Welcome to the ONLINE Edition of GoodNewsBulletin

Even when I was still a young child, the school I attended had taught us that “it’s better to give than to receive.” But I believe many of us did not understand why it is better that “you give” than “you receive.” Isn’t it always a joy to receive something, especially for free? As a child, I remember the happiness of receiving a gift from a friend or from my family on special occasions, or the satisfaction of having a treat in a fast food restaurant from my aunt or from my grandmother. You see, when you are a child, people are very generous with their gifts. They find joy in being with you.

Growing up in our family meant things were just enough, sometimes even insufficient. I had vivid memories of times we only had one fish, some vegetables and rice on the table and all the seven members of the family have to share. There was a time when we relocated and my parents had to build a new house. I recall we had to live in a house without glass windows. Planks of wood were used instead to partially seal the window, because we ran out of funds to spend.

Maybe it was because of this experience that, when I grew up, found work and earned my own income, it was very hard to part with my hard-earned money.

There’s this story in the Bible about the woman who gave away all that she had, two pennies at that, and her offering was a lot worthwhile than the offering made by the other woman, which although a lot more, constituted only a small percentage of what she had. Come to think of it, we do not really own anything; everything comes from God!

Malachi 3:10 says, “’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 open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.’” Because of this God’s assurance, I believe you would have noticed that people who are blessed tend to be more generous givers. People who are poor materially but who are generous would just amaze you one day by how they suddenly became rich with the Lord’s blessings.

Of course, the modern day rule on generosity is in 2 Corinthians 9:6-7, which says, “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Today, as grown-ups and children no more, we just have to look closely at ourselves and ask, “Are we the ones giving or receiving from our neighbors? Has God sent us an outpouring of His blessings or are we the ones in need?” Then we will know if we have been generous enough to others who are less fortunate. But we need not be generous because we are expecting returns of blessings from the Lord. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 9:12 about generosity: “This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.”


E-mail the author: carolle@genesis.faithweb.com

TELL US LIKE IT IS!
Has something wonderful and unique happened in your life lately? Did God answer your prayer in a very unexpected way? Did you, like Isaiah, meet God’s whisper?
Have you felt His powerful hand working in your life recently?
Everyday, people are experiencing God’s mighty Word in their lives and it is a pity that very few know about it. Do you have a story to tell? Some Good News to share?
E-mail us (genesis@catholic.org) or fax us (021-6627384), and tell us about it. That’s right! You don’t have to be a great writer to do this. We can help you write it – just tell us like it is!
Don’t forget to write the subject: “Let Me Tell You A Story”