Simple Math
Do you remember your early math lessons? If Mary has five apples and gives one to Billy, how many apples does Mary now have?
Math is fixed, even scientific. In fact, with mathematical science, the United States was able to land men on the Moon (and return them safely to earth), and land and operate a robotic rover on Mars.
But does giving something away always mean you will have less of that thing? Jesus emphatically tells us, “No!”
Think of it like this. If Mary has faith and trusts Christ to be her Lord and Savior, and she shares her faith with Susie, does she become faith-less? Not at all! Instead in the act of giving her faith away, Mary’s faith likely grows deeper and stronger.
Isn’t the same true with the fruit of God’s Spirit as Paul outlines in Galatians 5? If Mary has love and gives it to Judy, is Mary love-less? If Mary gives patience, does she become less patient? If she gives kindness, is she less kind?
No. Paul says of the fruit of the Spirit, “…against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:23 ESV) In other words, there is no mathematical law of reduction like when Mary gave away the apples.
As you seek to live the giving life, be encouraged by the words of Jesus, “For to the one who has, more will be given…” (Mark 4:25 ESV)
The Twice Given Gift
Re-gifting is a thing. You receive something that you don’t need (or want). You leave it unopened and unused, then at some point pass it on to someone else who may be able to use it. Voila – the re-gift!
For the Christian steward, there is something even better, the “twice given gift.” Instead of distributing an asset directly to family, one can place the asset in a trust, gifting the income from an asset to family (once). And then when value of the income has equaled the original asset value, the principal can be gifted to Kingdom work (twice). Individual retirement accounts (IRAs) are excellent for this strategy, but other assets might also work in the right circumstances.
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