Our Attitude in Giving – Notes

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Few areas of the Christian life can be more misunderstood and frustrating than that of generosity. For several years after I met the Lord, I did my best to avoid giving. On those occasions when I felt obligated to give in order to appear spiritual, I did so, but my heart wasn’t really in it.

My whole perspective changed after learning what the Bible actually teaches. Suddenly I wanted to be generous. But then I was frustrated by another problem: so many needs versus my so few resources. How should I decide where to give? My church, the hungry poor, campus and prison ministries, missionary efforts, and many other vital ministries needed financial support. 

I feel deep compassion and almost despair when confronted with those facing starvation of body or spirit. I am grateful for the people dedicated to meet those needs, and I feel guilty that perhaps we aren’t giving enough. At other times, however, I feel cynical about being solicited — and perhaps manipulated — by people whose goals may be worthwhile but whose methods are questionable.

Advantages of Giving

Gifts obviously benefit the recipient. The church continues its ministry, the hungry are fed, the naked are clothed, and missionaries are sent. But in God’s economy, gifts given with the proper attitude benefit the giver more than the receiver. “. . . Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’” (Acts 20:35). As we look at Scripture, we find that the giver benefits in four major areas.

An increase in intimacy

Above all else, giving directs our heart to Jesus. Matthew 6:21 tells us, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” This is why it’s necessary to give each gift to the person of Jesus Christ: it draws our heart to Him.

Do you remember the faithful steward in the parable of the talents, and his eventual reward? “Enter into the joy of your Master” (Matthew 25:21). Giving is one of your responsibilities as a steward, and the more faithful you are in fulfilling your responsibilities, the more you can enter into the joy of knowing Christ more closely. Nothing in life compares with that.

An increase in character

Our heavenly Father wants us — His children — to conform to the image of His Son. The character of Jesus is that of an unselfish giver. Unfortunately, humans are selfish by nature. One essential way we become conformed to Jesus is by regular giving. Someone once said, “Giving is not God’s way of raising money; it is God’s way of raising people into the likeness of His Son.”

An increase in heaven

Matthew 6:20 reads, “Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal.” The Lord tells us that heaven has its own “First National Bank,” where we can invest for eternity.

Paul wrote, “Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek the profit which increases to your account” (Philippians 4:17). Each of us has an account in heaven that we will be able to enjoy for eternity. And although it’s true that we “can’t take it with us when we die,” Scripture teaches that we can make deposits to our heavenly account before we die.

An increase on earth

Many people have a hard time believing that giving results in material blessings flowing back to the giver. Time and again, however, we see this principle in the pages of Scripture.

Consider Proverbs 11:24-25: “There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more, and there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in poverty. A generous person will be prosperous, and one who gives others plenty of water will himself be given plenty.”

Look at 2 Corinthians 9:6-11, “. . . the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows generously will also reap generously. . . . God is able to make all grace overflow to you, so that, always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed. . . . Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for all liberality.”

These verses clearly teach that giving results in a material increase: “will also reap generously . . . always having all sufficiency in everything . . . may have an abundance . . . will supply and multiply your seed . . . you will be enriched in everything.”

But also look at why the Lord returns a material increase: “Always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed . . . will supply and multiply your seed for sowing . . . you will be enriched in everything for all liberality.” As shown in the diagram below, the Lord produces an increase so that we may give more and have our needs met at the same time.

One reason the Lord reveals that we can anticipate a material increase is because He wants us to recognize that He is behind it. God has chosen to be invisible, but He wants us to experience His reality.

When we give, we should do so with a sense of expectation — anticipating an increase from the Lord even though we have no idea how or when He may choose to provide it. Our experience has shown Him to be very creative! Remember, givers experience the advantages of giving only when they give cheerfully and with love — not when the motive is just to get.

Attitudes in giving

God evaluates our actions on the basis of our attitudes. John 3:16 reveals His attitude toward giving: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son” (emphasis added). Note the sequence. Because God loved, He gave. Because God is love, He is also a giver. He set the example of generosity motivated by love.

An attitude of love in giving is crucial: “And if I give away all my possessions to charity . . . but do not have love, it does me no good” (1 Corinthians 13:3). What could be better than giving everything to charity? However, generosity without an attitude of love provides no benefit to the giver.

In God’s economy, the attitude is more important than the amount. Jesus emphasized this in Matthew 23:23: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices — mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law — justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter without neglecting the former” (NIV). The Pharisees had been really careful to give the correct amount, but Jesus scolded them because of their attitude. He looks past the amount of the gift to the heart of the giver.

We can consistently give with love only when we recognize that we are giving to the Lord Himself. We see an example of this in Numbers 18:24: “The tithe of the sons of Israel, which they offer as an offering to the Lord” (emphasis added). If giving is merely to a church, a ministry, or a needy person, it’s only charity. But giving to the Lord is always an act of worship, expressing love and gratitude to our Creator, Savior, and faithful Provider. Whenever we give, we should remind ourselves that our gift goes to the Lord Himself.

In addition to giving with love, we are to give cheerfully. “Each one must do just as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). The original Greek word for cheerful is “hilarios,” which is translated into the English word “hilarious.” What a picture that creates! We are to be joyful givers.

So how do we develop this hilarity in our giving? Consider the early churches of Macedonia.

“. . . We want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity” (2 Corinthians 8:1-2, NIV).

How did the Macedonians, who were in terrible circumstances, “severe trial,” and “extreme poverty,” still manage to give with “overflowing joy”? The answer is in verse 5: “They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.” The key to cheerful giving is to yield ourselves to Christ and ask Him to direct how much He wants us to give. That places us in a position to experience the advantages of giving with the proper attitude.

Stop and examine yourself. What is your attitude toward giving?