{"id":4457,"date":"2019-02-28T08:13:51","date_gmt":"2019-02-28T14:13:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nafwb.org\/?p=4457"},"modified":"2019-02-28T08:13:51","modified_gmt":"2019-02-28T14:13:51","slug":"are-you-a-giver-or-taker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/are-you-a-giver-or-taker\/","title":{"rendered":"Are You a Giver or Taker?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Part nine of an eleven-part series on \u201cHabits of Highly Successful People\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Habit #8 \u2013 A Successful Person is a Giver Instead of a Taker<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Kevin Riggs<\/strong><\/p>\n

Several years ago I read a story\u00a0about a thief who decided to\u00a0siphon gas from a motor home\u00a0in Seattle, Washington. The\u00a0owner of the motor home\u00a0heard a noise, and when he went\u00a0outside to investigate, he discovered\u00a0the thief curled up on the ground\u00a0vomiting. Intending to suck up the\u00a0contents of the gas tank, the thief\u2014a\u00a014-year-old boy\u2014put his hose into\u00a0the wrong hole. Instead of stealing\u00a0gas, the boy sucked up the contents\u00a0of the sewage compartment.<\/p>\n

The Eighth Commandment <\/strong><\/p>\n

Literally, the Eighth Commandment\u00a0reads, “Not steal”\u2014straight to\u00a0the point, no explanations. What does\u00a0God mean when He says, “Thou shalt\u00a0not steal?” Does this Commandment\u00a0go beyond taking someone else’s\u00a0property? What is the principle behind\u00a0the Command?<\/p>\n

In the early days of America there\u00a0was a settlement whose major source\u00a0of income was the lumber business. As\u00a0the town grew, the citizens decided\u00a0they wanted a church, so they built a\u00a0beautiful building and called a minister.<\/p>\n

One afternoon the minister happened to see some of his church members\u00a0dragging logs out of the river. These\u00a0logs had been floated down the river by\u00a0another town upstream. Each log was\u00a0clearly marked with the owner’s stamp\u00a0on one end. To the minister’s great distress he saw his parishioners pull the\u00a0logs from the river, sawing off the end\u00a0where the stamp appeared.<\/p>\n

The following Sunday he preached a\u00a0strong sermon on, “Thou shalt not\u00a0steal.” At the close of the service, his\u00a0people lined up, shook his hand and\u00a0replied, “Wonderful message, Pastor.\u00a0Mighty fine preaching.” But the following\u00a0week he saw them down at the river\u00a0pulling out logs and sawing off the ends.<\/p>\n

The ne\u00a1<t Sunday he preached the\u00a0same sermon but gave it a different,\u00a0more practical ending. He concluded\u00a0his message by saying, “Thou shalt not\u00a0cut off the end of thy neighbor’s logs.”\u00a0When he got through, the congregation\u00a0ran him out of town.<\/p>\n

As long as the Bible talks about the\u00a0faults of other<\/em>people, I can handle it,\u00a0but when the Bible speaks directly to\u00a0me, I sometimes get angry. Commandment\u00a0Eight speaks directly to me. As I\u00a0see it, there are two ways to steal.<\/p>\n

Stealing from People <\/strong><\/p>\n

It should be obvious that taking\u00a0something that does not belong to me\u00a0is stealing. But there are other ways I\u00a0steal from people besides taking their\u00a0possessions. If I continually tell my\u00a0children they are failures, I am robbing\u00a0them of self-worth.\u00a0 If I constantly\u00a0call my wife names, neglecting her\u00a0needs, I make her feel less than she is,\u00a0robbing her of her dignity.<\/p>\n

A harsh word here, some slander\u00a0there; a well-placed put-down here,\u00a0a little gossip there, all rob from a\u00a0person, making them feel worthless.<\/p>\n

I can also steal a person’s time.\u00a0When I loaf at work I am stealing.\u00a0When I work too much and take time\u00a0away from home, I am stealing time\u00a0from my family. When I don’t use my\u00a0time wisely, I am stealing from myself.<\/p>\n

Stealing from God <\/strong><\/p>\n

How can I steal from God?\u00a0Hypocrisy is one way I steal from\u00a0God. When I say I believe one thing,\u00a0but live another, I am robbing God of\u00a0His reputation. If I claim to have put\u00a0my faith in God, I am His representative\u00a0on earth. How I live my life is a\u00a0reflection on Him. My actions tell others\u00a0about God, and I don’t want to be\u00a0guilty of stealing His good name.<\/p>\n

I also rob God by not giving Him my\u00a0tithes. Tithing is giving back a portion\u00a0of my income to God. The amount is\u00a0between God and me, but I am convinced\u00a0it needs to be at least a tenth of\u00a0all I receive. I tithe, not because God\u00a0needs it or the church begs for it, I\u00a0tithe because doing so is recognition\u00a0that all I have belongs to Him.<\/p>\n

