The Way Equation | Part 2
Love + Give + Forgive = The Way
This isn’t for the one who offers help only to hold it over someone’s head.
This isn’t for the one who gives out of guilt, hoping the act will buy back their peace.
This isn’t for those who give in public for applause but withhold in private need.
This isn’t for the lender who piles on interest so high the borrower becomes a slave to debt until their dying breath. This isn’t for the borrower who looks down on the one in need of a loan.
The Way is for the mature who embody the understanding that giving isn’t a performance, it’s a posture.
GIVE
Giving is a hard concept to grasp in a world that teaches accumulation is the path to security and success. We collect possessions, pile up titles, build influence, and grip tightly to everything we attain. Yet, the more you accumulate, the more it seems to own you. Chasing “enough” becomes an endless climb because in this world “enough” keeps moving. When your identity is tied to what you’ve acquired, it’s easy to become a cog in the wheel to maintain and add to it. The hands that clutch cannot receive, and the heart that hoards becomes hollow.
The posture of our heart is the most important factor in giving. It’s another truth presented and echoed throughout Scripture through different prophets:
Moses told us: “Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.” — Deuteronomy 15:10 (NIV)
Paul said: “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” — 2 Corinthians 9:7 (NIV)
Solomon shared: “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” — Proverbs 11:25 (NIV)
Jesus commanded: “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” — Luke 6:38 (NIV)
Luke also shared: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” — Acts 20:35 (NIV)
The maturity of giving is in the release. It’s in letting go of the outcome.
You don’t demand your seed to sprout in a certain way, on a certain day, in a certain field. You let go of it… trusting the One who sees what is sown in secret. Without love, giving is hollow. It becomes a performance, a transaction, and a way to pose instead of a way to pour into someone. Love comes first in this equation because it is the root in this equation. Without it, your giving can’t bear the fruit God intended.