A friend of mine whom I had
not seen in a long time recently called to ask for help with an unusual project
she was working on. After I had given
her a few ideas of where to find what she was looking for, it occurred to me
that I had something that might work. I
offered it to her, and she gleefully and gratefully accepted. The transaction was made, and I had the
satisfaction of knowing that I had acted generously and helped someone out of a
bind.
But then something bad
happened. I started to think about that
item I had just given away -- it was something that was hard to find and a
little expensive. I had been using it
regularly myself, and I decided that I was really going to miss having it. I’m ashamed to say that I started to feel a
twinge of regret for having given it away.
I would imagine that each of
us understands the importance of giving.
We give to the Lord on the first day of the week, as we have been
commanded (I Corinthians 16:2). We live
in a hugely prosperous nation, and we know that it is fitting to share our
bounty with those in desperate need (Luke 12:48). We give of our time and energy to help the
church and our communities function. But
the Scriptures tell us that there is much more to giving than the act itself,
and I know that I have been guilty many times of giving out of a sense of duty,
and not out of love (I Corinthians 13:3).
In my thoughts here, I’d like to consider the giving of things both
tangible and intangible.
Someone once told me that
she, out of curiosity, had added up the amount of money that she and her
husband had contributed to the church over the years. I’m sure that the sum must have totaled in
the hundreds of dollars. She said that
she pondered what her family could have done with that money if they had not
given it to the Lord. I was a little
taken aback at her honesty in volunteering to me this glimpse into her inner
self, but I realized that she probably wasn’t alone in this way of
thinking. How many of us have dropped
checks into the collection plate while, in the back of our minds, a little
voice clicked off the other things we could have done with that money? Are we sometimes guilty of giving “grudgingly”
(II Corinthians 9:7)?
And later, after the giving
has been done, do we regret our generosity to the Lord and wish we could take
some of it back? Do we dwell on the
amount of money we have given and imagine having it at our disposal again? Could that be one aspect of the sin of
covetousness (Luke 12:15; Proverbs 21:26)?
It wouldn’t hurt to remind ourselves once in a while that, in a sense,
everything we have is on loan from our Creator, since “every good gift and
every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights”
(James 1:17).
Both Mark and Luke provide us
with the poignant example of the poor widow who donated her last two mites to
the synagogue (Mark 12:41-44; Luke 21:1-4).
What faith in God that poverty-stricken woman must have had! She very likely saw, as Jesus did, the many
wealthy people who came to the place of worship and gave large amounts of
money. However, she did not allow
resentment, jealousy, or covetousness to cloud her mind. Instead, she gave as she knew she should --
absolutely selflessly. In her humility,
she has served as an example that puts many of us to shame.
But what about the precious
things we can give each other that have no trading value on the stock
market? As Christian women, we are
constantly giving each other our time, our special talents or skills, our
encouragement, and our love. One of the great
things about being a member of the Lord’s body is that, ideally, we freely give
of ourselves, expecting nothing in return (Matthew 10:8). Our goal should be to go above and beyond
what is asked of us, and to do so eagerly and without reservation. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives clear
instructions to those who would follow Him:
“And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two” (Matthew
5:41). Does that sound like a grudging
or a cheerful giver?
Back when I worked in radio
broadcasting, I met Liz Curtis Higgs, a gifted communicator who had just
wrapped up her career in radio and begun a new job as an “encourager” of
women. In the years that followed our
meeting, Liz traveled across the country speaking before groups of women who
were concerned about doing their best for God and each other. She understood the important role that
encouragement plays in our lives as women trying to do what’s right. God gives wisdom “liberally” to all who ask
for it (James 1:5); should we be any less “liberal” with the love and
encouragement we give to each other?
Let’s look for ways to give
encouragement and love to one another.
Young mothers are often self-conscious about their parenting success or
their children’s behavior. A supportive
word from an older woman who can find something to admire in that young woman’s
efforts will go a long way toward making her feel better. Likewise, a young woman can make an older
woman’s day if she will compliment her on the way she led a class or handled a
problem. I have seen a woman’s face
light up when she is given an unexpected pat on the back. It’s so easy to be generous with praise and
appreciation if we will just take the time to do it.
However, without the proper
underlying motivation in our hearts, the giving of money, time, love, or
encouragement is just an empty ritual we perform. If we lack sincere enthusiasm in our giving,
or if we regret doing it after it’s over, we are like the scribes and Pharisees
who paid tithes but showed no mercy (Matthew 23:23) and were denounced as
hypocrites by Christ. When we give, are
we showing love “in truth,” as John put it, or are we just faking it? Are our hearts guiding us well in our service
to God, or will they condemn us because of hypocrisy (I John 3:17-20)? To be unreservedly loving in our giving is
the only way that the act can mean anything or truly “profit” anybody (I
Corinthians 13:3). Sisters in Christ,
this type of gift really is the only one worth giving.
