this purpose, he called a 75-year old man, Abram, to begin a new life of faith. Jesus would be born from the line of Abram. God told Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you" (Genesis 12:1-3). Abram accepted God’s purpose for his life and embarked on a new journey. He left his home town (Ur of the Chaldeans located in today’s Persian Gulf) and traveled northward, even though he still did not know where he was going. Finally, he arrived in Beersheba (located in today’s Israel) and learned that it was to be the land that God would give to him and his descendants.
Abram’s life of faith, however, was not without ups and downs. When he faced a financial crisis, he went to Egypt and tried to survive with a deceptive scheme. He was also drawn to regional conflicts because of his nephew. One thing that constantly bothered him was that he had no children of his own and his wife was past the child-bearing age. How could he become “a great nation” when he didn’t even have a son? He complained to God that one of his servants would inherit his estate because God had not given him a son. God took him out of his tent and said, “Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them. So shall your offspring be” (Genesis 15:5). Still nothing happened. So Abram decided to have a son by getting a new wife. The result was that he did have a son (Ishmael) with an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar. For thirteen years, the Bible is silent about Abram’s life. We can only guess that he enjoyed his son Ishmael, forgetting about God’s great promise to make him a source of blessing to all peoples on earth. Finally, God appeared to him to remind him of the great promise. When Abram fell facedown, God said to him, “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations” (Genesis 17:4-5). So the name change was not a reflection of who Abraham was at that point of his life, but who he could become if he followed God faithfully. It was a reflection of God’s hope and promise for Abraham. Abram wanted to be an exalted father, a family man, who cared only about his own well-being and happiness. But God wanted him to be Abraham, father of many nations, whom God could use to save all mankind.
God also changed the name of Abraham’s wife from Sarai (“princess”) to Sarah that has a similar meaning but with the promise: “I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her” (Genesis 17:16). Later, God changed Abraham’s grandson’s name from Jacob (meaning “cheater”) to Israel (“he struggles with God”) in the hope that he would become a spiritual man (Genesis 32:28). Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter which means “rock” after Peter confessed Jesus to be his Christ, that is, his personal Savior. Peter was still an impulsive man, but Jesus had a hope and vision for him to become a solid man of faith. Jesus said, “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (Matthew 16:18).
From these name changes in the Bible, we learn that a person’s name is not a meaningless designation. Our name is a constant reminder of who we are. We hear our name called by others everyday during our life time. In their popular book, Freakonomics, Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner tell the story of a New York City man who named two of his sons Winner and Loser. Winner Lane grew up to be a criminal while his younger brother, Loser Lane, went to a good college and became a sergeant in the NYPD. This story seems to confirm that a rose by any other name smells as sweet, until you read the part that Loser Lane was rarely called Loser. He was called “from Jimmy to James… To his police colleagues, he is known as Lou.” If a name doesn’t matter, why use all these alternative names?
Personally, I believe that names do make a difference. My first name, Daniel, is not what my parents gave me; I took on the name when I became a Christian. (I was given a chance to change my name when I became a naturalized citizen of this country.) The prophet Daniel was a man of vision and prayer when his people were exiled to a foreign land. He kept his spiritual identity and prayed regularly despite the enormous pressure on his life of faith as a prisoner of war. I have a long way to go to become a man of faith like the prophet. But I want to continue to struggle to learn to be a man of vision and prayer. So, call me Daniel, not Dan, a name that is associated with idol worship if you know Israel’s history.
Recently, David E. Kalist, a colleague of mine, and I coauthored a research paper entitled, “First Names and Crime: Does Unpopularity Spell Trouble?” which was published in the March 2009 issue of Social Science Quarterly . We were surprised to receive much attention from various media outlets including Time , Fox News , USA Today, Chicago Tribune, Daily Telegraph (London), and others, not to mention numerous blogs. We also received many phone calls and e-mail messages concerning the research from readers, giving us feedback on the topic. One school teacher wrote to us to say that our findings confirmed his belief about the connection between names and children’s behavior based on his experience in school over the years. Not all comments were positive. One person questioned why we spent the time for a research topic like this when the country is going through a serious economic crisis.
