You are what you give

LEBRON JAMES and DWAYNE WADE are  among the best known basketball players in the world .

Both have been able to strengthen their teams in such a way that they were finalists at the NBA.

Lebron has been “All Star” several times and best player of the league and he has broken all records of points made in the history of basketball.

Dwayne combines his impressive quality and a way to play that the public admires. He has also been “All Star” and he is one of the most loved players in the NBA.

They are both loved specially by the children, who always expect to take a memory of their favourite player: a picture, an autograph, a shirt... and usually the big “stars” are generous and give these things away.

"You are what you own." Have you ever heard that saying? Everywhere you go, people only seem to admire you for what you have. But the important thing isn't what you have, it's what you give.

And not just what you give; it's also what you give up.

This was a hard lesson for the Pharisees; in fact I am not sure that they ever learnt it.

In the Temple, the Lord Jesus proclaimed that the widow's two small coins were more valuable than all the splendid offerings of the rich, for a very simple reason: "They gave out of their wealth, but this poor widow, out of her poverty, put in all she had to live on."

The Bible teaches again and again the importance of giving and helping others. Even little things are important; Jesus said that even a glass of water would not go unrewarded.

The biggest proof of love is giving: money, time, strength, help, encouragement. The list goes on and on.

Think for a moment: who's the owner of all that you have? Don't say "my family", "the government", "my parents", etc. Everything in the world belongs to God: you yourself belong to him. We give back only a part of what he gives us.

In ancient times the Jews paid the tithe - one tenth of all the harvest and their belongings and other voluntary offerings. Today we should give more than that.

God has given us so much more, that we should express our gratitude even more freely.

Do you think that your money, your time, and your belongings are your own? What if the end were to come this very day? What good would all your stuff be to you?