One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.
Proverbs 11:24-25
Most of us enjoy giving gifts whether for Christmas, birthdays, some special occasion or, “just because…”. Does giving come easily for you?
Certainly some people have a gift of giving (Romans 12:8), others of us give out of obedience or perhaps even out of obligation where Church and Christian ministries are concerned.
It seems to me that the opportunities to give to many worthy causes are absolutely endless in our world of un-equality today, and it is a challenge to choose where we should give, but give we must.
Jesus warned about heaping up treasures for ourselves and not caring for others (Luke 12, 16:19-25). Yes, of course we should provide for ourselves and our family for the future as the Lord allows, but giving to God a regular portion of our income is, in my opinion, non-negotiable.
Jesus spoke much about giving and how to handle money but it had its proper place in his life. He had money available to him – Judas held the common purse for Jesus and his disciples. He was not afraid to address the issue of money and neither should we be. All that we have comes from God, and I believe that we should give back to him at least a tenth of our income.
Awhile ago I was given the opportunity to help someone who was in a financial mess. Although they knew the Biblical teaching about giving they had not been doing so for some time because they thought they couldn’t afford to. When we sat down and made a budget this person was amazed at how much income they had and they saw that giving God his portion was well within their reach. They found that while they honoured God with this gift their money easily went round, in fact there was money in the bank for future bills. God also surprised them with meeting needs in other ways that saved them money. You see God is no man’s debtor. He loves to give back to us but we have to release what we have in order that he can bless us.
God’s nature is to give and we are made in his likeness so it’s to be part of our new life in Christ. Let him lead you in your giving by obeying what he puts on your heart to give. In Exodus 25:2 Moses was told by God to receive an offering for the building of the tabernacle from “each man whose heart prompts him to give.” Jesus promised a blessing to those who would give, so let’s give joyfully in faith (Luke 6:38).
Prayer: Heavenly Father please open my heart and teach me how to give to your kingdom and your people. Amen
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