If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. —1 Corinthians 13:3
Do you think it’s possible to be self-sacrificing without showing love? The apostle Paul says it is.
Amy Carmichael, missionary to India, said this: “You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.”1 If we’re doing our giving in order to be seen by others, if we’re doing it for recognition or praise, or if we’re giving out of obligation but we don’t do it for love of God and others, then Paul says it profits us nothing.
Think for a moment of the different mothers you know. There are probably many who have made enormous sacrifices for their children. Many of those sacrifices go unappreciated, unseen, and unrecognized. Whether we’re a parent or not, we need ask ourselves these questions: “Is my giving in my home motivated by love? Or is it motivated by a desire to be loved in return?” Genuine love is totally giving of ourselves to meet the needs of others without expecting anything in return.
1 1 Amy Carmichael, quoted in The Power for True Success: How to Build Character in Your Life (Oak Brook, IL: Institute in Basic Life Principles, Inc., 2001), 31.
Make it Personal
As you asked yourself the above questions, what motivation did you discover for your giving at home?