Day 069: Giving

"But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.  So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.  And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work."  2 Corinthians 9:6-8

God provides.  It's as simple as that.  God provides us a means to live our lives, but God also gives us a means by which we can give.

Receiving something to give is something we don't think about that often.  We want all the goodness that comes our way just to benefit ourselves, yet we are called to give.  In fact, the notion of giving can seem quite difficult for many of us, especially if we don't have the highest paying job or the most flexible hours.  But this passage above states the contrary: God provides us with ways to give.

So what the next step?  In order to give, it takes discernment.  From another perspective, we can think of our giving in the way that we might give a gift at a birthday party or for any other holiday.  We take time to think about what we will give, usually having many reasons behind our gifts.  In the same way, we should consider how we are going to give to our neighbors and/or our church.  The above says that God calls us to be cheerful givers, and in the Old Testament, we are told that we need to give thoughtfully to God - we are to give the very best to God.  In that case, we can see that we won't all give the same gift.  In fact, it is the diversity of the gifts that we can give that makes this a rewarding experience.

Think about all the different things that a church does.  It provides a space for worship, which requires funding for the electricity (air conditioning/heating) and water.  It provides for the community that serves there, which requires not only funding for the different staff members, but also requires many who are willing to work and volunteers.  It provides methods of worship, which require things from musicians, to books, to teachers, to speakers, and to many other sorts of people.  In this description of a church, we can see that there are already many ways to give.  If those aren't enough, pray to God to help you discern what your best way to give is.

If one doesn't feel comfortable teaching, however, she shouldn't donate her time as a teacher.  If one doesn't feel comfortable cooking, he shouldn't donate his time as a cook.  All of these things require lots of prayer and meditations so that the giving can be beneficial for both you and the receiver.  In the end, you as a giver will be a receiver, for the one who sows abundantly will reap abundantly.

This Lent, direct your thoughts and prayers towards discerning how you can give to your community, church, and/or your friends and family.