Galatians 6:8 (ESV)
8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
Giving and Receiving
This passage from Matthew 25:31-46 challenges us, since it indicates that people who demonstrate concern and generosity toward helping those in need – in tangible ways – will be rewarded. And that others have no such hope. It’s not enough to just have concern, for as the apostle James wrote, “faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (James 2:17)
The Bible also teaches that it’s possible to help others in ways that lead to no reward, perhaps to be seen by others or to receive thanks. In other words, without love for those being helped. Paul addressed this in 1 Corinthians 13:3:
“… if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.”
Begin Video at 10:05
A Subtle and Cosmic Duality
Yin and yang elements come in pairs—such as the moon and the sun, female and male, dark and bright, cold and hot, passive and active, and so on—but note that yin and yang are not static or mutually exclusive terms. While the world is composed of many different, sometimes opposing, forces, these can coexist and even complement each other. Sometimes, forces opposite in nature even rely on one another to exist. The nature of yin-yang lies in the interchange and interplay of the two components. The alternation of day and night is just such an example: there cannot be a shadow without light.
The balance of yin and yang is important. If yin is stronger, yang will be weaker, and vice versa. Yin and yang can interchange under certain conditions so that they are usually not yin and yang alone. In other words, yin elements can contain certain parts of yang, and yang can have some components of yin. This balance of yin and yang is perceived to exist in everything.
Jewish Mysticism - Qabalah or Kabballah
What Giving Charity Really Means
In the Talmud and the Zohar money goes by many names. One of them is דמים – Damim. This word for money is etymologically rooted to the word דם – Dam, which means blood. What is the connection between blood and money?
The Kabbalistic answer is stark and surprising. Blood spreads oxygen throughout the body, allowing us to exert energy. The overwhelming majority of our adult-life efforts are invested in making a living and earning a paycheck. Our efforts, our energy, our blood is transformed into money.
But the blood is more than just a physical means to exerting energy. According to the Torah, as explained by Kabbalah, the blood houses a certain facet of the soul, as the verse says, “כי הדם הוא הנפש” – The blood is the Soul.
This casts all of our worldly possessions in a whole new light. According to the Zohar, when I exert energy, that is the soul expressing itself in the form of physical effort. That effort is transformed into money. Do you see what this means? An echo of the soul itself is contained in my money and possessions.
And when I gift that money to someone in need? When I give Tzedakah? I’m giving that person my very essence. I’m giving them the gift of soul, of self. This is the greatest gift that could ever be given.
Of the various factions that emerged under Hasmonean rule, three are of particular interest: the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes.
The Essenes
A third faction, the Essenes, emerged out of disgust with the other two. This sect believed the others had corrupted the city and the Temple. They moved out of Jerusalem and lived a monastic life in the desert, adopting strict dietary laws and a commitment to celibacy.
The Essenes are particularly interesting to scholars because they are believed to be an offshoot of the group that lived in Qumran, near the Dead Sea. In 1947, a Bedouin shepherd stumbled into a cave containing various ancient artifacts and jars containing manuscripts describing the beliefs of the sect and events of the time.
The most important documents, often only parchment fragments that had to be meticulously restored, were the earliest known copies of the Old Testament. The similarity of the substance of the material found in the scrolls to that in the modern scriptures has confirmed the authenticity of the Bible used today.
Entomology
נָתַן nâthan, naw-than'; a primitive root; to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.):—add, apply, appoint, ascribe, assign, × avenge, × be (healed), bestow, bring (forth, hither), cast, cause, charge, come, commit, consider, count, cry, deliver (up), direct, distribute, do, × doubtless, × without fail, fasten, frame, × get, give (forth, over, up), grant, hang (up), × have, × indeed, lay (unto charge, up), (give) leave, lend, let (out), lie, lift up, make, O that, occupy, offer, ordain, pay, perform, place, pour, print, × pull, put (forth), recompense, render, requite, restore, send (out), set (forth), shew, shoot forth (up), sing, slander, strike, (sub-) mit, suffer, × surely, × take, thrust, trade, turn, utter, weep, willingly, withdraw, would (to) God, yield.
A true quality of a man is what he gives when no one is looking.
What you hold back from life, life holds back from you.
We run from our True Selves.
Giving is also Forgiving, not just other people but ourselves. 18:30
For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ – Matthew 25:35-36 (NIV)
MATTHEW 25:44 - 45
"Then they will reply, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and didn’t do anything to help you?' Then he will answer, 'I assure you that when you haven't done it for one of the least of these, you haven't done it for me.'"
The Good News: This verse is a stark reminder that God is everywhere. Sometimes it can be hard to sense his presence in environments you're not used to, or when you encounter a stranger in need. Keep your heart open and share his love with the world — it's the right thing to do.
Israel was a Theocracy. Israelites tithed 3/10th to support the Priesthood. The priest had to work in the Temples.
The Macedonians - The Lord wants you before he wants you to give. The Lord doesn't want your stuff, he wants you.
He wants your heart before he wants the work of your hand.
Give out of a heart of Love. Do not give begrudgingly.
People who manipulate situations to get what they want can be better off with the desire. Misplaced compassion always comes from the Ego. Be aware of wanting to be the best or the most.
True compassion is not about giving or taking. Simply doing what is needed is compassion. Reaching out to someone with huge emotion comes from a need for self fulfillment from a certain inadequacy.
Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.
If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?
Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back.