GIVING AND RECEIVING

 

"And you yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I left Macedonia, no church fellowshipped with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone. For even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs. Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek the fruit which increases to your account. But I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I have been filled, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will fulfill all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen. 

(Philippians 4:15-20)

We don’t give to God as an act of gambling to multipy our money. We give whether any expectation or promise of greater returns works or not.

We give authentically when we give in love for God and people, with revelation knowledge or understanding of the blessedness of giving, in gratitude to God for His goodness, and in obedience to the Word of God. 

We give to the work of God. We give to help people who may have a current need for support. We also give gifts to people we love to appreciate or celebrate them even if they are not in need. 

Giving is the God-given grace of generosity present in the hearts of believers and manifest in the lives of believers. It is a fruit of mercy and benevolence. 

It is not done to elicit any blessing from God but as a humble and thankful response to the blessing of God. Inotherwords, in heartfelt appreciation and acknowledgment of God's gracious provision. 

We give because He first gave to us and all we have belong to Him. We give in love for God because He first loved us. We are receptors and conduits of God's provision. 

In the Old Covenant, the law of Moses obligated the Israelites to give offerings and even pay certain ceremonial levies (including stipulated types of tithes and specific kinds of offerings) under the Aaronic Priesthood. 

In the New Covenant, the Spirit of God in the spiritually awakened man, who gives us a new nature and new heart, compels and empowers us to give generously, wholeheartedly and cheerfully. 

We acknowledge that God owns everything and whatever we have does not belong to us but to God and are to be used as He deems fit for His glory. We are only custodians or caretakers of His resources. Thus, it behoves us to be faithful stewards of His manifold resources. 

The Christian view on giving hinges on these spiritual realities of God's ownership, control and provision which is the basis of Christian contentment and Christian stewardship.

Faithfulness in stewardship of every God-given resource (time, talent and treasure) is required of every believer and is indeed the deep joy, delight and attitudinal posture of every mature believer.

“He that is faithful in little is faithful in much.”

Money and possessions are gifts from God. These gifts of material provision are tests and trusts from God to us. If we love the Lord, we will glorify Him by giving out of our material substance and resources to His work, to His Body and in serving humanity.

We must be faithful to God with the Christian discipline of giving and the Christian stewardship of different resources in our care and custody.

We must be careful not to hoard, give grudgingly out of duress, give to be seen and praised by men or manipulate people to give this way.

Mature Christians have learnt the balance of both giving and receiving in sincere love, humility, graciousness and gratitude. 

It takes love and compassion to give without expectation of a reward and without strings attached or seeking to control people with gifts.

It takes humility to receive with grace. It also takes contentment to not always seek to receive.

Greed, covetousness and vainglory are sins; we must avoid these sinful and self-centered tendencies.

"It is more blessed to give than to receive."

When God gives us more than we need, it is for us to know what is in our own hearts: to reveal yourself to you; to see what you would do with what you don’t need. This is a test of our spirituality.

Consider the following words by John MacArthur:

“Money is the best revealer of spiritual maturity. Rich people are condemned in the Bible not for their riches but for their misuse of riches. Poor people are also condemned in the Bible not for their poverty but for their distrust of God’s providence and wisdom. Both riches and poverty are tests. Possessions and money are a spiritual test."

Now reflect deeply on the Scriptural text below:

But godliness actually is a source of great gain when accompanied by contentment [that contentment which comes from a sense of inner confidence based on the sufficiency of God]. 

For we have brought nothing into the world, so [it is clear that] we cannot take anything out of it, either. 

But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 

But those who [are not financially ethical and] crave to get rich [with a compulsive, greedy longing for wealth] fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction [leading to personal misery]. 

For the love of money [that is, the greedy desire for it and the willingness to gain it unethically] is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves [through and through] with many sorrows.

1Timothy 6:6-10 AMP