"Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers." - VoltairE

The joy of giving

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, August 15, 2018 Under: Reflections


This morning I was interviewed as part of some research on charitable giving at Northumbria University. I was asked about which charities I give to, how I give and my motivations, which was a great opportunity to reflect.

I haven't always given to charity and for me it's been a process of growing in my faith, trusting God more, appreciating what he's giving me, and realising that what Jesus said is true - it really is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20: 35).

There are a number of things that motivate me to give:

  • I recognise how blessed I am and that, on a global scale, I'm rich and therefore in a position to be able to share with others.
  • It's a matter of being obedient to God. It's his desire that I'm generous with what he's given me. Jesus says in Matthew 10: 8 "Freely you have received; freely give."
  • Giving financially in a consistent and committed way helps me to cultivate a generous attitude in all areas of life - with my time, attention, prayers and possessions.
  • Giving generously helps keep a looser hold on money and material possessions so that they don't become idols in our lives. In our consumerist, greedy and materialist society, this is a profound witness to the radically different values in the Kingdom of God.
  • Generous giving encourages good stewardship, responsible use of resources and reduced waste which is more sustainable and better for God's good creation.
I have recently been learning about the Five Marks of Mission and decided to make sure that my giving invests in each area:

  1. Evangelism
  2. Teaching / discipleship
  3. Justice
  4. Compassion
  5. Creation care
There's always more to learn and we can never out-give God, but it was great to have this reminder that giving is a huge joy and privilege.

"One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty."
Proverbs 11: 24

In : Reflections 

Next post: Bible character...
Previous post: Picture This Thought

Tags: giving generosity 
« Back to posts

Tags

"loving god' commandment relationship 40th activity acts addiction adoption adultery advent aesop agapé android animation anxiety apologetics app apps argument aroma atheism audio bear ben folds bible bible characters bible narrative bible study bible trading cards big picture birthday blog body of christ book book review books busyness cat celebration celibacy celtic change charity chart child children christ christendom christmas chronicles church church history climate change coastguard colouring comedy commentary communications communion community compassion conference consumerism contemplation context conversation coronavirus covenant covid-19 creation creation care creativity cross crucifixtion cryptic culture cwtch daily prayer data day of the lord death debate devotional diagram dictionary digital disagreement disciples discipleship discipline discussion documentary easter ecclesiastes economics education effort elder brother emotion encouragement enemies environment environmentalism ethics evangelism event evidence ezekiel fable facebook fact check fair trade faith faitheism fake news father fear feast feeling fellowship feminism fiction film fireseeds flesh flourishing food foodbank forgiveness free freedom freshers fun fundraiser funny galatians game gay gay wedding genealogies generosity gifts giving god god's presence good good news gospel gospreflection grace gratitude great commission green growth guitar hagar healing health heart heaven hebrews history hoarding holy biscuit holy spirit home homosexuality honesty hope hopelessness hospitality house hub humanism humour hymn identity in individualism infographic infographics inheritance insurance internet interview interviews intimacy ios jesus joel joke jonah joseph joy justice kindness kingdom kingdom of god lament law leaflet lectio divina legacy lennox lesbian levite lgbtq liberty library literal literature liturgy living out lockdown lord’s love lust magazine map mark mark's materialism matthew maturity meal meditation meditations memory mental health ministry mission missionaries moody moral morality move murray music names of god nation new creation new year newcomers news non-fiction north east obsession old testament online outreach pain palm sunday parable passover patience peace pentecost persecution perseverance perspective philosophy photo photography piano picture this thought podcast poem poetry political correctness pool night possessions post-christendom poverty power praise prayer prayer requests prayer walk preaching presentation presents priest princess anne priorities prodigal son productivity project prophecy protection provision psalm publicity puzzle questions quiz quotes reading rebellion reconciliation redemption reference reflection relationship relationships relativism religion remembrance repentance rescue resource resources rest restoration resurrection retreat review reviews riches right and wrong royalty rules rush sabbath sacrifice same-sex attraction sarah scholarship science screens scripture scripture engagement secularism seed self esteem selfishness sermon sermon on the mount sex sexuality shalom sharing faith shopping showcase significance silence simplicity sin slavery smell social social action social media society software solitude song songs sonship soularium sources speaking spiritual gifts spirituality sproul spurgeon stations of the cross stats stewardship stone story stott student student life students study suffering supper support support discovery talk tech technology temple tft thank you thanksgiving theology time toby tools top trumps trading cards training transformation translation treasure treasure hunt trivia true freedom trust truth unity update utilities value video vine visual waiting waiting for god walk war wealth website websites wesley witnessing women words world worldview worry worship worth writing wrong wycliffe youtube ywam

©  Anne Witton 2023          Contact | Newsletter                            

Living Out is registered UK Charity no. 1165572 | The Baptist Union is Charity no. 249635