Ours to Give

When it is in your power, don’t withhold good from the one it belongs to. - Proverbs 3:27

Sin (missing God's mark of holiness) can obviously come in many forms, but generally speaking it breaks down into two broad categories: sins of commission (doing the wrong thing) or sins of omission (not doing the right thing). In the statement above, it appears that Solomon was addressing the latter of the two, yet the sin addressed might actually be classified as theft or, at least, hoarding.

Think of it this way, if a person was given power by God (that includes a certain knowledge of the way of salvation and the Savior Himself) and withheld this knowledge from another for whom it was intended, it would be considered both sinful and selfish. For example, if you met me on the street and asked, "Will you see (name the friend) any time soon?" and I replied, "Yes", and then you gave me a gift or message to pass, you would expect me to pass it along and not keep it for myself. It would be wrong and irresponsible of me to willfully shirk this task, right?

We who know Christ Jesus have a tremendous privilege and opportunity to impact the world for Him (including our neighborhood), but it requires that we freely pass on that which we have received (the gospel).

It is not ours to keep, but rather ours to give.

I will not believe that thou hast tasted of the honey of the gospel if thou can eat it all to thyself. - Charles H. Spurgeon