~ The Spiritual Gift of Giving ~
Opening Comment ~ “Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures” (James 1:16-18).
Serving Gifts ~ Within the Service Sector of our society we can see a parallel of the Spiritual Gift of Serving with non-profit organizations.
Gift of Giving ~ This is a much broader area than just financial giving. It includes the freely giving of your time, your talent, as well as your treasure. It is “the God-given ability to give most liberally and beyond all human expectation.” –Pastor Loren Fischer
“‘He that giveth’ is he that shares his earthly possessions. God may have given you the gift of making money – and that is a gift. I know several Christian businessmen who have the Midas touch. That is their gift.” –J. Vernon McGee
Biblical Basis ~ The person with the gift of giving has a key understanding of the Gospel which is the critical foundation for their gift. “You were bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 7:23). “You are not your own; you were bought with a price” 1 Corinthians 6:19b-20). “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Love is measured by its gift.
Scripture ~ “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality” (Romans 12:6-8a).
That last verse has also been translated as “He that giveth, let him do it with simplicity” (Romans 12:8). Giving must be done with singleness of heart and not from mixed or doubtful motives, as was the case with Ananias and Sapphira (see Acts 5).
“And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:2). “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13).
Biblical Examples ~ “For God so loved the world that He gave” (John 3:16). “Christ also loved the church and gave” (Ephesians 5:25). “He loved me and gave” (Galatians 2:20). “And Jonathan loved him as his own soul... and gave” (1 Samuel 18:1,4).
Traits ~ An individual with the gift of giving; 1) works hard to aid needy people who are worthy of assistance, 2) backs up concerns with personal investment, encourages others to give to worthy causes, 3) plans for the best use of available resources, feel secure in the ability to invest wisely, 4) possess a desire to share personal resources with others and to assist them in worthy endeavors, and 5) welcomes the opportunity to give (but wants assurance that others will put the contributions to good use).
Closing Comments ~ “Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you” (1 Timothy 4:12-16).
The true Christian attitude toward material goods is not “How much of God's money shall I give to God?” but rather, “How much of God's money shall I keep for myself?”
“As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10).
“Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:6-7).
~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.
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