Shrouds have no pockets (3)

By Tope Popoola

A man may give freely, and still his wealth will be increased; and another may keep back more than is right, but only comes to be in need
- Proverbs 11:24 (BBE)

Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
- Ephesians 4:28

True benevolence is motivated by LOVE. Generosity proceeds from a heart that understands that no man can receive anything except he is first given by God. A generous person operates on the premise that he is a steward and a channel. What that means is that he knows he is accountable to God for the resources that pass through his hands. So, he loves God the primary giver and has a heart for the people around him who do not have the same privileges he has. Conversely, a purposeless pursuit of wealth is rooted in selfishness. A selfish man is a danger both to himself and to the entire society. A public official who generously and unabashedly helps himself to the public coffers and steals out of the collective patrimony, more money than his great grandchildren can spend in their lifetime, is driven by the spirit of greed and selfishness. It is the reason that our rulers have no compulsions about using public funds to take several pages of newspaper congratulatory adverts even on jejune matters like an award from a community newspaper! Selfishness is what makes a person deliberately break ranks and block smooth passage in a traffic holdup just to have an advantage over others. The man who steals from another, whether by violence or in business, violates his victim’s right to ownership. Pipeline vandals assault our collective right to the products. Some call it smartness but it is a patent manifestation of the law of the jungle; survival of the fittest, the end justifies the meanness. It is the reason a man will refuse to pay his electricity bills with the excuse that power supply is not regular. It is what makes someone dig up the road or block it altogether for his personal convenience. Someone once said that the glory of a governor is in the size and length of his convoy of cars! What a terrible mindset. Not the quality of his stewardship of public office but in the number of cars in the convoy! Unfortunately, the reckless pursuit of power, position or wealth for the purpose of proving a point or for oppression actually debases the loftiest ideals of our human essence. The slave driver is himself never free because he has to constantly devise means to keep others down for the fear of possible reprisals. This is what births dictatorship. These are things we seem to have institutionalized in Nigeria . And that is why progress seems to be so painfully slow. But a new order is arising. A new breed without greed. May you be a part of that.

Compassionate people don’t abuse others. True love does not vaunt itself. It derives its utmost satisfaction by seeing lives transformed, making people happy by giving them hope and a reason for living. However, it is impossible to love others if you don’t love God. Whatever your concept of God is, when you have a sense of accountability to a Higher spiritual order, your reverential deference to that authority affects your relationship with others. You cannot claim to love God whom you don’t see if you cannot love your brother whom you see. Selfless service and giving to others is the primary plank of service to God. This has nothing to do with secular, New Age humanism. You prove your faith by what you do, not what you say. If you have money in your pocket, see your brother hungry, but instead of sharing with him, you pray fervently for him and ask him to go in peace, your faith is of no value. True love proceeds from a good self-esteem. A good giver is first a good receiver. If you are angry and sad when you see other people blessed financially, you will never see the need to have anything and so will cripple your own capacity for contribution. That too is borne out of selfishness! If you deliberately cripple your contribution capacity because of envy, it’s a sign that you do not love people! Someone once said, “if you believe that having money does not make you happy, give me all your money and then be happy!”

Love does not wait till it has all that it requires before reaching out. It simply begins with what it has right now. As a Pastor, I have had many people make grandiose promises of what they would do for me if and when God blesses them. For the most part, they don’t even remember to send me a card, let alone a present at Christmas! You have only one life to live, make it a gift!

*Concluded