Many people who work know that they must put in the effort to work so that they may not lose their job and eventually get paid for their service. Some people know that in order to gain the trust of individuals, they need to dedicate some of their time to being friends with those individuals. When we have not done anything to earn something that is kind, for instance, when we are given one million dollars by a stranger, we may consider ourselves blessed. When Jesus died on the cross for us, He did so knowing that he would be saving thieves, murderers, and rapists. We are not necessarily all of those types of people, but we are not perfect. God loves us so much that He was willing to send his Son to die on the cross for us, and through Jesus and his crucifixion, we were able to see God’s love as Jesus lives through God. I am not sure if any of you have felt this way, but when I selflessly do something good for a stranger, I feel good. This feeling of goodness comes from the grace and blessings that I have received from my Savior. Deuteronomy 26:1 says, “that you shall take some of the first of all the produce of the ground, which you shall bring from your land that the Lord your God is giving you, and put it in a basket and go to the place where the Lord your God chooses to make his name abide.” God wants to us to give back a tithe, or offering, to him so that we can honor all of Him and his doings and further increase our blessings.
God loves a cheerful giver, so we must always give back willingly and happily so that we can eventually claim our rights to the “land of milk and honey” (Deuteronomy 26:15). This statement applies to the concept of “you get back whatever you put in.” Our days should consist of praising God first, and then doing everything else, because nothing else matters – but God. Actually, God is the One who made everything else; without him, one would be left with nothing. I have always known that God made everything on this Earth and that He has given me all that I now possess, but sometimes, I forget that. I forget that the reason I can afford to attend college is because God told the Financial Aid Office to give me grants and scholarships. He provides me with everything I need and more – even when I do not deserve it. One of the differences between God and a stranger doing something good for us is that God knows us. He knows us. Strangers typically do not know us; therefore, they may also not know all of our actions and behaviors. However, God knows us. He knows all of the good and bad things that we do, but because he loves us, he wants the best for us. He wants us to thrive so that we can move past the lands of war and suffering and move towards the land of milk and honey.