Many people consider economics as a field that focuses on macroeconomic topics such as GDP, inflation, unemployment, interest rates, and so on. Some even think it is about money. Economists take on a much broader view. We usually define economics as a science that studies the choices made by people, firms and governments. Whenever and wherever choices are made, we want to apply economic principles to see how good choices can be made. So topics such as getting married or divorced, having children, committing crime, and the like, have been researched by economists as they involve choices. Choosing names is one of the first things parents do for their children when they are born. Selecting a popular name or uncommon name might have an impact for the child’s life.
What’s in a name? This is the question that Shakespeare asked in his famous play, Romeo and Juliet (c. 1591). Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet meet at a masked ball and fall in love. They want to get married but the two families are feuding with each other and won’t allow them to. In the balcony scene (Act 2, Scene 2), the frustrated Juliet says to Romeo,
“O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name;
Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And I'll no longer be a Capulet.”
When Romeo says, “Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?” Juliet continues,
“'Tis but thy name that is my enemy.
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What's Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face. O, be some other name
Belonging to a man.
What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other word would smell as sweet.
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo called,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name;
And for thy name, which is no part of thee,
Take all myself.”
Using the mouth of Juliet, Shakespeare implied that a person’s name is nothing but an artificial and meaningless designation. But is this true? Would a rose by any other name smell just as sweet?
I have always been interested in names of people. As a student of the Bible, I learned that the name of a person represents his or her character, personality and identity. There are several name changes recorded in the Bible. God changed Abram, meaning “exalted father,” to Abraham, meaning “father of many nations.” God said to Abram, “No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations” (Genesis 17:5). After Noah’s Flood, God began his long-term redemptive plan to save the mankind from their sin. The plan would culminate when his own Son Jesus comes to die on the cross as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). For this purpose, he called a 75-year old man, Abram, to begin a new life of faith. Jesus would be born from the line of Abram. God told Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you" (Genesis 12:1-3). Abram accepted God’s purpose for his life and embarked on a new journey. He left his home town (Ur of the Chaldeans located in today’s Persian Gulf) and traveled northward, even though he still did not know where he was going. Finally, he arrived in Beersheba (located in today’s Israel) and learned that it was to be the land that God would give to him and his descendants.
Abram’s life of faith, however, was not without ups and downs. When he faced a financial crisis, he went to Egypt and tried to survive with a deceptive scheme. He was also drawn to regional conflicts because of his nephew. One thing that constantly bothered him was that he had no children of his own and his wife was past the child-bearing age. How could he become “a great nation” when he didn’t even have a son? He complained to God that one of his servants would inherit his estate because God had not given him a son. God took him out of his tent and said, “Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them. So shall your offspring be” (Genesis 15:5). Still nothing happened. So Abram decided to have a son by getting a new wife. The result was that he did have a son (Ishmael) with an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar. For thirteen years, the Bible is silent about Abram’s life. We can only guess that he enjoyed his son Ishmael, forgetting about God’s great promise to make him a source of blessing to all peoples on earth. Finally, God appeared to him to remind him of the great promise. When Abram fell facedown, God said to him, “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations” (Genesis 17:4-5). So the name change was not a reflection of who Abraham was at that point of his life, but who he could become if he followed God faithfully. It was a reflection of God’s hope and promise for Abraham. Abram wanted to be an exalted father, a family man, who cared only about his own well-being and happiness. But God wanted him to be Abraham, father of many nations, whom God could use to save all mankind.
God also changed the name of Abraham’s wife from Sarai (“princess”) to Sarah that has a similar meaning but with the promise: “I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her” (Genesis 17:16). Later, God changed Abraham’s grandson’s name from Jacob (meaning “cheater”) to Israel (“he struggles with God”) in the hope that he would become a spiritual man (Genesis 32:28). Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter which means “rock” after Peter confessed Jesus to be his Christ, that is, his personal Savior. Peter was still an impulsive man, but Jesus had a hope and vision for him to become a solid man of faith. Jesus said, “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (Matthew 16:18).
