#givingtuesday

THE REASON TO GIVE...A HASH TAG?

Giving, do we do it just because of a hashtag? Is it only during this season we find ourselves giving? Today in the midst of all the FB posts, Instagram pics and charities that bombarded my inbox with the hashtag #givingtuesday. I found myself pondering the thought of giving. Really, what is it all about?

As people, we like to think that we are good at giving, but are we? We easily give advice, we generally give time to things, we might give affection or maybe a hug, and we can easily give someone a piece of our mind. But when we start talking about giving money, let’s be honest, it’s definitely not as easy as giving our opinion…

Yet, God has called us to give, and to be a blessing, not just in November or December. One of the things I love about our youth outreach group in Uganda, EYO is their theme verse. In Genesis 12 we find that God called Abram into a relationship of faith and right away expressed His intentions. It was to bless Abram, but not for what most of us think of when we consider being blessed. God intended to bless Abram in order to make him a blessing—can I say to be a giver? That’s EYO’s intention, to take the blessing God has given them and turn it to blessing others.

Maybe you are thinking, “Yes, I know and as soon as God really blesses me I will begin to give”…But that’s not how God intends it. Remember, when I talk about EYO, I am talking about Ugandan youth, orphans and children in need of sponsorship. The Bible tells us that if we can’t manage the world’s financial system then we will not experience true spiritual blessing (Luke 16:11). Look at the widow in Mark 12:41-44…be honest, which of you has ever dropped “a penny” into the offering? I am not talking about your guilt-driven emptying of your pockets of change because you forgot your check book, but a kind of giving when you gave all you had to give and it amounted to a penny. That is the kind of giving that gets Jesus’s attention, because it speaks of the heart condition of the giver. not Warren Buffett giving $100,000 to a charity…

The Apostle Paul knew what it was to give. He had learned how to be at peace and experience God’s blessing in all situations (Philippians 4:12). In Acts 20:35 he quotes Jesus (from another sermon that we don’t have recorded) on how much BETTER it is to give than receive. How could Paul say that and really what is God thinking by saying it’s better to GIVE than to receive? Isn’t receiving blessing the goal? CAN I JUST SAY, “NO!” 

Our giving is an opportunity for us to imitate the amazing God that we serve. You see, God is a giver and He gives more than “just enough.” God gives liberally (James 1:5) and lavishes his wealth (riches & grace) on His people. Even though James 1 doesn’t specifically talk about money, we know from Deuteronomy 8:18 that He is the one who gives the power to gain wealth. Now we’re talking! Gaining WEALTH! But, I am not really talking tonight about money, what I want to draw our attention to is our hearts. 

Where is your heart? Jesus, the revealer of what’s in our hearts, tells us that our treasures are directly connected to our hearts. In Matt 6:31 we see that our hearts are drawn to what we treasure. We seek after the things that are most important to us. How we approach giving is directly connected to our hearts. So, if you are like me tonight, let the thought be more about the state of your heart than which charity to give to. 

On this #givingtuesday don’t let your giving be compelled by a hash tag, but let God transform your heart and direct your giving according to His heart for this world.