The natural man's soul is selfish. As John G Lake puts it "Always getting, always getting, always getting, until the nature contracts and the face distorts and the brain diminishes and the life that GOD gave to abundant becomes an abomination that men are compelled to endure." Giving makes most of us uncomfortable, may be fearing the loss of material possessions or not getting the same treatment back. But whatever may be the case of poor giving, it needs to be dealt with. Because stinginess and selfishness does not promote the righteousness that GOD requires. Giving is a divine principle which if learned and implemented with the right motive and mindset, has the potential to unleash a life of joy, peace and harmony. As the Bible says a generous man will be blessed (Prov 22:9). The greatest giver is the greatest receiver.
The average person feels like there are holes in their bags, and their hard work and wages are falling out and being lost. If that is you, the Bible says it could be mainly due to one ore more of the following three reasons
1) You have harbored sin in your life (Jer 5:25),
2) You have not been giving liberally (II Cor 9:6),
3) You give out of grudge or necessity (II Cor 9:7).
Here, we will deal with points 2 and 3 from the above list. In order for that, it is necessary we find answers to the following questions namely
What is giving?
Why give?
How much to give?
How to give?
We will see below the facets of the attribute of giving and understand the heart of GOD behind this great virtue.
What is giving?
Giving is a trait that reflects the light of GOD. Apostle Paul says in 2 Cor 9:14 that giving is activated in a person's life because of the surpassing grace of GOD in a person. The mark of a spiritually growing person is that along with their growth in understanding and fear of GOD, they also grow in the aspect of giving, both materially and spiritually. A truly spiritual person is a generous giver. He gives for the glory of God, and as an acknowledgment that our all is of GOD and from HIM; we have nothing but what he is pleased to give us, and of his own we offer to him an oblation of acknowledgment (Henry). God is the greatest giver and HE expects His children to be givers so that they can stand out and represent the righteous characteristics in the midst of a fallen world which is dominated by self love and selfishness.
Giving is required by GOD - HE instructs us to give lavishly. The Old Testament required every man to give the first tenth or ten percent of his regular income to the temple of the LORD-for the the work of GOD's ministry, for feeding the poor, the orphans, the widows and the oppressed. The New Testament no longer holds a believer to the tenth or to any percentage as a matter of fact, but instead exhorts us to be lead by the royal law of love. The new testament believer ought to be guided by the principle of love that is present in him and give based on the needs that shows up in his sphere of life. GOD wants us to be led by the Spirit in all matters of life including giving. Spirit led giving is spontaneous and based on the needs of the hour. Very often the Holy Spirit will encourage us to push our faiths to the max and give sacrificially to the cause presented before us. Sacrificial spirit led giving is the order of the day when it comes to the New testament.
Why give?
You might ask the question why give.
a) We give to honor GOD from who gave us first.
When you give, give with the mindset of honoring GOD. Don’t give in the name of merely supporting a church or charity. Give from your income so as to acknowledge and honor the Almighty GOD who gave us first. Now, how that money is used is left to the discretion of GOD. HE will direct you and provide guidance as to how to handle the finances as HE sees fit. If you think giving a few dollars is hard, then think upon the sacrifice our Lord Jesus made for you. GOD is the greatest giver and all our giving should be in response to what GOD has done in our lives. Our blessed GOD did not withhold the good of salvation from us, even when we did not deserve anything but eternal condemnation and punishment. HE gave the greatest gift of all by sending His son Jesus Christ for remitting the sins of man and giving the gift of salvation to a wretched and pitiable human race. All our giving should be generated from a heart that is overwhelming with gratitude for GOD's regenerative work in our lives through His Son. If not guided by the love of GOD, your giving will be dictated by fear, plain religion or self satisfaction which contaminates the essence of true giving.
