Give It Away

Give It Away

I was watching David Wood share on a video about how much money Bill Gates gives away.  He said it was in the billions. Wow.

I was also listening to my Bible today on my iPhone. I was listening to The Book of John, chapter four, where Jesus met with the Samaritan woman at the well.

How are these two events that happened in the same day of my life connected?

 

That's easy.  Both audios are talking about people that have something, but instead of keeping it to themselves desire to Give It Away!

I know more about Jesus than I do Bill & Melinda Gates, so let me quickly share my thoughts.

Jesus met this Samaritan woman at Jacob's well, a very famous place for the Jewish people.   As the lady was there to get water Jesus started speaking to her about Living Water.

The text says that the Jews would avoid Samaria.  There had been a rift between the two peoples for a long time, even though they held many of the same or similar beliefs.  The Jews considered Samaritans foreigners.

It has been said that Hebrew men would not speak to a woman on the street, not even their wife, mother or sister! [attributed to Lightfoot; cited by Wayne Jackson in his Christian Courier article, Jesus and the Samaritan Woman, ].

 

In order to be able to Give It Away you must have It in the first place.

In the story, Jesus asks the woman for some water.  That opened up the door for Him to discuss spiritual things with her.  That led to the discussion of Living Water.

Jackson continues

(1) Jesus spoke of a gift. The Greek term is dorea, used only here in the Gospel accounts, which actually signifies a “free gift” (Vine 1991, 341). A free gift stimulates anyone’s interest!
(2) Employing symbolism appropriate to the occasion, he mentions a living water, i.e., a water that bestows life. This could mean something quite significant to a person whose day-to-day existence was characterized by deadness.
(3) He associates these blessings with a who, i.e., he suggested that she was talking at this very moment to someone special, a depository of life.
There was a great deal of subtle information packed into a seemingly ordinary statement. It was, in fact, the gospel in miniature.

You can read the whole passage for yourself, but the point I'm making here is this:

 

If you have something to share with someone, 

then by all means, Give It Away!

Do you have knowledge, or experience that you can share with others?  Can you be a mentor to a young person and give them wisdom and insight for their lives?

Do you have finances, maybe not as much as Bill, that you can give to a worthy cause?  A church, synagogue, or other charity?

Do you have skills that you could use to bless someone else?  Can you read a book for someone that is visually impaired?  Can you fix windows, doors, roofs, or cars?  Many elderly don't have extra money to have get their oil changed in their car.  Perhaps you could get with some of your friends and do that.  I know several churches that offer this type of ministry.

There was a saying in the 60's from The Producers, directed by Mel Brooks, that said, "If you've got it, flaunt it!"

 

I say, "Don't just show it off - Give It Away!"

 

Empower Network