The Love of Giving

Jesus turns our thinking and worldview upside-down when we start to study the Biblical principle of love.

The world has its perverted idea of love, but Christ-filled living calls for an altogether different practice.

Here’s the principle: What we cherish, we tightly hold on to. But in following the example of Christ’s love, we are to seek ways to give these precious things away that we may gain the glory of God ([2] 2 Corinthians 9:8-10). We grip our possessions and hoard our time. But Christ’s example of love calls for a paradigm shift in the thinking of our minds and the actions of our hands.

Look to Christ’s example, He freely gave away all that he had.  He gave His joy, the Spirit, love, keys of the kingdom, peace, His right as sole heir to the throne, down to His very life that He laid down for our sakes ([3] Matthew 20:28). There was not a single aspect of Christ that He did not hold onto for His own ([4] Philippians 2:7). His time was spent wholly for the kingdom. His love, and what possessions Jesus could have had, He forsook and placed personal gain along the wayside. All things took on a Kingdom perspective.

How Much Should We Give to Glorify God?

So the question for us to ask is, "How much of ourselves is for the Kingdom?" Usually the attitude is one of, “if I have extra time this week…or extra money”  — or extra of anything I can think of — then I will dedicate that to the Kingdom. Jesus shows us in [5] Mark 12:43-44 that God’s love goes a step beyond when a poor widow out-gave the whole nation of Israel in one day. She receives honorable commendation from Jesus because God was glorified (revealed) through her love.

On the opposite side is the person who gives it all away. Yet, in this response, we can also find the danger of impure motivations for giving. It’s not love being practiced at all. Selfish motivations do not gain the glory of God but the glory of the individual who is giving.  Paul warns that we can give everything to the poor even to the point of sacrificing ourselves for others. Yet without love, it is baseless giving and defeating the purpose ([6] 1 Corinthians 13:3).

In order to live a Christ-centered, Christ-imitating, God-glorifying life, we must turn our society-based values on their heads. If we are to follow Christ’s example we are to live a life of true love (hesed^{[7] 2}) characterized by our genuine openness to share God’s blessings with others.

Are God’s blessings so that I may live in more comfort?

We have a hard time giving to the Kingdom — whether it be time or money or even a spouse or child. We must remember from Whom our blessings come and for what purpose. The Lord does not give in abundance to store up, but to have an abundance to give from so that His glory may be unlocked throughout the Earth. What we’re really giving away is our blessed Savior.

Could it not be that Ananias and Sapphira lost their lives by misrepresenting God’s love in His community? Was it really a matter of "what" they gave?^{[8] 3} Or were they struck down more because they pretended to give like God and love themselves? ([9] Acts 5:1-4)