Give & Do
I remember when I was young, there was a man in church who always put his offering in the plate where you could see the size of the bill he was giving. One of my first volunteer jobs was taking up offering. Later, when I was in college, I was in church in another town and a wealthier guy gave in such a way, he almost appeared to be a magician. It made a mark on me because Jesus talks about anonymity when giving and doing good deeds. Check this out….
1“Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. 2 When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. 3 But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.4 Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. (Matthew 6:1-4 NLT)
To get a tax deduction with the IRS, you must give with a paper trail. In other words, someone needs to know. I don’t give to get a tax deduction, but I think it’s ok to be held accountable to a giving commitment. Some churches will have you make a pledge of your giving for the year so that they can plan and budget according. I think Jesus was also speaking about secretly serving. I don’t think I should serve to be noticed by others. I should serve because I love the Lord and He calls me to serve. When I look for ways to serve and give, there are endless possibilities. I need to seek the Lord’s wisdom in giving and serving. I can’t give to everyone who asked, nor can I serve everyone – I can give to some and I can serve some.
When I was young and was the receiver of others giving, I was humbled and blessed by others generosity. Now that I’m older and my resources are stronger, I can pass that blessing along to others. I must be discerning of those who want to mooch off others. I want to give and serve where the Lord leads.
I should remember the words of Jesus: “There is more joy in giving than in receiving” (my translation!)
Pressing On!
Dwayne