Giving

Giving is part of God’s nature, and it is also His purpose for His children!

We live in a very self-centered culture which is the opposite of giving.  This is something that has impacted the body of Christ as well. The difference is that we talk about God’s purpose and destiny rather than our worldly goals and objectives.

The Bible does not tell us that the Biblical characters had personal dreams and goals, neither does it tell us that they sought God’s purpose. On the contrary, many times the Biblical characters didn’t know what they were doing. They just walked with God and the Lord fulfilled His purpose through them. 

Many Christians talk about joy and peace but if you scratched the surface you find that they have mild forms of depression and discontentment. One of the main issues is that purpose, destiny, and goals cause people to be self-focused. Focusing on the self does not bring life-giving results. Instead, it can bring about frustration, discontentment and isolation. So what is the solution?

Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Matthew 10:8

And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.” Matthew 10:42

The solution to life and contentment is simply what Jesus taught His disciples. Help those who are in need spiritually, physically, emotionally, and mentally. Jesus simplified it to giving a cup of water in His name. How many of us think of our life purpose or goal to be giving a cold cup of water to someone!?

Many Christians think of ministry in terms of what Paul or Peter accomplished, but most people are not called to be apostles. However, this doesn’t mean we can’t make a difference in our little world. There are people who need our prayers, deliverance, and a cold cup of water. Those actions done in His name can show the love of God to others and draw people to Him. Ironically, while we pray about making a difference in our world, all along there are people in our neighborhoods who could be blessed with our help, encouragement, and prayers.

There are seasons in life when you may have more time and energy to meet the needs of those outside of the home.  This also helps to take our eyes off of ourselves. We don’t have to continually evaluate whether we are doing enough or not. We give to others as needs present themselves. The beauty of giving to others is that it is life-giving to us. The very thing that we were trying to achieve by figuring out and accomplishing God’s purpose, it comes to us by not thinking about ourselves but thinking of others!

Let’s pray for opportunities for the Lord to connect us to the needs in our communities and that we would have the desire to give what is in our hands. I believe, our lives we become fuller and we will become more content in life!