Habit #8<\/strong><\/p>\n

Commandment Eight is negative,\u00a0but the habit springing out of it is positive.\u00a0God asks me not to steal because\u00a0my life should be characterized\u00a0by giving instead of taking.\u00a0Therefore the eighth habit is as follows:\u00a0A highly successful person is a\u00a0giver instead of a taker<\/em>.<\/p>\n

It is easy to think I have a God-given\u00a0right to have all my needs met . . .\u00a0right now. It is easy to deceive myself\u00a0into thinking it is everyone’s responsibility\u00a0to meet my needs. If I am not\u00a0careful, I will spend my life taking.<\/p>\n

In the middle of my selfishness, God\u00a0says I am to be a giver. How do I know\u00a0if I am a giver or a taker? Four attitudes\u00a0characterize a taker. First, a taker’s attitude\u00a0is, get all you can and can all you\u00a0get<\/em>. A taker hoards what he does have\u00a0and does not share. A taker lets the\u00a0needs of others go without notice.<\/p>\n

Second, a taker thinks, everyone\u00a0owes me<\/em>. A taker has a chip on his\u00a0shoulder. A taker doesn’t feel bad when\u00a0he cheats on his taxes or loafs at work.<\/p>\n

Third, a taker’s attitude is to look out\u00a0for number one<\/em>. A taker’s wants and\u00a0desires come before anyone else’s.<\/p>\n

Closely related to this attitude is\u00a0the fourth attitude\u2014me, me, me, me<\/em>. \u00a0A taker is selfish. If anyone gets in the\u00a0way of what a taker wants, the taker\u00a0runs over them.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, a giver recognizes,\u00a0all I have comes from God and\u00a0belongs to Him<\/em>. This keeps things in\u00a0perspective. A giver gives back to\u00a0God knowing it all comes from Him\u00a0in the first place. A giver gives to others\u00a0because he knows God will meet\u00a0his own needs.<\/p>\n

Second, a giver continually asks, is\u00a0there a need in someone’s life I can\u00a0meet<\/em>? A giver sacrifices to meet the\u00a0needs of his spouse and children. Furthermore,\u00a0if there is someone at work,\u00a0church, school, neighborhood or even\u00a0a complete stranger who has a need, a\u00a0giver strives to meet that need.<\/p>\n

Why does a giver look for needs to\u00a0meet? Because the third attitude of a giver\u00a0is the attitude: I want to be a blessing\u00a0to others<\/em>. Closely related is the fourth attitude: I am here to serve, not be served<\/em>.\u00a0A giver puts the other person’s wants\u00a0and desires ahead of his own. \u00a0A giver realizes\u00a0true satisfaction comes from helping and serving people.<\/p>\n

My basic human instinct is to be a\u00a0taker. It goes against my nature to be\u00a0a giver, but truth is truth: A highly successful\u00a0person is a giver instead of a\u00a0taker. <\/em>What is it that transforms a taker\u00a0into a giver? It is the grace of God.\u00a0When I come to a full realization of all\u00a0God has given me, and all He has sacrificed\u00a0for me, it will motivate me to\u00a0give back to Him and give to others.<\/p>\n

Are you a taker or a giver? Do you\u00a0need to change your attitude? Have\u00a0you stolen from others by taking something?\u00a0Have you robbed someone of\u00a0their dignity through your words or actions?\u00a0Do you need to seek forgiveness?\u00a0Do you need to make restitution?\u00a0Have you robbed from God? What do\u00a0you need to do to change from being a\u00a0taker to being a giver?<\/p>\n

Article adapted from Contact <\/em>magazine, October 2002.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Part nine of an eleven-part series on \u201cHabits of Highly Successful People\u201d Habit #8 \u2013 A Successful Person is a Giver Instead of a Taker By Kevin Riggs Several years ago I read a story\u00a0about a thief who decided to\u00a0siphon gas from a motor home\u00a0in Seattle, Washington. The\u00a0owner of the motor home\u00a0heard a noise, and when he went\u00a0outside to investigate, he discovered\u00a0the thief curled up on the ground\u00a0vomiting. Intending to suck up the\u00a0contents of the gas tank, the thief\u2014a\u00a014-year-old boy\u2014put his hose into\u00a0the wrong hole. Instead of stealing\u00a0gas, the boy sucked up the contents\u00a0of the sewage compartment. The Eighth Commandment Literally, the Eighth Commandment\u00a0reads, “Not steal”\u2014straight to\u00a0the point, no explanations. What does\u00a0God mean when He says, “Thou shalt\u00a0not steal?” Does this Commandment\u00a0go beyond taking someone else’s\u00a0property? What is the principle behind\u00a0the Command? In the early days of America there\u00a0was a settlement whose major source\u00a0of income was the lumber business. As\u00a0the town grew, the citizens decided\u00a0they wanted a church, so they built a\u00a0beautiful building and called a minister. One afternoon the minister happened to see some of his church members\u00a0dragging logs out of the river. These\u00a0logs had been floated down the river by\u00a0another town upstream. Each log was\u00a0clearly marked with the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4457","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pastors"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4457","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4457"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4457\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4458,"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4457\/revisions\/4458"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4457"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4457"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4457"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}