Have you ever really stopped and thought about the term giving? What does it mean? How should you give? What should you give? Why do you give?

Every day we give things; it’s often a natural thing. A word of advice or encouragement, a listening ear, a birthday present to a friend or family member, a dinner to the family who have just been blessed with a new child. But do we ever think about the reasons? Do we often judge people because of what we see them give, whether too much or too little?

The term ‘giving’ can be looked at in two senses; worldly or godly.

Those of the world would tend to look at giving as giving because you have to or, giving expecting to receive something back in return. As Christians, we have a different view of giving. We look at it from a biblical sense, looking at the ultimate example of a godly giver, Jesus Christ.

To gain some insight on what the term ‘giving’ really means from a biblical perspective, I spoke with a few fellow Christians to gather their thoughts and ideas. The following questions were used as a basis for discussion. Their response is summarised below.

What is giving in the Biblical Sense?⤒🔗

Giving can be viewed as sharing what you have; knowing that what we have been given is a gift not to be used only by ourselves. We know that God is the giver of all things. Therefore all we have has been given to us by Him. God has provided us with the means to be able to give to others, whether that be pos­sessions, time or energy. We should therefore give freely, have faith and trust in God that He will provide. God is in control of everything, our giving includ­ed. He is an almighty God, we should therefore not doubt His power and the effect our giving will have on others. The Lord provides us with jobs, a measure of good health, time and other things that we are able to give. When we give, we should give not expecting anything in return. (Luke 14:12-14) How are we to give these? What should be our motive or incentive?

In your view, are there different ways a Christian might give?←⤒🔗

Christians are able to give of their time, their energy, their possessions, their talents, etc. We are able to give so much, the question is, how are we to give? The world would give selfishly hoping to get something out of it, so how should our motive differ?

As Christians, our giving needs to be thought out. Amongst others, there are three things that we need to think about:

• Is our reason for giving to the glory of God?
• Is it according to God’s law?
• Is it done in faith?

We need to be Christ-like in our giving, not selfish, but out of thanks and gratitude for what Christ has done for us.

Why should Christians give?←⤒🔗

The ultimate reason as to why we as Christians should give is because of what Christ did for us. Christ has come here to earth, taken on flesh and blood to be like us so that He can sympathise with our weakness and suffering and overcome death. Therefore we should do right by our brothers and sisters in Christ and help them in any way possi­ble. Even though through doing this, we will never be able to match what Christ did for us. Nevertheless we need to con­tinue on, knowing that this is what we are commanded to do. This should be our motivation, to please the Lord and want to do as He would do.

There needs to be a desire to give. Every day we are shown lovingkindness and gratitude from the Lord, therefore should we not want to be like Him and show this love to others around us? We are taught to have a Christ-like attitude as it says in Philippians 2:1-5.

2 Corinthians 9:7 states, “Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” What does it mean by “cheer­ful giver”?←⤒🔗

Giving with a cheerful heart is about the attitude that we have when we give. It is not about the amount that we give. Mark 12:41-44 describes a poor widow who put money in the treasury. She gave more in relation to what she had, than all the others. The value of the gift given is not determined by the amount given, but by the attitude with which it is given. Gifts given out of gratitude and generosity are pleasing to God, not gifts given grudgingly or out of compulsion.

If we know what we have been given and are given, we will have a heart to want to give. If our heart is right with the Lord, our reason for giving should be cheerful. If not, it needs to be dealt with. How we give is a reflection of our attitude and priorities. If we have an at­titude to help others and want the best for them, we will give displaying this at­titude. The same is true for our priorities.

What does it mean to give generously and can our generosity be improved?←⤒🔗

To give generously is to give without holding back. It means to not be arro­gant when giving – making others aware that we are giving and how much we are giving, but giving because we want to motivated by what Christ has done and continues to do for us.

No one is perfect, therefore generosity can always be improved. We are a very materialistic generation. We always want the latest gadgets, we’re never scared to spend that little bit of extra money to get something just that bit better or some­thing no one else has. We often don’t take time out to help others because we think “this is my time”. We say to ourselves, “I have been so busy with other things, now it is time for me to do something for myself.” This too is related to our attitude and priorities. It can be seen as selfish and prioritising our own needs and wants before those of others.

Following on from generosity is will­ingness. 2 Corinthians 8:10-15 speaks about giving willingly from the heart. “For if the readiness is present, it is ac­ceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he has does or does not have.” (vs. 12)

As a 21^st century generation we have it good. We have all we need. In past generations there was often just enough food to be had for families, now we have a great abundance. Houses were small, clothes were not available in large quan­tities and birthday presents were a rarity. Things have changed. We can all give something because God has given us the means to be able to do this. God has provided us each with gifts and talents. These can be used as an aid in what and how we give. The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. This can be done through the use of our talents. God gave His son so we would be saved. This is the most generous gift to be given. We also should be gener­ous with our giving and use the means God has provided us with.

