We are entering a season of the year where we begin to focus on giving thanks and giving gifts. Because of this, it’s a great time to reset our priorities and remember that it is always more blessed to GIVE than to RECEIVE. We often say this, but do we believe it? I mean, do we believe it to the point where we have ordered our life according to this principle? Do we prioritize giving? Do we look for ways to give our time, energy, faith, and money.
While we know it’s better to give than receive, we also know it’s pretty nice to receive. We enjoy getting gifts and having people care for us and provide for us. It's a nice feeling, but we tell ourselves that it is better and more blessed to give, but why? Have you ever stopped and asked why it is more blessed to give? Is it just that the good feeling we get when we give is better than the good feeling we get when we receive, or is there something more.
One reason we might believe this principle and strive to follow it is because Jesus said it. In the book of Acts, Paul quotes Jesus by saying, we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35
That alone should be reason enough for us to follow this teaching and trust that the blessing of giving is better than the blessing of receiving, but beyond the words of Jesus and the truth He brings, there is a more compelling reason why it is more blessed to give. When we give, we embody and reflect the heart of God and what could be better than being a reflection of God and His love.
In John 3:16 it says, God so LOVED the world that He GAVE. So God, who the Bible tells us is love, loved the world, and because He loved, He gave. And when God gave, He didn’t just give a little, He gave a lot. In fact, God gave all He had. God gave His one and only son. So God, who is love, gives, which means that love gives. So if we want to love God and love others, we have to GIVE. In fact, if we don’t give, we don’t love.
The disciple John, who Pastor David pointed out a few weeks ago always called himself the beloved disciple, not because he thought Jesus loved Him more than the others but because John just knew how much Jesus loved him, said,
If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:17-18
So the love of God is not in us, it is not part of us, it is not reflected in u0,s if we do not give. When we do give, the love of God is not only in us but we reflect that love to the world. But to be truly blessed when we give, we need to give like God did, that means we don’t just give a little, or grudgingly, or by force, we give joyfully, freely, generously and sacrificially.
My guess is that many of us do give this way. I saw that huge pile of shoeboxes almost disappear last week and I watched families walk out with multiple boxes. I have seen the offerings pour in for Western North Carolina and know that we aren’t done giving to support the rebuilding of people’s lives in that region. I know we want to give and give all the ways God does, but I also know it can be a struggle for us to think about this kind of giving and then to actually give.
Too often we think that our struggle to give is a problem of resources. We don’t have enough time to serve in more ways and help others. We don’t have the money to give more because we’re already behind on our bills. We think we have a resource issue, but it’s not a money problem, it’s a mindset problem. We are living with a mindset of scarcity instead of abundance.
As we talk about the blessing of giving, let’s look at an amazing example of what giving looks like when we give like God. The example comes from a group of churches we hear about in the New Testament.
In Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth, he wanted to encourage the people to give so he talked about the giving he saw from a group of churches in Macedonia. These churches were in Philippi and Thessalonica and they were not wealthy. Paul says that out of their poverty, they begged him to let them give to those in need.
And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. 2 Corinthians 8:1-5
We aren’t told why the people of Macedonia faced extreme poverty, many scholars think that the political instability they faced over time, and being ruled and governed by several different nations, kept them from building any kind of wealth. But their poverty didn’t keep them from giving and giving generously. Look at how Paul described their giving.
Rich generosity, they gave beyond their ability. They gave freely, urgently pleading with Paul to let them give. They exceeded Paul’s expectations. They gave first to God and then to Paul and the people. What was it that moved them to give this way? They didn’t have a surplus of money, so it wasn’t a money issue, they gave because they were of the mind to give and they knew they had more than enough to give. They didn’t approach this situation, or life in general, from a mindset of scarcity, but a mindset of abundance. With God they knew they had more than enough to give and give generously.
In the Bible we find two different mindsets that can determine how we give. The first one is a BAG mindset. We hear about this from the prophet Haggai who said to God’s people:
You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a BAG with holes in it.
