Freely Give
I have experienced guilt-giving and I’ve experienced guilt-free giving and I like the latter much better. If I give out of guilt, I completely miss the joy that is associated with giving. Giving out of guilt is drudgery for sure. The Lord speaks of giving all throughout scripture. I came across giving in a bit of unusual way.
Moses and the community of Israel have recently crossed the Red Sea while fleeing from the Egyptian army. They are camped out at the foot of Mt. Sinai. Moses is receiving all sorts of instructions for the nation – rules to live by and guidelines for worship and governance. He gives instructions that the Lord had given regarding building the Tabernacle – a portable temple of sorts. He asked the people to give and they did. Check this out….
20 So the whole community of Israel left Moses and returned to their tents. 21 All whose hearts were stirred and whose spirits were moved came and brought their sacred offerings to the Lord. They brought all the materials needed for the Tabernacle, for the performance of its rituals, and for the sacred garments.22 Both men and women came, all whose hearts were willing.
29 So the people of Israel—every man and woman who was eager to help in the work the Lord had given them through Moses—brought their gifts and gave them freely to the Lord. (Exodus 35:20-22a, 29 NLT)
I love that two-word description of their giving – “freely gave”. They were not giving out of guilt or obligation – they wanted to give. They were beginning a new life – a new nation. They were trusting the Lord to lead them. Their hearts were stirred to give.
We are coming up on my favorite holiday of the year – Thanksgiving. I am consciously trying to live a thankful life, every day of my life. In living a life of gratitude, my heart has been profoundly stirred to freely give more. My giving comes from a thankful heart. I want my giving heart to expand. I want the Lord to continue to stir my discerning heart in giving.
There are times when I see or hear of people giving and the Lord reminds me that I might be causing them more harm than good to just give money. They would be better served with a gift of food, shelter or clothing. They are poor and begging, often because they can’t manage money. There are other times when giving can change the entire trajectory of a person’s life.
The Lord loves givers. He is the Ultimate Giver because He gave His Son for the sins of the world. He loves it when our response to Him is giving to others.
Pressing On!
Dwayne