b) We give because giving is an essential factor in our spiritual growth process
I don't give to get blessed by GOD. The fact is I am already blessed and highly favored of GOD in leiu of my new birth in Christ Jesus, when I repented of my sinful ways and turned my heart toward following the precepts of GOD. Today, it is the calling and election in GOD that brings blessings of GOD in my life. As it is written, all blessings of GOD are yea and Amen in Christ Jesus toward all those who have placed their faith in GOD and His Son Jesus Christ. So then why give? We ought to give because giving is an absolute prerequisite for your soul growth in GOD, to grow in GOD and know HIM more deeply. Only by practicing the virtues of GOD or walking in the light of GOD, one is able to grow in the grace and knowledge of the LORD. Giving is one of the virtues that are found in the light of GOD. No one gets saved because they are givers, however once you are born of GOD, giving is a fruit that has to develop in your life inorder to know GOD deeply and reach the full stature of Christ. You will start to experience GOD's heart when you start to give. Giving opens your heart to see new spiritual truths and thus make further progress in your journey toward GOD. If you miss out or neglect this aspect of spiritual life, you will become stagnant, stunted and selfish and become vulnerable to fall away from faith. Apostle Paul exhorts us to give so that we lay up in store for a good foundation against the time to come, that we may lay hold on eternal life (1 Tim 6:19). Giving enlarges your heart to understand the perspectives of GOD. Giving is as crucial as any other righteous behavior GOD expects of His children.
c) We give so that our joy may be complete.
Giving is a valuable trait that is weaved into the DNA of happiness without which you will never see true joy. The wealth you hold onto so dearly is fragile. Banks can collapse, stock markets tumble, economies can go into recession. O, the uncertainty of riches. Therefore, they are not to be trusted in: they cannot give happiness, because they are not fixed and permanent; neither can fill the emptiness in our souls.
d) We give because there are blessings in the act of giving.
Jesus said in Acts 20:35 "It is more blessed to give than to receive." We also read in Luke 6:38 - Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. We also read in proverbs "One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and becomes poorer." (Prov 11:24).
e) We give so that GOD be glorified
In the midst of a fallen and selfish generation, we who are redeemed ought to reflect the excellencies of GOD and the righteousness of GOD. Giving is a chief trait that will bring glory to the name of GOD and thus His fame spread through out the unbelieving world.
Therefore liberality or generous giving should be an important attribute of every christian's life. As we read in the book of Corinthians, we are blessed for all liberality so that he inturn can use it for GOD's glory and be a blessing unto others. We are blessed to be givers, not just any kind of givers but cheerful givers. Poole a noted theologian writes "No man ought to live to himself; the two great ends of every Christian’s life ought to be, the glory of God, and the good of others, especially such as belong to the household of faith.” On the contrary if you remain stingy, you are never going to see abundance. The Bible says "He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly" ( 2 Cor 9:6).
Who to give?
With regard to the recipients of our giving, there is widespread confusion in the christian circles. The Bible has made clear as to who the recipients of your giving should be in the new testament yet the greedy preachers of today twist the scriptures to suit their money making schemes and millions of innocent followers fall to their wicked schemes.
First of all the patterns of old testament giving laws doesn't apply to the new testament anymore. As mentioned in Mark 2:22, new wine need to be poured into new wineskins signifying the need of new testament revelation to be received with a new mindset, completely rejecting the old.
We also read in Hebrews 7:5 that today there is a change in the law. In other words, in the new testament there is a change in the way we approach GOD and perform our duties. During the old testament period, they that were the sons of Levi - the priests who are of the posterity of the Levites, who received the priesthood in virtue of their descent from Aaron, had authority from the law of God to receive tithes from the people. However, the levitical priesthood and the old testament law has been changed by GOD and now replaced with a new priesthood and a new law. Due to the the weakness of the old levitical system, GOD has replaced human priests and old systems with a great High priest named Jesus Christ. Today according to the new testament your gifts should officialy go to the priest named Jesus Christ. Just as Abraham gave His tithes to Melchizedek who had no human descent but originated from GOD. So do we bring our gifts to the LORD Jesus Christ who originates from GOD. Here we see Abraham tithed Melchizedek directly and not the temple or the church. Similarly we bring our gifts and offerings to the LORD Jesus Christ, not to a building anymore. But how do we do that today? How do we give to Jesus Christ directly? The answer is in Matthew 25:40 where Jesus said "Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." In other words, the offerings dedicated to GOD should be rightly distributed to ministers of the true gospel and to GOD's saints. For now we do all unto Jesus, not unto some buildings or scams where the preachers trying to steal all your money and leave you ignorant and naked. The modern wolves in preacher's clothing manipulates the poor sheep by telling them to bring their tithes to their churches so that they can build bigger buildings, live in paneled houses and feed on their flesh. However, you never see any saint in the early new testament church talking about tithes or bringing it to the storehouse. Instead we see exhortations through out the new testament to distinguish and give to the true ministers of GOD who labor in GOD's work and also to the poor and needy that are in the church and in the world.
