When it comes to society and its beliefs and standards, there are so very many things that do not honor the Lord, but thankfully, the holidays towards the end of the year still point to His goodness. Being thankful for the abundance of God’s blessings, gathering with family and friends, and giving to others are a big part of our responsibility and privilege as God’s children. He’s blessed us with the example of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and commanded us to model ourselves after him. When he walked upon this earth, giving to others was a daily practice for our Lord and Savior. Blessing others was his lifestyle, and if we’re interested in a fulfilling and abundant life, our service and giving to the lives of others must be a daily practice as well.
Materialism is rampant in our modern times, and the heart and mindset that it breeds can potentially send us spiraling in anxiety, selfishness, and financial debt. God never intended the holidays or any other aspect of life to be lived this way. The challenge for many of us, however, is separating a Christ-kind of generosity from the kind that pulls us into a negative place. It all boils down to the heart of Christ, and in this kind of heart, a spirit of generosity should never be abandoned, but it should be guided by him, and it should also bring glory to God.
Acts 20:35(NLT) tells us, “You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” We should always remember that a heart of giving is what’s most important to God. He wants us to be joyful givers, and to always be willing to help and share with others, but giving was never supposed to be about status symbols and name brands. It’s not about impressing people. It’s about demonstrating the love of God to others. All our giving should reflect God’s love. If we forget this, we’ll miss the joy of giving and receiving.
Our Heavenly Father is the greatest Giver in all of eternity. He alone is the owner of everything, and the greatest gifts are His to give. He isn’t obligated to give anything to any of us, but He obligates Himself through His limitless, unconditional love. John 3:16(ESV) says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” God gave the life of His only begotten Son so that we could live an eternity with Him. No greater gift will ever be given, and even though it will take us an eternity to express our gratitude for such a magnanimous gift from Heavenly Father, we should do all that we can to show Him how thankful we are each day.
Through the sacrifice of Christ, God revealed to us His heart for all humanity. Offering His Son for our sins tells us of His desire to bless us abundantly and to have us with Him always. This is a heart of goodness, mercy, kindness, grace, and love. We’re to imitate this in our expression of generosity towards others. This means that leaving a lasting impression of the joy, peace, encouragement, inspiration, and thoughtfulness of Christ should be first on our minds and in our hearts. It doesn’t mean that we are giving great amounts, but again, it’s giving from the heart, and this will always resonate with people.
James 1:17(ESV) says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” Our glorious Father has blessed us beyond measure, and as we obey His commandment to imitate His loving nature, our sharing and giving becomes more than a gesture, but a lifestyle. This should be the practice and pattern of every true believer, but sadly it isn’t. God has blessed many people with more than enough to share with others, but the fact of the matter is that some of them don’t do this. They hold tightly to their pocketbooks and wallets, and only give sparingly. This speaks to what is in their hearts. They may have plenty of money in the bank, but their hearts are bound up by the wrong attitude towards giving.
Jesus Christ said in Luke 6:38(NLT), “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” We must view the practice of being a cheerful giver as an act of obedience. In Luke 6:38, our precious Lord is teaching us how the law of giving works. When we give out of a heart of gratitude and generosity, we will receive that way as well. By this we should understand that a habit pattern of giving will set us up for an abundant reality in every aspect of life. This is the blessing of giving, and if we make it our lifestyle, God will be pleased, and so will we.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
“It Is Better to Give Than to Receive”, written for Springfield Fellowship © 2023. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.