Give It Away

 In a class today the students and I were discussing the words of the Lord where He said that “if someone takes your tunic, give him your cloak also”. This was in a cultural context where a person may have only had 2 or 3 major items of clothing in his wardrobe. This was not a gift of a few superfluous items that one gives to the Salvation Army. This is giving something away that is very valuable and needed.

It reminded me of a story out of my own life that I had almost forgotten. In a small town where I was pastoring, I was one of the first in that town to own a Home Computer. People were being referred to me to help them set up theirs. At the same time, I was wasting a lot of time on the computer. Time that belonged to the Lord.

At the same time, I was in debt, and felt an impulse to do something that just didn’t make any sense. I became aware of a need for a computer at a children’s Bible Camp. I was not sure that this impulse was something the Lord was giving me; but it sure didn’t feel like it was coming from my own heart. The impulse was to give my computer to this Bible Camp. I sat on the idea for a few days, wanting to be sure that it wasn’t a fleeting idea that might evaporate in a day or two. Besides, I did not want to part with my computer. But it was also becoming addictive, so perhaps, I thought to myself, the Lord wanted it out of my life.

I finally picked up the phone with a sigh and called the camp. The director there told me that just that week, someone had given them a brand new computer, and they did not need an additional one.

Now what was I going to do? Well, I got ready to go downtown to enquire about running an ad in the local paper. I would sell the computer, and would at least pay down my debt, still puzzled about this ‘leading’ I felt I had from the Lord.

On the way out of the office to go downtown, I met an older believer (we’ll call him John) who asked me what I was up to. I told him about my strange experience with the computer, and informed him that I was going to sell it in order to pay off a loan. He said to me, “Please don’t go to place that ad. I might be interested in buying the computer What would it cost me if I bought one just like it in the store?” (In those days we were paying $1200-$1400 for a computer with only 1 Megabyte of ram and a very small Hard Drive.)

“John?? You want a computer?” It was very unusual, particularly in those days to see an elderly person getting into computers, but he was a businessman, and I figured he must want it for his bookkeeping.

I held off running the ad. He came back to the office a couple of days later, and pulled out a roll of brand new hundred dollar bills. He counted them out; 12 crisp new ones. I prepared to pull the computer apart for transport and help him out to the car with it when he said, “Now the computer is mine, right?”

“Right,” I said. “It’s all yours.”

“Well,” he said, “I want you to have it.”

I didn’t quite understand him. I asked him to repeat what he just said.

“I want you to have it. I am giving it back to you! I am convinced that the Lord was telling me to help you with your debt, so I bought your computer, and I am giving it back to you. It’s a gift.”

It’s one of the strangest experiences I have ever had with an ‘impulse’, but I learned that sometimes, giving something away is sometimes simply a roundabout way of consecrating something to the Lord, and using it only for Him. That is the lesson I learned that day.