Greetings, 

 

Just after World War II came to an end, Europe began picking up the pieces. The old country had been ravaged by war and was in ruins. The saddest sight of all was that of little orphaned children starving in the streets of those war-torn cities.

 

Early one chilly morning an American soldier was making his way back to the barracks in London. As he turned the corner in his jeep, he spotted a little lad with his nose pressed to the window of a pastry shop. Inside, the cook was kneading dough for a fresh batch of doughnuts. The hungry boy stared in silence, watching every move. The soldier pulled his jeep to the curb, stopped, got out, and walked quietly over to where the little fellow was standing. Through the steamed-up window, he could see the mouth-watering morsels being pulled from the oven, piping hot. The boy salivated and released a slight groan as he watched the cook place them onto the glass-enclosed counter ever so carefully.

 

The soldier's heart went out to the nameless orphan as he stood beside him.

 

"Son . . . would you like some of those?"

 

The boy was startled, "Oh, yeah . . . I would!"

 

The American stepped inside and bought a dozen, put them in a bag, and walked back to where the lad was standing in the foggy cold of the London morning. The soldier smiled, held out the bag, and said simply: "Here you are." As he turned to walk away, he felt a tug on his coat.

He looked back and heard the child ask quietly: "Mister . . . are you God?"

 

 "God so loved the world, that He gave..." (John 3:16). It is so easy to hold onto the many things that we have and we buy into the worldly wisdom of storing away for later. It requires great faith to be a giver. In fact, we reflect the Lord when we give.

 

I know how hard it is to make life make sense in this high priced culture, surrounded by the many people who have really neat things that would look great in our garage. However, we are not called to be cheerful gatherers. God tells us He "loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7). 

 

Some believers have a deep desire to give but aren't sure what the next step is. As we seek God diligently, he will make it clear how he wants us to give. Giving could look really different for one believer than another believer. Regardless of what and where and when you give, strive to become a cheerful giver and watch what God does! 

 

Love ya, 

 

Chris