Higher Math

Human beings are funny creatures - we always equate giving with losing out. The concept of kiasuism is alive and well. There's no sharing, because sharing means losing.

Funny. But no one's laughing. Except maybe Satan. Scratch that. Definitely Satan and his band of evil scum. They're laughing so hard at the huge scam they've managed to fool us humans with - selfishness, the fear of losing. Especially materially. In fact, this type of fear is intertwined inseparably with the worship of the "god" Money.

We're afraid that by giving out cash, we don't have enough for ourselves. I got this in an email, and I think it's a pretty good statement : It's funny how 20 dollars/ringgit/whatever currency you're dealing with seems like such a huge amount when it comes to giving an offering to God, but so little when you're shopping.

And let's face it. The things we shop for are hardly essentials most of the time. We're just indulging ourselves. Pure selfishness.

God says :

"Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.
"But you ask, 'How do we rob you?'
"In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty. "Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the LORD Almighty. - Malachi 3:8-12

He has a different kinda view on giving. In the first place, what we have is from Him anyway. It's not ours. So we're not even giving to God out of our own pockets. We can't 'give' to someone something which that person owns, can we? He has a right to demand it from us, to take it all away from us, and we have no right to complain. When God puts us through a financial drought, we grumble. Yet, it's His to give and to take back. We don't deserve much if we don't give much.

Second point - there's a higher math involved when it comes to giving to God. Instead of being left with less, givers often find themselves blessed with so much more. The 'floodgates of heaven' will be opened...there will be an abundance, so much so that we won't have room enough to store what God gives.

People want to make money. They think that by hoarding, they'll save up and earn more. By being selfish, you win.

God's just shaking His head in dismay at these people. The devil's happy as hell.

Truth is, by giving to God, you won't lose. You'll receive so much more. You'll be blessed to be a blessing.

God said so Himself, and He doesn't lie.

So let's start giving to God, build His kingdom, share what we have with those who need food or shelter, instead of say, a new 3G cellphone. See if God doesn't give you twice as much - and more - in return!

And it'd be so fun to wipe the smirks of those demons' visages.