A Giving Heart

A Giving Heart
Genesis 23.7-11
7 Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites. 8 He said to them, "If you are willing to let me bury my dead, then listen to me and intercede with Ephron son of Zohar on my behalf 9 so he will sell me the cave of Machpelah, which belongs to him and is at the end of his field. Ask him to sell it to me for the full price as a burial site among you.10 Ephron the Hittite was sitting among his people and he replied to Abraham in the hearing of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of his city. 11 "No, my lord," he said. "Listen to me; I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. I give it to you in the presence of my people. Bury your dead."

Here in Genesis 23 we see a beautiful picture of giving. Surprisingly, however, we see it not from the Jew, but the pagan. Abraham, apparently honored greatly among the Hittites, is offered by them to bury his wife Sarah in their land. There are really two pieces to this giving: the willingness to provide the land and the willingness to give it without cost. We see this in not only the Hittite population but in Ephron the Hittite when he says: "I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. I give it to you in the presence of my people. Bury your dead." That is an incredible example of giving. Not only are the Hittites giving to a foreigner, but they are giving with a tone of respect and willingness. Abraham pleads with Ephron to pay, but Ephron continuously refuses. What a powerful way to give!

We can learn something from Ephron and the Hittites: we must have a giving heart. Jesus calls us to have hearts that give out of the love with which Christ first gave us. We must take the attitude of the Hittites and give to even the foreigners, without expecting anything in return. That is the radical love and attitude of giving to which Christ has called us. And, beloved, the world is in such desperate need of it. 700 million people are living in slums in this world today. Millions are living in sewer pipes, rummaging through garbage, dying through famines and droughts which our civilized world has never seen the likes of. Those people need us to give out of love and compassion and mercy. Likewise, there are those among us who need us to have giving hearts. Millions upon millions of people are struggling with all sorts of issues that, while they may not be physically destructive like poverty, are spiritually and mentally and emotionally wrecking their lives.

How do we respond to these people? We give unconditionally. We expect nothing in return, and yet expect their return to be plentiful. A kind word, a donation of time or money, and most importantly the message of the Gospel can turn someone's life around. People are looking to Christians to see if Christ will give. Will we have a giving heart? Yes, we will. That is the will of Christ Jesus. Let us have hearts that give like the Hittites to Abraham--giving with nothing in return and with love as our intent. Let us be careful to give out of love and not guilt or shame. To do this, we must constantly remember that the reason we give is because of Christ. Don't be afraid to tell people that is why you are giving--it is an incredible witness. Tell them and show them that the love you give flows from Christ. Let that love overflow in the lives of those around you and the lives of those distant from you. Have a heart that gives, and you will be surprised at how your own heart is changed. We can grow such cold, stone hearts that seek opportunities of controversy and aggrevation of others. When we turn that into an attitude of giving, however, our hearts will melt with the love of Christ. Give today, and see how God saves and warms the people in our world. Amen.

With love in Christ,



Austin Aldrich