Giving
Open Your Bible
Deuteronomy 14:22-29, Psalm 24:1, Matthew 6:1-4, Mark 12:41-44, Acts 4:32-37, 2 Corinthians 8:1-15, 2 Corinthians 9:6-15
BY Claire Gibson
There is no worse place for your child to have the stomach bug than on an international flight. Our ten-month-old son had already been sick twice—once in his crib, and once on a bus ride to Heathrow Airport. By the third time, our plane was soaring west, high above the Atlantic Ocean. Flight attendants arrived with cleaning solvent and towels, while I tried not to cry—the baby was doing enough of that for the both of us. I had run out of clean clothes, for him and for me. After we cleaned up as best as we could, a woman seated next to me, bouncing an infant on her lap, leaned over.
“Does he need some clothes?” she asked, her British accent calm and kind. She began to dig in her purse. “I think they’re about the same size.”
To this day, that baby onesie continues to be one of the kindest gifts I’ve ever received. I would not have blamed that woman if she asked the flight attendant to change her seat. But instead, she stepped closer to my distress, and met me right in my desperate need.
Giving need not be mysterious, difficult, or ostentatious. An envelope of cash, slipped into a mailbox in secret. A lawn mowed without a word about the effort. A few hours spent at a soup kitchen, doling out warmth in a cold winter storm. Giving is an opportunity toward more creative, beautiful ways to bless the weary world around us. The discipline of giving generously toward others always gives an even better gift in return through the Spirit: joy.
The grace of giving is a balm for humanity. Everywhere you look (if you look) you will find people in need. Throughout the Old and New Testaments, the Lord extols the virtue of sacrificial giving. We are encouraged to give to the work of the kingdom (Mark 12:13–17), to the Church (2 Corinthians 9:6–9), foreigners (Deuteronomy 14:28–29), the fatherless (Psalm 82:3), and widows (Psalm 146:5–9). As we see in the story of the widow’s offering, generosity is never a question of how much. When we believe that “the earth and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants, belong to the LORD” (Psalm 24:1)—including our money, time, and resources—there is nothing to keep us from giving what we have away, even if it feels like pennies. God, in His kindness, knows what we need.
Christ invites us into the same selfless giving that defined His life. The kind that makes your jaw drop and your heart leap. And the best part is, the practice of giving and its fruit bless others, but they also transform us in the process; our lives get to become the living embodiment of Christ to the world. My little gifts become tiny echoes, pointing to God’s ultimate gift. How cool is that?
So begin today. Look around, and see where you might give spontaneously and abundantly. God sees all, and will fill your spirit with joy, even as He blesses the world through your giving.
61 thoughts on "Giving"
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This was very eye opening. It is in essence, socialism, but not the man made distorted view of socialism. I need God’s guidance in this way of life. I want to be right with Him.
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It has taken me many years to understand the joy of giving. I struggled with the concept and when I made the choice to start tithing it was really hard. A young family we had serious financial hardships. We were in so much debt it nearly crippled our marriage. We have also served in church all the way through this time around 8hrs a week we have dine this for many years. At one point our pastor even suggested us step down to focus on ourselves but we didn’t.
we decided to foster children to share the love we have organically grown in our family with others, continued tithing . Fostering is very hard not only do u have to sacrifice financially but u have to love even in times when u don’t want to when the kids are so difficult and challenging.
In a Matter of 12 months all our debt we paid off. It was considerable. We have paid half our mortgage off nearly now finished. God is good and faith in him, obedience in his instruction . It’s vital. We are very generous and I look forward to giving now hod has shown me through his love and guidance. knowing that it could bless someone that even a small amount could be significant. -
It has taken me many years to understand the joy of giving. I struggled with the concept and when I made the choice to start tithing it was really hard. A young family we had serious financial hardships. We were in so much debt it nearly crippled our marriage. We have also served in church all the way through this time around 8hrs a week we have dine this for many years. At one point our pastor even suggested us step down to focus on ourselves but we didn’t.
we decided to foster children to share the love we have organically grown in our family with others, continued tithing . Fostering is very hard not only do u have to sacrifice financially but u have to love even in times when u don’t want to when the kids are so difficult and challenging. In a Matter of 12 months all our debt we paid off. It was considerable. We have paid half our mortgage off nearly now finished. God is good -
It has taken me many years to understand the joy of giving. I struggled with the concept and when I made the choice to start tithing it was really hard. A young family we had serious financial hardships. We were in so much debt it nearly crippled our marriage. We have also served in church all the way through this time around 8hrs a week we have dine this for many years. At one point our pastor even suggested us step down to focus on ourselves but we didn’t. In a matter of two years we decided to foster children to share the love we have organically grown in our family with others, continued tithing . In a Matter of 12 months all our debt we paid off. It was considerable. We have paid half our mortgage off nearly now finished. God is good
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I must remind myself that for someone to be able to give, there must be a recipient. I must allow myself to receive from others so they can also receive the blessing of giving. That, in itself, is an humbling experience.
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