More than a Gift
There’s just something about the topic of giving that stirs a wide range of emotion. If you are still reading, then I haven’t yet lost you to one of those emotions. Please stick with me, and I promise you, I’m not just here to ask something from you.
In fact, quite the opposite – because if you really look at the biblical principal of giving, you will see that the act of giving is full-circle. Everyone involved is blessed and often in ways much greater than expected! It is the only way that we use the resources that God has blessed us with that isn’t entirely transactional because when you give, not only are you glorifying God, but you are planting a seed that will reap a harvest of blessings for you and others.
Giving is so much more than a gift. When giving is done as an act of worship to God from a grateful and joyful heart, the ways in which God works to turn that gift into something truly miraculous are immeasurable.
Giving Glorifies God
Giving has always been a form of worship. The bible is filled with examples of regular people, bringing their gifts before the Lord with the first fruits of their harvest or the firstborn of their flock. There are also many examples of sacrificial giving; Abraham offered his son Isaac in obedience to God (Genesis 22:1-19), Moses gave up his position and security to free the Hebrews from slavery (Exodus 4:18-20), Zacchaeus gave up half of his possessions to the poor (Luke 19:8), Barnabas offered his field to further the apostles’ work (Acts 4:36-37), and the greatest gift of all, Jesus Christ gave His life for our salvation (John 3:16).
All these people were presented with an opportunity to give and each one not only responded, but they responded sacrificially. They all understood that what they gave wasn’t because God needed something from them, God wanted something from them. He wanted their hearts to be fully trusting and fully open to receive His love, His generosity and His blessings for them and for their communities. The fact is, when our hearts are fully trusting in God and fully open to his spirit working within us, generosity becomes an incredible act of worship that honors and glorifies God.
Giving Changes Us
Have you ever had just the perfect gift in mind to give someone for a special occasion? We count the days with anticipation until you can hand them their gift and smile often bigger than they are as they open it. The joy we feel when we give is always better than the joy of getting the gift.
The same holds true for living a life of generosity. It becomes part of who you are and each time we give, we experience joy in knowing that we are honoring God, and we are making a difference in someone’s life. The more we grow in our faith and practice generosity, the more our perspective changes. We begin to see past the temporary, worldly possessions that surround us, and we are able to put our focus on the eternal significance of our actions. Once our focus is on an eternal perspective, our lives change. We worry less about day-to-day trivial matters and live our lives for a bigger purpose. Then we can start to put our energy into living for God and become more in tune with His callings to us and our part in the Kingdom work He is doing.
“God’s money has a higher purpose than my affluence… Giving affirms Christ’s lordship. It dethrones me and exalts Him. … it shifts my bested interests from earth to heaven – from self to God. Giving breaks me free from the gravitational hold of money and possessions. Giving shifts me to a new centre of gravity – heaven.”
Randy Alcorn
Author, The Treasure Principal
Giving Changes Lives
“And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”
Mark 4:8
Living a life of generosity and responding to God’s call for us to give, is sowing a seed into good soil. It grows, multiplies and creates a harvest that can benefit a multitude. If all Christ’s followers contributed even a single seed to be planted, just imagine the size of the fields!
The crop that is harvested from these fields can in turn provide others in need with food, water, shelter, an education, an opportunity to establish a sustainable way of life to provide for those around them. It also provides opportunities to bring the message of Jesus Christ out into the world in hopes that more seeds are planted that will glorify God, change our hearts and change the lives of others. It becomes a beautiful cycle of sowing and reaping; a sub-current that flows through all of creation and when we give, we get to be a part of that.
Cover photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
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