Church tithing and storehouse tithing that is preached widespread in today's christian circles was a practice of the Old Testament and is now obsolete. Today a better priesthood and system has replaced the old system.
Here then is a simple breakdown of the recipients for the new testament gifts and offering.
a) The poor
"But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just" (Luke 14:13-14).
b) Ministers of the gospel
c) Widows and Orphans
How much to give?
We hear a lot about churches and pastors talking about giving tithes or ten percent of your income. They usually play the fear tactic and scare you into tithing by saying if you do not tithe, the devourer will eat you up and destroy you, and that you will not probably prosper or grow rich. Unfortunately, these ministers who preach tithing do not understand the New Testament or its essence. LORD Jesus Christ started a new order in the New covenant and your standing with GOD is not based on your tithing or the size of your giving. Instead, your right standing with GOD in the new covenant is based on your new position with GOD through faith in Jesus Christ, based on the blood covenant of Jesus Christ. You are a recipient of all GOD's blessings just by the fact that you are a sanctified believer in Christ Jesus. The principle of giving is just a add on or fruit that needs to be developed to grow closer with GOD.
a) Give as you are able
We read in Deut 16:17 - "Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee." Your giving is not measured by how much you give, but how much you keep for yourself. Are you giving as you are able? Or are you just giving the bare minimum to pass the relgious requirements or to pacify your conscience? Today, we are exhorted to exceed the weak and beggarly elements of the old testament law and give out of a generous heart by faith in GOD who is the source of all wealth. Jesus put it this way, "For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven." In other words, if you are still following the Old testament pattern of giving ten percent, you have missed the point and will not probably make it to heaven either. Because today giving is not driven by law, but by love for GOD and for His people.
b) Give as the Holy Spirit guides you to give
There is no fixed amount mentioned in the new testament anywhere either because today giving is Spirit led not law led. Your giving today is directed as you tune your ears to the Holy Spirit and the percentages can vary everytime you are propelled to give. The amount of giving as we see is much different from what we see in the Old Testament. In the New testament, GOD is calling us to give out of a free heart, not dictated by laws and rules and regulations. HE is calling us to enlarge our hearts and give by love, grounded in the love of GOD, operating in love toward others.
How to give?
You should only give with the right motive. Many fools think God can be used as a candy dispenser, where they put their offering and then push the button expecting a great retun of their favorite treat. GOD laughs and judges such profane attitudes.
If your giving is not combined with right understanding and right motive, it will amount to nothing. Here are some answers to the question 'how to give?'
a. Give out of proper understanding
Psalms 50:10-12 reads "For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof." The LORD our God owns the cattle on a thousand hills and everything else beside. He is able to supply all your needs according to His riches in glory (Phil 4:19). As Adam Clarke puts it beautifully "if God had not created the earth with every tree and plant with its seed in itself, so that a harvest came, without a previous ploughing and sowing, there could have been no seed to deposit in the earth; so, if God had not, in the course of his providence, given them the property they had, it would be impossible for them to give alms. And as even the well cultivated and sowed field would be unfruitful if God did not, by his unseen energy and blessing, cause it to bring forth, and bring to maturity; so would it have been with their property: it could not have increased; for without his blessing riches take wings and flee away, as an eagle towards heaven. Therefore, in every sense, it is God who ministers seed to the sower, and multiplies the seed sown. And as all this properly comes from God, and cannot exist without him, he has a right to require that it be dispensed in that way which he judges best." Thus every person's giving should arise from a proper understanding of the dynamics of giving in the universe. As we see GOD is the greatest giver and source of every blessing. HE now requires us to operate like HIM and give like HE does, so that HE can continue to give us more so that we inturn may give others until the whole earth is filled with GOD's love and abundance.