From these name changes in the Bible, we learn that a person’s name is not a meaningless designation. Our name is a constant reminder of who we are. We hear our name called by others everyday during our life time. In their popular book, Freakonomics, Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner tell the story of a New York City man who named two of his sons Winner and Loser. Winner Lane grew up to be a criminal while his younger brother, Loser Lane, went to a good college and became a sergeant in the NYPD. This story seems to confirm that a rose by any other name smells as sweet, until you read the part that Loser Lane was rarely called Loser. He was called “from Jimmy to James… To his police colleagues, he is known as Lou.” If a name doesn’t matter, why use all these alternative names?
Personally, I believe that names do make a difference. My first name, Daniel, is not what my parents gave me; I took on the name when I became a Christian. (I was given a chance to change my name when I became a naturalized citizen of this country.) The prophet Daniel was a man of vision and prayer when his people were exiled to a foreign land. He kept his spiritual identity and prayed regularly despite the enormous pressure on his life of faith as a prisoner of war. I have a long way to go to become a man of faith like the prophet. But I want to continue to struggle to learn to be a man of vision and prayer. So, call me Daniel, not Dan, a name that is associated with idol worship if you know Israel’s history.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Give to Caesar What is Caesar's
Then he said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." (Matthew 22:21b)
Most of us don’t like to pay taxes. We learned that, Timothy Geithner, the new Treasury Secretary of the Obama administration had failed to pay his $34,000 taxes. I think this is problematic, given that he is the boss of the Internal Revenue Service. Two other nominees, Tom Daschle (for secretary of health and human services) and Nancy Killefer (for a top budget post), had to withdraw their nominations over their unpaid tax matters.
Historically, taxation is a very touchy issue. For example, the Boston Tea Party of 1773 was a result of the British government’s attempt to collect taxes on tea which was very popular (and expensive) at that time. The Bostonians led by Samuel Adams boarded the three British ships and dumped about $2 million worth of tea into the harbor. It was their direct rebellion against King George of Britain. Historians believe that this event was a precursor of the American Revolution.
The Jews in Jesus’ time hated paying taxes to Rome and understandably so. The Empire collected the money from the Jews to maintain its military force which was then used to oppress them. The money was also used to finance the opulent lifestyle of the Roman citizens who enjoyed fun and games. No wonder they hated the taxes and considered the local tax collectors as traitors.
One day, some religious leaders came to Jesus to ask a question in order to trap him in his words. They asked him, “Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” Why was this question a trap? If Jesus said that they should pay taxes to Caesar, they would call him a traitor. On the other hand, if Jesus said no, they would hand him over to the Roman Governor with the charge of rebellion against the Empire. They thought they had Jesus in a perfect trap this time. They were so sure that they began the conversation by flattering Jesus with a smug on their face.
What did Jesus say to them? But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, “Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then he said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” (Mt 22:18-21)
Jesus told them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” Jesus did not say that it was okay for them not to pay taxes to the Roman government. On the contrary, he taught them that they had to fulfill their basic duties to state and to God.
We Christians have duel citizenships. We are citizens of the kingdom of God. We are also citizens of a nation in this world. We have basic duties toward our nation such as paying taxes and obeying the laws. St. Paul teaches us in Romans 13:6-7: “This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.” We should not ignore these obligations to the state as long as they do not infringe on our obligations to God. Then we can be a good influence to others.
More importantly, Jesus says we must give to God what is God’s. Private property rights are at the heart of capitalism. So we tend to take for granted that whatever we have in this world is ours. But we learn from the Bible that God is the true owner of everything (Dt 10:14), because he is the Creator God. All the mountains and hills are God’s. All the oceans and rivers are God’s. Our life is a gift from God. Our life is not ours. Our children are not ours. We’ve been appointed as the stewards of God’s creation. We should not be like the evil tenants in the parable of the tenants (Mk 12:1-12). We should give to God what we have when he says to us, “the Lord needs it” (Lk 19:31).
What does it mean to give to God what is God’s? We must bring our offerings to God as an expression of our thanksgiving to him who provides us with everything we need (Dt 12:11). The Bible says that we rob God when we fail to bring our tithes and offerings to him (Mal 3:8-9). But no matter how much material things we bring to God, they would not mean anything to God unless we offer our hearts with them. We can give our love to him. Deuteronomy 6:5 says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” We can give our hearts to God.
