WHY CHRISTIANS LOVE TO GIVE

Christians love to give because we’re grateful God “richly provides us with everything to enjoy” (1 Tim 6:17 ESV). God is THE giver of all things (Acts 17:25). Liberal generosity pleases God (2 Cor 9:7). Let’s review a few basic principles of the biblical theology of giving. In other words, we’ll answer three simple questions. (1) Why does God want us to give? (2) What is giving that pleases God? (3) How do we do it? 

Consider these two Bible passages: “But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you” (Matthew 6:3-4 NLT). “Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate. 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” (Luke 6:35, 38 NLT).

Several passages teach us the importance of giving when collections are taken up by the church, giving to individuals in need, and giving to good causes that mean something to the kingdom of God, but these two help us understand God’s heart. No one outgives God!

Why do we give? Because it’s what God does. He always does right. He made us in His image and calls us to imitate Him as much as possible (Eph 5:1). If you want to be a good person, be like God! Stingy, greedy people aren’t good people. What’s giving that pleases God? It’s giving like God gives: Not to be seen by others, generously, unselfishly. To our Christian brothers and sisters, we’re called even to lend, expecting nothing in return. God gives because He loves. Any other reason isn’t pleasing to Him. If you love, give. How? —Lovingly, unselfishly, generously, as we’re able (2 Cor. 8:12). We give God our whole selves first, and if we’ve given Him our whole selves, it follows that everything we have is His to use however He sees fit. We shift our thinking from worldly thinking (fear-based, grasping, and hoarding) to spiritual thinking (trust, “the Lord will provide”). We give of our time, as generously as possible, and of our wealth, whether we have little or much. 

Christians love to give because it’s the right thing to do. Please don’t ever forget if God had not given His only begotten Son to save you, you’d have nothing and no hope at all. But because He did, as Romans 8:32 so beautifully says, “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” Ultimately, it’ll all be ours, so what do we have to lose? Let’s try to outgive God and see what happens. 

—JLP

Image by HeatherPaque via Pixabay.


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