Near Jerusalem, Jesus tells His listeners the Parable of the Ten Gold Coins in response to speculation that the Kingdom of God would appear imminently (Lk 19:11-28).  In the story, a nobleman goes off to be king.  Before leaving he entrusts some servants with gold coins explicitly telling them he expects a profit.  Upon his return the first two show a handsome profit so they are put in charge of a number of cities.  The third did nothing with the money given to him and he is reproved for it, with his coin being given to the one who gave the most in return.  In reply to those who question this, the new king relays the line at top, while saying those who have little will even have that taken away.  Then he orders those who opposed his kingship to be slaughtered in front of him.  Then Jesus proceeded to Jerusalem.  Isn’t it the case that the more we give, the more we profit from it?  Counter-intuitive to a “me first” mindset that is all too prevalent, yet this paradox proves true in lived experience.  Maybe it’s playing with the kids when you are almost too tired to move.  Or it could be volunteering at your church when you’d just like to stay in for the evening.  Possibly it’s denying oneself a really desirable luxury in order to donate more to a worthy cause.  What about that time we set aside for prayer which seems like the last thing we feel can do “properly” if at all.  In every one of these cases and countless more like them we often find immediate gratification and even joy in giving — from which we gain much more than we sacrifice.  And those times when the effort seems to yield little or no fruit (at least initially) we can simply take solace in knowing that we are doing God’s will for which He honors us now and, if we remain steadfast, with an ultimate reward that is the highest one can receive.