It’s so much easier to give money (especially when you have it) than to do the work of loving someone. Dealing with people is not easy. Especially for me. (Maybe you can relate?!) It really does take a special grace and miracle of God to get me moving in the direction of loving people. I thrive on being alone, in the woods, in quiet places, reading books, listening to instrumental music… anything as far away from people as possible. (And I am a person!)

Loving people requires getting to know them, spending time with them, having patience with them, listening to them, getting hurt by them. Loving people requires listening to their whining and griping, their belching and farting, their drunken rants, and bearing with their passing out and peeing on the coffeeshop floor. (IYKYK)

Honestly, I’d rather give money to the church and do my righteous tithe and offering than spend time with people. I’d really rather just throw money at my kids and let the money raise them than to have to spend time with them. (Not really… not me, actually. I’m just making fun of people who do do that.)

Anyhow, really, it is hard to love people. But with God and the Holy Spirit living inside of us, it becomes easier. If God really lives inside of us – God, who is love – then loving people and showing justice, will come out of us eventually. If we are really pursuing God and allowing him to live inside of us, love will come out of us naturally, and will be unavoidable. Money will come out of us naturally, too, whether we have much of it or not, and it will be much more powerful and meaningful when we give it out of the love of God living inside of us.