Episode 108: To Give Is To Live!
When you start to talk about “giving,” people’s reaction is either guilt, shame, anger or avoidance! Why does this topic cause such strong emotions?
God can use anyone or anything to bring about His promises and kingdom outcomes, but He wants to use us! WE are the ones who benefit from a giving posture.
What is a giving posture? It’s a character trait not a singular act (like writing a check.) It’s the way we give our time, attention, words, money, material possessions, and body language for kingdom outcomes.
In 2 Corinthians 9:1-15 the Apostle Paul breaks down giving in several ways. In verses 1-5 he’s mentioning a gift the people of Corinth promised to give and began working on a year prior. He’s making sure they are still on track to give. He’s confirming that their giving posture is still evident in the way they function as a body of believers.
What keeps us from generous giving?
1. BLAME: the brand of thinking that feels that vulnerable people are at fault for their situations and shouldn’t be cared for.
2. SHAME: we feel guilty about what we have, and rather than growing in a posture to give, we turn inward and feel ashamed.
3. REFRAIN: when blame or shame feel like too much, we simply do nothing! We shake our heads and hope someone else will pick up the slack.
In verses 6-11 Paul goes on to teach the four powerful GIVING PRINCIPLES:
1. If you give little you will get little.
2. Cheerful givers are the ones God prizes.
3. It’s God who gives the seeds and resources to invest for Him.
4. You can NEVER out give the giver. He gave his SON…His gift—too wonderful for words.
Malachi 3: 8-10 is the only place in the Bible where God tells us to put Him to the test. He instructs that if we live with a giving posture (He talks about tithes and offerings here too) we can be assured He will “open the windows of heaven, and pour out for us a blessing until it overflows.”
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