b. Give generously and cheerfully
So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity, for GOD loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor 9:7). All that we bring to God must be free and not forced; it must be a gift; it must be given and not taken away again. You give because you find joy in honoring the LORD with what HE has given you (Henry).The bible instructs us to honor GOD with the first best of your income. Freely you have received, so freely give (Matt 10:8). Just like the Macedonian Christians who gave far beyond what Paul was hoping for, we also ought to have a paradigm shift. Stop giving out of compulsion and law keeping. Give yourself wholly to GOD and when you do that you will automatically start giving to your fellow men in need as well. Redpath says it beautifully “Once you see the matter of giving is centered in this lovely word grace, it lifts the whole act away from mechanics, from pressure and duty, from obligation and mere legalism. It lifts us up into the most lovely atmosphere of an activity which seeks by giving to convey to others all that is lovely, all that is beautiful, all that is good, and all that is glorious. What a lovely word this word is . . . For there is no area in the Christian life in which grace shines out so much, so beautifully, so delightfully, and so happily as when giving comes from the background of poverty.”
The Holy Spirit speaks clearly on this matter in 1 Tim 6: 17,18 - Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate.
Do good and relieve the wants of your fellow creatures, according to the abundance which God has given you.
Be Rich in good works that your good works may be as abundant as your riches.
Ready to distribute - That you give nothing through partiality or favor, but be guided in their distribution by the necessities of the objects presented to you by GOD; and that you confine not their charity at home, but scatter it abroad.
Willing to communicate - Bringing every poor person into a state of fellowship with yourselves. Clarke
c. Give like GOD
Be imitators of GOD when it comes to giving. In other words give like GOD gives you. How does GOD give? The answer lies in 1 Tim 6:17 "Trust in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy." Adam Clarke explains this verse beautifully "GOD not only has all good, but dispenses it liberally for the supply of the wants of all his creatures; and he does not give merely what is necessary, but he gives what tends to render life comfortable. The comforts of life come from God, as well as the necessaries. He not only gives us a bare subsistence, but he gives us enjoyments." HE gives generously.
The very life you have, the shelter on top of your head, the food you eat, the mercy and grace you receive each day from GOD is all given freely. GOD is calling us to sow the same seeds of generosity into other's lives as well so that HE can continue to do that in your life. Many at times, we refrain from giving because we classify certain people fit not to receive our generosity. But ask yourselves a question "has GOD accepted you and gave you generously when you don't deserve it? Has he stopped blessing you despite your unfaithfulness? Absolutely not, GOD through HIS lovingkindness and mercy, exhorts us to imitate HIS character. GOD gives us out of grace, not expecting to receive anything. Our hearts need to be enlarged to see the extent of GOD's love and generosity toward us and we extent the same to others. Giving has to proceed from a GOD controlled state of mind.
Paul was very concerned that giving be a matter of generosity and not a matter of grudging obligation. God Himself never gives out of an attitude of grudging obligation, and neither should we. To be generous, in the Biblical idea of the word, has more to do with our attitude in giving than with the amount that we give. Eph 5:1 says 'Be Imitators of GOD'. God is the ultimate cheerful giver. He delights to give to us and desires to see the characteristic of giving restored among us who are created in his image.” (Kruse)
d. Give in the name of GOD
Whatever God has placed in your hands to give; you are to minister this as coming immediately from God, and lead the minds of the recipient to consider GOD as their benefactor so that GOD in all things may be glorified through Christ Jesus. As Clarke points out, those who give any thing as from themselves, rob God; for to GOD alone belong all the the praise for all good, and the dominion over all men and things, for ever and ever.
e. Be a good steward
Honoring GOD by giving him a certain percent of your income doesn't mean you can squander the remaining money in your hands. What is left should not be spend unwantedly for the lusts of the flesh, instead should be prayefully handled with godly fear and respect knowing that you have to be a faithful steward of all that GOD has given you and you will be held accountable one day for how you managed GOD's resources.
You will soon start to love to give as you grow in the sweet relationship with GOD who is the lover of your soul.
Grace and peace to you.
junu.
a cheerful giver
Have you found it tough to be generous? Especially when it comes to money. Do you make so many excuses for justifying your stinginess. Some of the reasons include, "i hardly make ends meet" or "i plan to give when I get rich". Or may be you are a regular giver, but do you give with fear in heart, giving out of necessity because some old testament law demands it. Or you may belong in the camp of people who think God can be used as a candy dispenser when you put your offering and then push the button expecting a great return of your favorite treat. No matter what your pattern of giving is, you need to make sure you are in alignment with the true essence and heart of giving as instructed in the Word of GOD.
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