A Perspective on Giving

A Perspective On Giving – Why Giving Matters And How Jesus Christ Will Change You.
The Bible states that Jesus Christ himself said “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”~Acts 20:35 . Some are of the opinion that there’s no way a giver would be happier than the receiver. While you may think that this is a clear mistake, we’ll clarify this for you by giving reasons why you need to give and why it is more appealing to give than to receive.

1. It is in accordance with the Bible;
   Throughout the Bible it instructs us to give. For every good thing that we’ve been given is a gift from God himself. We are stewards of our resources, not owners. Simply put, God blesses us, so that we can bless others in need. God has given us an abundance of blessings, it is only right that we offer those in need more of our material resources and time. Based on the things we have received, our giving to others should come by faith. Giving is one of the many ways we obey God. Throughout the Bible God has instructed us to give freely. Luke 6:38; Matthew 5:16; Matthew 10:8; Philippians 2:4; Proverbs 3:27; Proverbs 19:17; Proverbs 22:9; Romans 12:13; Matthew 25:44-45
2. Giving shows that you submit to the lordship of God;
   As Christians, whenever we are obedient to the Word, we are indirectly saying that we recognize and support a higher authority in our lives. We show that there’s a God above whom we must respect and honor. For a number of reasons, we may find some of the instructions in the Bible easier to follow, but there are some that we may have a hard time following. There are sometimes where our natural tendencies and circumstances may make things difficult. For most people, one of these situations is giving. Our bank accounts and wallets happen to be two of the main things in our life that do not fall under God’s rule and even when they do; it is for only a short period of time.
   Like most of the other instructions that we have been given, when we decide to give, we’ll definitely be happy and also show our love and respect to our Lord.
3. Giving is a gift from God;
   The words recorded at John 3:16 which clearly reveals that God gave his son to die on our behalf. This is the greatest gift humans have been given and in what way can we show that we appreciate this sacrifice than by giving? Paul was fully aware of this, and that was why he encouraged the Christians in Corinthians to learn from Jesus and his Father. Paul’s word recorded at 2 Corinthians 8:9 clearly confirms this point. He reveals that for our sake Jesus who was rich became poor and that through his poverty we may become rich.
   Unknown to most people, when we give to our brothers and sisters, we are showing that we appreciate the sacrifice Jesus made for us. It also clearly shows that we are preaching the gospel of salvation to others. Giving is a gift from God and should never be taken for granted.
4. Giving means that you trust God’s provision;
   One of the biggest excuses people give for not giving is that if they give too much, they may not have anything left to cater to their personal needs. As Christians that should not be our resolve. Giving is proof that we trust God to provide for our needs. There are a number of Bible accounts that reinforce this point. We’ll take a few of them. The story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath recorded in the account of 1 Kings Chapter 17 is one that all should take to heart. The widow although only having just a handful of flour and a little oil she sacrificed her all to ensure that Elijah was well fed. She had no other means of survival and giving Elijah would mean that she and son would have to starve. That didn’t deter her; she gave him. She was richly blessed for that act and Elijah told her that until the rain comes that her jar of flour and jug of oil will never run dry.
   Another remarkable story of giving is that recorded in the Bible book of Mark chapter 12 verses 41 to 44. She only had two small coins which were of little value, yet she gave all. Her act of kindness did not go unnoticed as Jesus commended her. What makes this story remarkable is that that was only what she had. While many people were dropping in out of their riches and abundance, she gave her entire livelihood. With those two little coins of small value, she was able to secure her place in the kingdom of God. What can we learn from these two acts of giving? These two accounts show that when we give we will always be rewarded and that we should never be afraid to give our all as God is fully aware of our actions and would reward us accordingly.
5. God loves giving;
   The Bible on countless occasions has reminded us that God loves a cheerful giver. This clearly means that as we give, God loves us and will continue to bless us. God rejoices when his people give towards the betterment of man kind. Nothing should stop you from giving. If you want to learn more about God’s instructions, then you can click here.
6. It advances the Kingdom Of God
   Currently, a number of us have contributed to the success of companies like Apple, Microsoft, etc. While this is good, most have neglected that of advancing the kingdom of our Heavenly Father. Without finances, do you think that Christianity would have gotten to where it is now? Definitely not. Giving regaurdless of how small shows that we believe in the Bible and that we want more people to become believers.
   Think of the blessings we stand to gain when we fund church programs, evangelism, and missionary works. While we cannot be part of those spreading the gospel, we can contribute to the advancement of the kingdom by offering our valuable material things. When we do this, we show that we follow Jesus Christ and that we want others to enjoy the benefits of being believers.
7. It praises the character of God;
   Remember that giving is one of the many attributes of God. While we did not deserve it, he sent his son to die for our sins. He encourages us to do so, and when we do, we praise his character.
   How Jesus Christ Will Change You
   As Christians, our goal is to imitate our Lord Jesus Christ, and to follow the instructions in the Bible. To do this, we need to live in accordance with the teachings in the Bible. First, our Lord Jesus and his Father are forgiving and would definitely forgive us of our sins.
   In terms of giving, Jesus gave the ultimate sacrifice. We can never give more than he did. Although, we can live life daily with his help sharing what we have with others.