| And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved. | ||
| 2 Corinthians 12:15 | ||
| ‘Others come and smite you in the face, take your money, pounce on you — and yet you respect them,’ says Paul. ‘Me? I give my all for you, yet the more I give to you, the less I’m loved by you.’ Why is it that the more you give to some people, the less they respect and love you? If someone is haughty and arrogant, sometimes people will be in awe of him. But if someone says, ‘I’m willing to spend all I have on your behalf,’ people think he must not be very special. Don’t be depressed, surprised, or discouraged when the more you love people, the less they love you — for this provides you a great opportunity to give simply for the sake of giving in true agape love. When you give to someone and he gives back to you, when you’re nice to someone and she’s nice to you — that’s wonderful. But the highest form of giving is when you give and nothing is given back. Your reward will be great in heaven, and your personality will be shaped more closely into the image of Jesus Christ. | ||
