Article November 19, 2018 Issue

Our ability and authority to give freely

Robert Lewis Nofsinger

Christ Jesus once said to his disciples, “Freely ye have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8). Spiritually understood, this teaching shows the precise relationship between the good we receive from God and our ability to give. Since God is infinite, unlimited divine Love, the good He bestows upon us—His spiritual image and likeness—is also unlimited. And therefore, our ability to give is unlimited as well.

A limited sense of our ability to give often comes from a mistaken belief that we are giving of our own personal selves, or from a limited amount of good that can dry up. But since our source of being, God, is infinite and can never run dry, neither can we. When we realize that the good we give to others is simply the reflected goodness we receive from the infinite Love that is God, there can be no end to our giving, and no limitation resulting from it.

A ray of sunlight does not shine on its own; it proceeds from the sun. In the same way, our light, our love, is the outcome of God. Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). And because it is God’s light we are expressing, it is also His authority we are expressing. We have no authority of our own selves, separate from God, to personally give to others; our authority comes from God. As Jesus also said, “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me” (John 5:30). Therefore, our ability and authority to give are equally from God, our infinite source.

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