Give Without Cost

3 Dec

Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus,
“Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 
Cure the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse lepers, drive out demons.
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.”  (Mt 10:6-8)

FREE!

We are bargain hunters.  It seems to be hard-coded in our DNA.  The cheaper we can get an item, the happier we are.  And if, for any reason whatsoever, we can get something absolutely for free, well, we are in seventh heaven.

Free is good when it means that we receive.  However, free goes against our grain if it means we have to give to someone else without expecting anything in return.

We learn quite early in life that “nothing is free”.  If, indeed, we receive something without a monetary cost, there is still some kind of “cost” attached to the item or service.  It might be something as simple as owing a favor to someone else.  It might be doing something to make up the cost of the item.  Somehow, someway, we are going to pay for it.

We often apply that same attitude to the things that we give away as well.  We do not give freely.  We give with strings attached.

Jesus instructed us to be quite radical with His gifts.  Give them freely.  They were, after all, given to us without price and we should share them with others without expecting a payment of any kind as well.

Can you imagine what kind of world this could be if everyone simply provided for the needs of others without worrying about what they were going to receive in return?  The amount of love in this would would leap.  Hatred would be quashed.  We would become the people that God so wants us to be.

A world of peace and joy and love — here on earth, even before we get to heaven — is entirely possible.  All we have to do is quit grabbing and start giving.  That example would spread like wildflowers.

FAITH ACTION:  Do something good for someone today.  If at all possible, do it anonymously.  If you cannot do it anonymously, make sure that you do it “without cost”.