What differentiates an investment from a donation is the expectation of the person making it. In the case of donation, he does not expect anything in return whereas an investor expects prompt repayment, that too of a sum more than the amount invested. Political parties and NGOs solicit donations, but financial institutions and banks look for those who are ready to invest.
Ever thought of the preference of God? He is not so poor as to accept donations from men. He needs investments or deposits from us. He accepts deposits for repaying us thirty fold, sixty fold, and hundred fold in due course.
We give our offerings at the Church and pay the tithe. We also do many other acts of charity using our money. Are they donations or investments? It is a serious question to be addressed. I think Jesus has mentioned the temple offerings only once in his sermons. It was when he noticed many rich people putting in large sums and a poor widow putting in two small copper coins into the temple treasury. Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on (Mk 12:43-44).
When we offer something to the church or for charity, out of our abundance, that would never affect our fortunes in any way, and it becomes a mere donation or contribution. There is no hope of any repayment. But when we offer everything that we own, it becomes an eternal investment in heaven’s books. Whatever is paid out of our poverty, irrespective of the amount attracts God’s attention. The poor widow opted this difficult path of investing all her belongings in God’s treasury. Perhaps those two small copper coins were her only means for next day’s bread. It was all she had to live on and naturally her heart was also with those two coins. ‘For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also’ (Mt 6:21), says the Scripture. So when she offered those copper coins to God, she offered her heart also along with it. In that case, her heart also reached heaven, because both go together.
The Lord who is faithful in his promises should have repaid her not in the same measure, but in ‘a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over’ (Lk 7:38). When those small coins reach heaven it becomes an eternal investment for her.
Let us do an introspection whether our offerings become mere donations or contributions. If we really want to make lasting treasures in heaven our offerings and charity should rise above donations or contributions. True, it will make us feel the pain of losing the comforts of this world but the just God, who differentiates between donations and investments will record them correctly in his account book.
