Real Love Really Gives

REAL LOVE REALLY GIVES

By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com

I am thinking about giving!

What is giving and what does giving show? What does not giving show?

TEXT:

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that HE gave His only begotten son, that whosoever

believeth in HIM should not perish, but have everlasting life.

2 Cor. 9:7 EVERY ONE ACCORDING AS THEY PURPOSETH IN THEIR HEART,

SO LET HIM GIVE: NOT GRUDGINGLY, OR OF NECESSITY: FOR GOD LOVETH THE

CHEERFUL GIVER.

How much does God love us?

SO LOVED, this means the concept of a great magnitude of LOVE.

So indicates or suggest to the great extent or great degree.

God so loved that He gave, SO describes God’s love to the Nth degree.

God knew the day the acorn seed, (or whatever kind of tree seed used for the cross) fell

to the ground ... and God blessed that little seed and sent it rain and sunshine and watched

that tree grow ... I can’t understand a love like that.

If I knew this seed’s growth would bring death to my son, I would hide it is some dry,

dark hole and never let it germinate to grow.

THREE TREES (Unknown)

Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussing

their hopes and dreams when the first tree said, "Someday I hope to be a

treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. I

could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty."

Then the second tree said, "Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take

kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world.

Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull."

Finally the third tree said, "I want to grow to be the tallest and

straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and

look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to

them I am reaching. And I will be the greatest tree of all time and people

will always remember me."

After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of

woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he said, "This

looks like a strong tree, think I should be able to sell the wood to a

carpenter," and he began cutting it down. The tree was happy, because he knew

that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest.

At the second tree a woodsman said, "This looks like a strong tree, I should

be able to sell it to the shipyard." The second tree was happy because he

knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship.

When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was very frightened

because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true.

One of the woodsmen said, "This looks like a good sturdy tree. I don’t have

anything in mind for it, but it should serve someone well enough," and he cut

it down.

When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box

for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not

at all what he had prayed for. The second tree was delivered to the shipyard

and was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty

ship and carrying kings had come to an end. The third tree was cut into large

pieces and left alone in the dark.

The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams.

Then one day, a man and women came to the barn. That night the woman gave

birth. There was no place to rest the tiny infant but the feed box that was

made from the first tree. And so they placed the baby on the soft hay which

the feed box held. The man, a carpenter himself, wished that he could have

made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could

feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest

treasure of all time.

Years later, a group of men got into the fishing boat made from the second

tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the

water, a great storm arose and the tree didn’t think it was strong enough to

keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and he stood and said

"peace" and the storm stopped. At that moment, the tree knew that it had