An Attitude of Giving

Christians are to be the meekest people on earth. We are called to be meek, lowly and gentle as our Lord Jesus is and has been. Our modesty should not only be in the way we clothe ourselves, but also in the way we present ourselves to men. The Lord expects us to be a people for the people. We ought to be a helpful people at all times. We must be quick to help those who need us in whatever way necessary. Not only this, but when others are demanding of us we still must be giving and forgiving. At times as believers we face various trials from those around us be it family, friends, relatives or neighbors. And we are to let them have their way with us. This may be awkward and unacceptable, but when faith and love for our Savior has overcome us it all the more becomes a generous task.

Jesus was always with a giving attitude. If one came to Him with a request, He never denied it. Whatever He had in Him and with Him, He gave it. Once they even took away what was His be it His outer garments or life. Yet, He let them have it. For this reason, we who have made Him our Savior are saved from all our sin. Grace continues to abound in us in every circumstance; for He continues to give. Though we sin after knowing Him, we still keep our salvation, because He has freely given forgiveness forever at the cross. Not only this, but whatever we ask Him today in His will, He continues to give. At times He changes His mind to give us what we ask. And He desires we be like Him. So, He said, “Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back” (Luke 6:30). To have it in us is an exemplary trait.

We are to be a generous people. And sometimes our generosity should go beyond our ability and willingness to give. The former can be practiced, though not all wish to do it. The latter though is an extremely difficult trait to own, since the things we must lose are that which we desired and cherished the most in life. Still, believers sometimes lose many precious things be it financial or earthly related or family related. They have authority over those things, yet they lose them because of the Savior who led them from the front. The greatest of joy is experienced in when someone takes away what is ours and we do not say a word. At that moment we have won the victory, though unseen, but will be known later. No doubt there is great joy in giving, but to be in a position where we do not fight for what is ours results in extraordinary joy. For a short while we face suffering, but God will overcome us with peace. God the Father won the unseen victory when He allowed His Son to die on the cross. The world took His Son away from Him by force. He let it happen and the joy He had after sacrificing His Son was second to none; for not even Satan foreknew the unalterable outcome. He has gained countless sons for His kingdom. This victory will be known on the day the Son returns to gather His people. And today whoever seeks the Son’s blood for cleansing the Father freely sprinkles on him. So, to give is a wonderful trait and to refrain from demanding that which is forcefully taken is an extraordinary trait. Both must be practiced and the latter is attained when Christ is fully formed in us.

So, what can we do to be like our Savior and to fulfill His desire so that men can truly know there is a salvation readily available that saves them from death?

  1. Be fearless. Do not fear either men or circumstances. There is no reason to fear when we are doing good and that too what is God’s will. The Almighty God in His power is always by our side. Jesus knew this and so never refrained from doing good. He knew the Pharisees and the Sadducees will question Him in various ways, but He wasn’t afraid to do God’s will. He was willing to face the things that would appear after. “If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath so that the Law of Moses will not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made an entire man well on the Sabbath?” (John 7:23). Remember the Spirit of Christ in us guides us for all good and extraordinary things. Do not let the anger and ridicule of men stop you from being a part of the great commission of saving people.
  2. Be God’s witness. We must be God’s witness to people by being generous and sacrificing. For this reason too we have been called and saved. Every kind act we do and every sacrifice we make when people demand it of us is a witness that God has been gracious toward them for salvation. This in itself is the light of God for those yet to know Christ. “and yet He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness” (Acts 14:17). In everything God did for the unbelieving and the unrighteous He did it as witness for them concerning Him. As He continues to do it, He also wants us to be a part of His witness by doing great and extraordinary things that men know there is a saving God who exists among them.
  3. Be clean. The apostle Paul remarked, “Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed” (1 Cor. 5:7). The little things that still linger in us, though sometimes unnoticed by us, act as hindrance for fulfilling the Lord’s desire. We need to clean ourselves up of them. Seeking God’s help will strengthen us for it. Then Christ will be fully formed in us for extraordinary things.
  4. Be mindful. “To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled” (Tit. 1:15). We are to be mindful that we have been made pure by the undefiled blood of Christ. We have an excellent opportunity to see things from God’s viewpoint. In fact, when we are called for great and extraordinary things. God gives us the ability to see just as He sees. Our conscience is geared to work with His. And our vision of life is far greater than others. So, do not let the good thoughts that God puts in your mind and the strength He puts in your heart stand unused.

A great motivator for being generous and sacrificing is God’s promises. People without them cannot deliver His will; for they have no strength and confidence for it. They lack peace. One thing generous and sacrificing people know is that God never forsakes them or forgets their works. The Spirit in Peter said, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9). When we give or lose something, it is by a promise of God and for a promise of God. We are poured out for being filled again, but necessarily for many to be saved. All this is for realizing the great, unseen, unimaginable and immeasurable judgment. “And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth” (Rev. 11:18).

Posted in 2015, Archives, RECENT ARTICLES.