Giving Importance to Giving

UV 1115/10,000 Giving Importance to Giving

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

Luke 6 v 38

Giving is the next most important action of a believer to forgiving. When we forgive, we are giving spiritually while giving involves the material and the monetary. The extent to which we both give and forgive determines how much we are given and forgiven. The measure with which we give to others is the measure that will be used to bless us. The size of our measure is the dimensions of each individual act of giving. Giving that is declared by God to be most blessed and honoured is not out of a super abundance but even when we are in need, even when we have not yet provided for all of our needs. It is the size of the measure that gives God pleasure and brings us treasures of blessings forever. It is in this manner in our hands to determine the dimensions of our blessings. This uni-verse encourages us to give generously, to see that what we give is heaped up so that the maximum possible that we can afford is given. Giving is the most practical way of demonstrating our gratitude to God as well as our faith.

God is no man’s debtor. Hence, when we give to the poor or when we give to His work, we are lending to God. He is waiting for an opportunity to pay us back in kind. These are the treasures that we store in heaven. Giving is like an investment into eternity. Giving also brings us other spiritual blessings. When we are in trouble, the Lord remembers our acts of charity and He will deliver us. Giving is an acknowledgement that what we have is but by the grace of God and that we owe everything to the Lord. While giving, we need to exercise due diligence and discernment of the causes or organisations or people to whom we give so that we are not taken for a ride, we are not beguiled or deceived and we do not feel let down or taken advantage of.

Another aspect of giving is that it enables us to break the grip that money and material possessions have on our hearts and lives. It kills the love of money that is the root of all evil as perhaps nothing else can. It kills our inner lust to possess more, our trust in uncertain riches and sense of insecurity and fear of scarcity or not having enough that feeds our desire for more. It demonstrates our confidence and faith that God will provide for us according to His riches in glory. We must not give out of pressure or persuasion of others or reluctantly. We need to give cheerfully or willingly or it will detract from the value of our giving and cancel our blessing. God sees the motive behind our giving as well as the attitude both before and after we give. Scripture says that not giving what we need to amounts to stealing from God. When we give, God will open the windows of heaven and pour in such measure that we will find it difficult to find space to store it.

Prateep V Philip