1 - Introduction - Living like a real Christian LOVE | Page 8

giving of themselves to others and, as a result, they become miserable and self-centred
and joy never becomes a part of their lives.
We read of heroic acts that have taken place in disastrous situations where individuals
have given sacrificially to others even though they had so little themselves. These stories
illustrate so beautifully the reality of joyful giving. Proverbs 11 v 17 speaks of the merciful
man who, by doing acts of generosity, does good to his own soul. I am sure that there are
many examples in your own life where you could so identify with this principle. I would
therefore encourage you to not just acknowledge it, but to act upon it and ask yourself the
question, “Could it be that there are people in the circle in which I move that may just
need a word of encouragement or an acknowledgement of their situation and maybe even
a gift?”, won’t you ask God to lay these people upon your heart and when you do, be fully
intentional to do something about that which He will show you.
I think too that parents should take notice of this principle because their children will
notice it in them. Some of my most impressionable moments revolve around my parents’
generosity to others, that their little acts of kindness on behalf of those who had little
were not just a great example to me, but will, in mind, live on as being the greatest legacy
that they have left me with. When we model generosity we will surely benefit from it in
abundance as we receive from God a joy that knows no bounds. I am really proud of our
church council because I have noticed in them a willingness to give sacrificially into
ministries in our community that bring no benefit financially back into our church and yet
being a part of a group of men and women who understand the power of giving I am,
along with them, a recipient of great joy, a joy that only God can give to those who are of a
generous spirit.
Prayer Thought: Read the story below and allow it to speak for itself.
“It was in a concentration camp, and the captors had an ugly way of deterring prisoners
from trying to escape. If ever someone did escape, all the remaining prisoners were lined
up and six were chosen at random to be hung. Nevertheless, there were escapes. After one
escape, the six men picked for death stood on the scaffold with ropes around their necks,
when something incredible happened. Before the trapdoors could be opened and their
bodies hung, Father Maximilian Kolbe [A Roman Catholic Priest] asked to be heard. He
pled with the commandant to let him take the place of one of the men who were about to
die. Pointing to one particular man, Franciszek Gajowniczek, he said, “He’s from my
village. I know him. He’s a good man and he has a wife and several children. On the other
hand, I am a priest. I am not married and I have no children at all. I do not have a family
that needs me. Let me be hung in his place!”
The commandant acceded to this startling request and Father Kolbe took the place of the
designated man on the gallows, and a few moments later was dead.” (Tony Campolo, “Let
Me Tell You a Story”)When I read stories like this I realise that, even though you may not
receive your joy here on earth, every sacrifice on behalf of someone else will leave treasures