Giving is a profound act of love and faith, deeply rooted in the teachings of the Bible. It is not only an act of charity but a reflection of God’s own nature. The Bible tells us that God is the ultimate giver – He gave us life, sustenance and most importantly His Son. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” This shows that true giving stems from love and is sacrificial nature.
Let’s examine several basic principles of New Testament giving.
- Giving Begin with A Cause: The disciples of Jesus gave up everything to follow him. Why would these men give up everything to follow Jesus? Because they were capture by a cause, and they wanted to be a part of a life changing cause.
We also see in the Book of Acts records men and women giving up houses, land, time, etc. to follow Jesus. These people like Stefan were persecuted, murdered and endured suffering and torture. All these early Christians saw Giving as the means of kingdom building.
We can selfishly live for ourselves, meagrely exist and eventually die. Or, we can give ourselves to the greatest cause of reaching people for Christ, and therefore find life.
- We Mirror God’s Generosity: In the act of GIVING, we mirror God’s generosity. 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 reminds us, “Whoever sows sparingly, will also reap sparingly and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” This teaches that giving should never be forced or burdensome, but should be done with joy, trusting in God’s provision.
- Giving Advances the Kingdom of God: This should be the heartbeat of giving for every Christian. Giving opens doors of blessing and opportunities to express God’s love. As Apostle Paul says in Acts 20:35 “In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive!’”
How should I give to God? One important way one should give to God is Sacrificially. “Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. Calling his disciples, Jesus said, this poor widow out of her poverty, put in everything – all she had to live on.” – Mark 12:41-44.
In Conclusion:
Giving is an important principle god instituted as a means of blessing His children and for His children to bless others. Realizing that even our ability to give is in itself a blessing from God. All being said, we should realize and remember that God is not just interested in our giving money and substance of worth but in giving our total being; body, soul (heart) and spirit.
Something for you and me to ponder In essence, giving spiritually means offering God the best of ourselves – our hearts, minds and actions in faithful obedience, love and devotion.
