THE PLEASURE OF GIVING

Vie, 22 mayo 2020103 Vistas

«The desire of the lazy man kills him, for his hands refuse to labor. He covets greedily all day long, but the righteous gives and does not spare» (Proverbs 21:25, 26).

WORK

The Holy Scriptures describe a prominent woman from the early church in an interesting way: «At Joppa there was a certain disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and charitable deeds which she did» (Acts 9:36). She wasn’t a person that debated regarding Scripture, but rather someone who practiced Christian principles. It’s even very likely she didn’t even know how to write, but she had a very sharp ear to hear the Word of God from His servants’ lips. Dorcas was a woman «whose good deeds had made her greatly beloved. She was a worthy disciple of Jesus, and her life was filled with acts of kindness. She knew who needed comfortable clothing and who needed sympathy, and she freely ministered to the poor and the sorrowful. Her skillful fingers were more active than her tongue»—The Acts of the Apostles, ch. 14, p. 131. This daughter of God’s life is moving and worthy of admiration. To this day she is one of the most representative disciples of the early church. Her figure is full of meaning for thousands of believing women.

One of Satan’s great snares is to awaken covetousness in humans, just as he did with Eve in the Garden of Eden, and to make them feel dissatisfied with what they have. Millions of people in this world are frustrated in spite of being surrounded by God’s blessings. But people always want more and they don’t even enjoy what they have. Nevertheless, there’s a great remedy the Lord has provided for dissatisfaction: generosity toward those who need it most. Sharing the blessings of work with others must be part of God’s children’s lives. Jesus said that while we’re in this world of injustice, there will be poor people (Matthew 26:11). It’s important to know the gospel, but it’s fruitless if it’s not put into practice through acts of kindness. That’s why the apostle James says, «Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world» (James 1:27).