How can we overcome our selfish nature and greed so that we can give to God and give to others? First, we must know what God has given us. John 3:16 says, “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.” We can say that Christianity begins with the word “give.” God gave his one and only Son to be our Savior. Jesus’ life in this world was literally a life of giving. Mark 10:45 says, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Finally, Jesus gave his life on the cross to forgive our sins. The apostle Paul grasped the meaning of giving and quoted the words of Jesus in Acts 20:35: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Most of us don’t like to pay taxes. We learned that, Timothy Geithner, the new Treasury Secretary of the Obama administration had failed to pay his $34,000 taxes. I think this is problematic, given that he is the boss of the Internal Revenue Service. Two other nominees, Tom Daschle (for secretary of health and human services) and Nancy Killefer (for a top budget post), had to withdraw their nominations over their unpaid tax matters.
Historically, taxation is a very touchy issue. For example, the Boston Tea Party of 1773 was a result of the British government’s attempt to collect taxes on tea which was very popular (and expensive) at that time. The Bostonians led by Samuel Adams boarded the three British ships and dumped about $2 million worth of tea into the harbor. It was their direct rebellion against King George of Britain. Historians believe that this event was a precursor of the American Revolution.
The Jews in Jesus’ time hated paying taxes to Rome and understandably so. The Empire collected the money from the Jews to maintain its military force which was then used to oppress them. The money was also used to finance the opulent lifestyle of the Roman citizens who enjoyed fun and games. No wonder they hated the taxes and considered the local tax collectors as traitors.
One day, some religious leaders came to Jesus to ask a question in order to trap him in his words. They asked him, “Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” Why was this question a trap? If Jesus said that they should pay taxes to Caesar, they would call him a traitor. On the other hand, if Jesus said no, they would hand him over to the Roman Governor with the charge of rebellion against the Empire. They thought they had Jesus in a perfect trap this time. They were so sure that they began the conversation by flattering Jesus with a smug on their face.
What did Jesus say to them? But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, “Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then he said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” (Mt 22:18-21)
Jesus told them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” Jesus did not say that it was okay for them not to pay taxes to the Roman government. On the contrary, he taught them that they had to fulfill their basic duties to state and to God.
We Christians have duel citizenships. We are citizens of the kingdom of God. We are also citizens of a nation in this world. We have basic duties toward our nation such as paying taxes and obeying the laws. St. Paul teaches us in Romans 13:6-7: “This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.” We should not ignore these obligations to the state as long as they do not infringe on our obligations to God. Then we can be a good influence to others.
More importantly, Jesus says we must give to God what is God’s. Private property rights are at the heart of capitalism. So we tend to take for granted that whatever we have in this world is ours. But we learn from the Bible that God is the true owner of everything (Dt 10:14), because he is the Creator God. All the mountains and hills are God’s. All the oceans and rivers are God’s. Our life is a gift from God. Our life is not ours. Our children are not ours. We’ve been appointed as the stewards of God’s creation. We should not be like the evil tenants in the parable of the tenants (Mk 12:1-12). We should give to God what we have when he says to us, “the Lord needs it” (Lk 19:31).
What does it mean to give to God what is God’s? We must bring our offerings to God as an expression of our thanksgiving to him who provides us with everything we need (Dt 12:11). The Bible says that we rob God when we fail to bring our tithes and offerings to him (Mal 3:8-9). But no matter how much material things we bring to God, they would not mean anything to God unless we offer our hearts with them. We can give our love to him. Deuteronomy 6:5 says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” We can give our hearts to God.
How can we overcome our selfish nature and greed so that we can give to God and give to others? First, we must know what God has given us. John 3:16 says, “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.” We can say that Christianity begins with the word “give.” God gave his one and only Son to be our Savior. Jesus’ life in this world was literally a life of giving. Mark 10:45 says, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Finally, Jesus gave his life on the cross to forgive our sins. The apostle Paul grasped the meaning of giving and quoted the words of Jesus in Acts 20:35: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
