To give or not to give....to believe or not

Surprise, surprise.....I have been quiet because I've been trying to learn the ropes of my new assignment at work. It has been challenging but fun.

The alleged misuse of church funds by some members of a church committee have been hoarding the headlines recently. I am sure a lot of people have their views of the situation. I am not really fazed by the comments or news. I am adopting a wait and see attitude. That being said I have some opinion on the behavior and reaction of the people towards the news reports.

Honestly it boils down to faith and honesty. I know that the Bible mentions false prophets before the second coming of Christ. But until the day Christ comes again and judgement is passed on one and all, who are we to say who is a true or false prophet?

It doesn't mean we turn a blind eye to what is happening around us. I just feel that we can exercise a bit of common sense and logic to digest what goes on around us.

Jesus said that it doesn't matter how much you give but how you give. Surely the act of giving a substantial sum with ostensible display of sacrifice is less genuine than a discreet contribution of what one can truly afford without going into debt.

Jesus also asked us to be meek as lambs but wise as serpents. I don't think he wants us to chalk up credit card debts in an attempt to contribute to a church that collects a lot of money regularly. Prayers are answered by God's will and not because we give a lot of money to boost the request.

To give is not just about taking cash out of your wallet and giving it to the Church or charities. To give is to genuinely contribute what you can to society, in terms of effort or time, not just money. To give is to treat people with respect, to give a helping hand to a stranger who needs help, to give a smile to brighten someone else's day and to just make things easier on everyone other than yourself.

Blind faith can be a dangerous weapon, especially in the hands of masters of manipulation and deception. I'm not trying to say that people who have blind faith are weak. They are just victims of these masters who use the power and emotional insecurity of the masses to their advantage.

I urge everyone to think about their feelings and consequence of their actions before they act. The future is in our hands, don't destroy it or throw it away.