As the world not just Americans enter into the season of giving it starts with one of the biggest shopping years around. Some planning to buy for resale and others for gift giving because it is suppose to be one of the biggest sale days of the year. Some stocking up for long winter and others stocking up for other’s Christmas stocking or shoe box. Yet whatever the reason you shopping one can not forget that it is blessed to give then to receive. If anyone has ever given a gift that has meant some thing to someone else they know the value of the giving even if very little was spent on the object. It is the lightening up of the eyes and the smile on that old wrinkle face, or the child that thought Santa would not hear him. See the original story of St Nick tells of old man giving toys to orphans. A tale of putting a smile on boys and girls faces that probably had no toy to begin with. All these items given can be destroyed, but the memory of kindness last a life time.

I think of my own storing away for winter and planning for snow it is only common sense to do certain things, and yet God’s word seems in opposition to storing up treasures on this earth. Yet It not about not storing up for basic needs, for even the little animals of this world store up for winter. Yet it about the need to store up things of this earth in so much abundance that all you care about is what you will receive and what you can store. People complaining because of how much someone else has and thinking it should be themselves. Most humans do desire better then what they have, but for what purpose to store it up and never to give or to store it up to share with others at the right timing. People gather stuff for Christmas gift but how many have extra when a neighbors home is burnt down after Christmas, or give to the nursing home to elderly person when it not season of giving. It that passing out bread at the mission when its not the holidays. It the season of giving when people are down on their luck. It is the ability to give and not just stock for oneself. Odds are if you don’t give out of your poverty you will not give out of your wealth except to lord it over someone.

The truth of the matter the rich man in this scripture passage stored up so much he needed a bigger storage bin, and yet instead of sharing it was destroyed. The man finding what he had store was not treasurers in heaven. Instead he stored up greed and pride that cost him eternity in hell. His heart not in faith in God to care for his needs or to give up of what he had to help another. His faith not in God but in the fruit and labor of his hands alone. His faith not in the one that could save his soul for eternity. A poor man might not have much to give but he can be like the rich man in his giving. It the stocking up of things and not growing of faith that is dangerous. Not believing and trusting in the one that provides for the whole world. You might like to think you got your piece of the pie along with someone else but the truth is what good is pie if you can not share it with someone else.

As you plan for Christmas think about you might also give through out the year to those you know and do not know. Most of all give because the Lord has blessed you with the ability to give. Tomorrow it might be gone, but the friendship you make in life will hopefully last even into eternity if you gave it in the name of Jesus.

Dear Heavenly Father help us to give with the heart of love and faith. Giving not to receive but to help another. Let us give not to increase the store house of another but to help spread the love of Jesus this Christmas season. In Jesus precious name, Amen.