Give With Purpose
For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, “You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.” Deuteronomy 15:11
This month, we have focused on all God has provided for us. His provision and blessings are beyond our comprehension for those who chose to accept Him as Lord. However, that blessing of provision is not to stay with us. We are to follow His lead and give to others generously.
I’m not advocating giving away everything you have. We need to have wisdom and guidance from the Holy Spirit in all manners of life – especially giving. Here are some guidelines for giving:
Understand what the will of the Lord is. We should know what the Word says and also know His voice. The type of giving we are discussing here goes beyond your tithe. The tithe is a no-brainer – it belongs to the Lord. However, we need to know the voice of the Holy Spirit concerning giving beyond our tithes. There are a lot of charities and people who need financial help. That is why we need to be led by the Holy Spirit on where and when to give. Don’t give based on your emotions or feelings. But give from a heart that wants to love and serve God.
Give by faith in love. Everything we do as Christians needs to come from the place of faith and love; otherwise, it has no power attached to it – no grace or anointing. We tap into His blessing when we give from our love and trust for God. The Holy Spirit might prompt you to give your favorite sweater or jewelry to someone. The recipient doesn’t necessarily have to “need” it. Your giving might have more to do with you than them. We also can’t judge the need of someone by their outside appearance or what we think they need or don’t need. No, we’re not called to judge but to be obedient to the voice of the Lord.
Expect a harvest. Expectation is a part of faith. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for (earnestly, intensely, expected), the evidence of things not seen.” Expect a good outcome for your recipient as well as yourself.
I will leave you with 2 Corinthians 9:7 in the amplified version. It says, “Let each one give as he has made up his own mind and purposed in his heart, not reluctantly or sorrowfully or under compulsion, for God loves (He takes pleasure in, prizes above other things, and is unwilling to abandon or to do without) a cheerful (joyous, “prompt to do it”) giver [whose heart is in his giving].
Dear Lord, I purpose to be a “joyous, prompt to do it” giver with what you have blessed me with. Amen.
