THE BLESSEDNESS OF GIVING
To the unbelievers, the verse above seems to be a paradox. How can giving be more blessed than receiving? After all, in giving, you are going to lose a part of your wealth while in receiving you will be gaining a portion of wealth. In the world’s perspective, it is definitely more blessed to receive than to give! But in Christendom, the contrary holds. Why? Because giving unto the Lord is part of our godliness – an outward manifestation of our love for God.
Before I proceed further, please do not misinterpret this and conclude that only rich people can be godly – after all, they are the only ones who could give much. This is not true! When the rich were casting their money into the treasury, Jesus noticed a poor widow who cast in only two mites. A mite was the smallest denomination for money during then. What surprised the disciples was Jesus commending the poor widow rather than the rich in their giving: “43That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: 44For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living” (Mark 12:43-44). Here, we learn a lesson on giving unto the Lord. Giving unto the Lord is not about the amount to be given. Giving unto the Lord is about the giver – a reflection of the heart and attitude towards God. God does not need our money. God isn’t poor. He owns all the beasts in the forest and the cattle upon a thousand hills (Ps. 50:10). He is the creator of all that are in the world and everything belongs to Him.
You don’t give for God’s sake. You give for your own sake. Giving defines you and your character. Whether we are rich or poor, we are never handicapped in giving, as long as we give it out of our heart and love for God. It is the heart that counts. The heart must be right in giving else the gifts would be of little use. The heart which gives unto the Lord wholeheartedly, willingly and cheerfully is a great blessing. Indeed, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).
In the Old Testament, the Jews were required to give their tithes unto the Lord. After having rescued Lot, Abraham gave tithes unto Melchizedek, the high priest of God. Abraham gave a tenth of his riches unto the Lord out of his gratitude towards the Lord for His protection and deliverance. From then on, the Jews would give their tithes unto the Lord. By the time of the New Testament, the Jews became very calculative in their giving. They would weigh their tithes carefully so that they would not give more than necessary unto the Lord. The Jews even bothered to count the number of the tiny cumin seeds in their tithing. They had lost the reason for giving unto the Lord. They gave out of necessity and not out of gratitude of their heart.
Today, some churches teach a doctrine on giving that is alien from the Bible. They will tell the congregation that they ought to give until it hurts. Is this something found in the Bible? If you think that giving unto the Lord is hurting you, please don’t give unto the Lord. It is not as if God needs anything from us. Rather, when you want to give unto the Lord, regardless of the amount, give it with all joy. Such is the biblical command! “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver” (2Cor. 9:7).
Another wrong teaching on giving is to take giving like investment. Some teach that what you give, God will multiply your investment. They call it “seed/faith” giving. They base their support on the parable of the seed/sower (Matt. 13). They argued that just like the seed sowed in the parable, God will return what you have given Him a hundred-fold; or if not, then sixty-fold or thirty-fold. Even your Retirement Account in your CPF will not offer you such a deal! What’s wrong with such a teaching? Such a teaching will surely lead one to covetousness.
The expectation of the returns is never the main motivation of our giving. The main motivation for our giving must be because the Lord has blessed us, not because we demand the Lord to bless us in the future. No doubt to everyone who gives cheerfully, surely the Lord will bless, but that is not the main motivation for giving. Giving must be out of a grateful heart – of what the Lord has done for us.
Consider our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus gave up all the riches of heaven’s glory to make Himself poor. Can you ever imagine the Son of God emptying Himself of all His glory and honour, and condescending Himself to live beggarly in a human form? Jesus came down to earth so that we may be able to go up heaven and taste the riches of heaven’s glory. Jesus had everything. He needed nothing. He gave up everything so that we have something. His giving is sacrificial. Jesus gave His life in exchange for ours.
My dear friends, have you felt the love which Christ has for you? Do you feel indebted to Jesus who has redeemed you with His precious blood? Are you grateful because He has given His life to save you? What can you ever do to return such a debt you owed Him? Nothing! We can never repay God the debt we owed. We can only thank Him. We can express our gratitude unto God by giving unto the Lord gratefully even as He has graciously given you His Son. Giving unto God has to start by seeing what God has already provided for you … not what you wish you had but don’t. We cannot give unto God unless God has first given us. Exercise good stewardship on God’s blessings in your life. The Lord has taught us: “… freely ye have received, freely give” (Matt. 10:8). HCL.
