by Pastor Michael Salemink
God loves giving. He takes great delight in sharing His abundance with all creation. And He rejoices also to invite and involve us as intermediaries. We get to transmit His blessings and convey His plenty to the ones alongside us. What more could we seek besides having a front-row seat to witness His generosity? What more would we ask than to participate in His graciousness?
Jesus promises, “Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap” (Luke 6:38). In addition to sampling the bliss of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in His heaven, here are ten benefits the Christian discipline and privilege of charity brings:
- Giving follows the command of the Lord God Almighty. In the covenant of the Ten Commandments, He declares, “You shall give freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give … You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land” (Deuteronomy 15:10-11). The Savior says it this way: “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay” (Matthew 10:8).
- Giving disciplines the flesh against greed. Though our Heavenly Father bestows more than enough, our daily bread has limits. Charity compels us to plan and manage our belongings responsibly. It encourages stewardship and leaves fewer resources available for sinful pursuits and uses.
- Giving increases awareness of opportunity and ministry. Charity as an action becomes charity as an attitude. Donating to a cause or association attracts our attention and energy to its outcomes. We care about what (and whom!) we invest in. And those close to us will take note of the needs as well.
- Giving draws us outside of ourselves to receive and serve neighbors. Every human life comes as gift and treasure, and offering what we have and who we are for their benefit connects hearts. What an honor to be needed, and what a relief to lay aside our troubles and concentrate on someone else’s!
- Giving unites us with others to generate community and multiply impact. Common interests and missions, sorrows and celebrations, forge lasting relationships. Combining our modest contributions with those of many more extends our reach beyond what any of us could accomplish on our own.
- Giving inspires those around us and instructs successive generations. Almighty God makes sure the world is watching: “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Sin has left them desperate to experience the kind of fulfillment that overflows in altruism.
- Giving engages us in empathy and purpose. Charity and caring go together. It leads us to understand the circumstances of a neighbor in need and care about his or her concerns. And that provides motivation to our days and meaning to our duties.
- Giving contributes to physical and mental health. Studies have shown that helping a fellow human being reduces anger and anxiety while increasing contentment and tranquility. No wonder, because our Maker and Master has designed our bodies and minds to benefit not just us but others, too!
- Giving exercises faith in God’s ongoing bounty. We don’t have to hoard extra, since we rest assured that the same Lord who supplied daily bread ample to carry us from this morning to this evening will repeat the favor tomorrow. The One who owns the heavens and the earth and can conjure loaves and fishes out of thin air has made Himself our Father and Brother, and He not only knows our needs but meets them better than we could imagine by ourselves.
- Giving intensifies hope by focusing us on the future. We sacrifice in order to make life better than it has been or is for our neighbors. We believe that our gifts have greater worth to somebody else going forward than they would have for us right now if we kept them. Like seeds sown and planted, they have promise that excites our anticipation of what’s coming.
Thank you for enlivening our ministry with your generosity!