Often young people tend to think that giving is something that older people (those who have jobs, incomes, respon­sibilities in the world and the church) need to do. They feel they do not have the same obligations.←⤒🔗

Young people need to realise that giving is not just a financial or mate­rial thing. Proverbs 19 says that we are to work and gather and look after our things so that we can share with others. This type of thinking should be seen and practised in the home. The father pro­vides and the mother looks after what she has and fulfills her duties as a home maker. The children also are expected to do their bit. The home is the spring­board for society and culture in general. If children are taught this in the home, it will be seen played out within the church and society. We, both young and old, have the same obligation. Young people often need to be encouraged in this area and shown that yes, they are able to give; maybe not possessions or money, but definitely time and energy.

Outside of the home, young people can be encouraged with this attitude through their involvement in the youth group. After being involved in the youth group for some time, I have seen the value of service activities. Service events would be organised in order to help our own church community or the wider community. Often the older members in the church would need some help around the house, so we would organise a few people to go around and help. These visits and opportunities to give were of great encouragement; both to those we visited and to ourselves as youth. To know that we were able to give a little time and energy to help in the Lord’s kingdom was a privilege, and a great witness to those around. “Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech and conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe” (1 Timothy 4:12). As youth, we therefore need to have an attitude of willingness to give. This attitude does not come naturally. We are all sinful and selfish. It takes effort to give up our time or possessions to help others.

What advice would you give to young people to help develop good attitudes and habits of giving for the future? What kind of things should they know to ensure they develop these habits?←⤒🔗

In order to have a good attitude to giving, a young person needs to un­derstand what Christ did for us, as He is our ultimate example of giving. This attitude needs to come from the heart. It needs to be fostered and nurtured through time and prayer and reading the word of God. It also needs to be put into practice. Knowing about it and talking about it is good, but it needs to go further. You cannot read about the mercies of God without seeing how im­portant your brothers and sisters in Christ are. We need to have an attitude of con­tribution. We need to want to contrib­ute to church and society, but in order for this to happen and be developed, it needs to start in the home. Parents need to show this giving through the way they act at home. They need to display this thankfulness to those around them and to God. They need to display this willingness by not only talking about it and discussing it, but also displaying it for their children to see; whether this be through the tithes they give on Sunday or the dinner they cook for the elderly or sick neighbour down the road etc. Parents need to explain and constantly remind their children that all they have been given is from God and that He will provide all they need; it is a matter of faith and trust. Therefore we need to look at what the Lord has done for us and act on it through thankfulness.

Experiences of the Blessings of giving and examples of good givers←⤒🔗

If we think about our lives and look back, we will discover many experi­ences where we have given or others have given to us. Every Sunday we tithe. Before church, whether on the Saturday before or the Sunday morning, we or­ganise our tithe for the Lord. It is such a blessing to know that we are giving for the Lord. Through this we are honoring the Lord and showing our thankfulness for all he has given us. If we honour the Lord and do what is right by Him and His people, He will never leave us.

One example of good givers is parents. Growing up, our parents pro­vided us with a lot. For most of us, they gave us a home to live in, clothes to wear, food to eat, an education, love and support, etc. We are all witnesses of this giving and being a part of this should make you want to parrot it and do the same for your children and others. We need to look at our priorities and look out for the wellbeing of others. This is paramount.

Missionaries are another great example. Most have left their well fur­nished, safe homes to go to a foreign land where they have the bare neces­sities. Some may live in compounds, surrounded by guards. Missionaries sac­rifice a lot in order to spread the word of God. Most of us may not be blessed with the opportunity to go out and do mission work on the field, but that does not mean that we are unable to help in other ways. We are able to give time through prayer, through promoting the gospel in other ways, even by contrib­uting money or possessions.

Those who work in committee’s within the church are also examples of givers. The positions they hold are often voluntary; they give up their time to help or teach others – Cadets and Gems, Youth group, Committee of Ad­ministration, etc. This is done in order to further the kingdom of God and to be a blessing to His people.

Our ultimate example of a giving is God. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the word that he gave His only begot­ten son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Our giving therefore should imitate His example of giving. Sinful as we are, we will never be able to do this perfectly, but we nevertheless should try.

Second Corinthians 9: 6-15 shows how one act of kindness results in many thanksgivings. Through our giving, those who receive will be thankful to God and see the benefit His work has in their lives. We as givers are thankful to God for the work He has enabled us to do and the way He has provided us with the means by which we are able to do this.

So what is giving in the biblical sense? We can see from the answers given, that giving needs to be Christ centered. We should look to Him as the ultimate giver. He came to earth, took on human form, died on the cross in order that we might live to eternity. Christ gave His life for us. In giving this, Christ did not expect anything in return, how could we ever give back anything in return for the sac­rifice He gave us?

We, young and old, although we give often, need to look at why and how we give. Is it so we will look good? So we will reap some sort of reward or good name? Is it grudgingly because we have to or out of thankfulness, knowing that this is what we are commanded to do? We are, after all, put here on earth to please God and not man. It is God that is the ultimate judge not man. Biblical giving is a matter of the heart. If you are right with God you will want to give freely, knowing that what you give is minimal compared with what Christ has given us. “Do not look at his ap­pearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)