Does this sound familiar? You work hard but never seem to get ahead. You think you have to get another job to pay off your bills or to be able to finance the new car you know you need. Too often this is how we look at our life. We just don’t have enough. What we have doesn’t meet our needs We are putting our money in a bag that has a hole in it because we never have enough. With this mindset, we will never give, and we will never give generously.
The problem with this mindset is that we think it is a money issue so we tell ourselves, when I have more money, I’ll give. The problem is that when we have more money, we still won’t give because we still won’t think we have enough. Money doesn’t make us more generous, money will just magnify what is already in our heart.
Studies show that the more money people have, the less they often give. The total dollar amount they give might be more, but the percentage of their income that they give is often less. While we tell ourselves we will give more when we get more, when we get more, we never end up giving more. Giving and generosity is never a financial issue, it is a faith issue. If we aren’t faithful and generous now, more money will not make us faithful and generous.
A Bag mindset puts us into a cycle that looks like this:
God provides
We spend what we get and if we get more we spend more
We don’t have enough
We live in fear, always asking God to provide more.
The second mindset we hear about in the Bible is a BARN mindset and there are few places we hear about it:
Proverbs 3:9-10. Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your BARNS will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.
What changes a bag mindset to a barn mindset is the act of giving. Instead of consuming what God gives us first, and then feeling like we don’t have enough, we give to God first which activates our faith, which tells us we have more than enough to not only give and give generously but to care for all our needs as well. The act of giving also reflects the heart of God because God so loved the world that He gave.
The Bible also tells us that when we give to God first, God will bless us and we will never run out of what we need. In other words, our barns will be blessed and always full. God makes this promise to us through the prophet Malachi.
Bring the whole tithe into the BARN, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty .Malachi 3:10-11
This is the only passage in scripture where God says that it is ok to test Him. God wants us to give so that He can give back to us. The way that God has ordered His world is that when we give first and faithfully, God will give to us. We will be blessed. In fact, God wants to bless us so much that He is almost begging us here to give. Test me, he says, try me, see if I’m being honest with you.. I will open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing on you that you won’t be able to contain if you will just give me the tithe.
It’s more blessed to give because giving reflects the heart of God, and it opens up the floodgates of heaven so God can keep giving to us.
So let’s talk about the tithe for a moment. Some Christians don’t like the idea of a tithe because it seems to be tied to the Old Testament law and in Christ we are free from law and live by faith. I agree, we are definitely saved by grace through faith alone, but the idea or principle of a tithe actually predates the law.
A tithe is simply an offering or gift of 10%. That’s actually what the word means, one tenth. We first hear about a tithe when the King of Salem, which was located in the area that today is Jerusalem, went out and blessed Abraham. Abraham was so thankful for this blessing that he gave the King, Melchizedek, a tenth of everything he had. In time, giving God a tithe as an offering was set up and different tithes were built into the law.
While we are set from the law and aren’t under any compulsion to give a tithe, we might want to consider it as a measure of our giving because Jesus not only talked about the tithe but he encouraged people to give it.
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. Matthew 23:23
Jesus was being critical of the religious leaders who were giving the tithe exactly as they were told to, but then they weren’t being generous in other ways. They were giving the tithe but then not being generous and caring for those in need around them. Jesus said, you need to be merciful AND give the tithe. So Jesus doesn’t wipe out the tithe, He honors it. So while we aren't under any compulsion to give a tithe, we might want to use it as a Biblical principle that can help us keep a faithful mindset.
The other thing I would say about the tithe is that it is just the beginning of giving, not the end. Maybe it needs to be a goal you work towards, but if you ever get to a place where 10% goes to God, don’t stop there - keep going. I would say the tithe is where we start giving but the example of giving we have from God is that He gave ALL. God so loved that He gave His one and only Son so our giving needs to be generous and sacrificial.
Whether giving is 10%, less than 10% or more than 10% isn’t as important as just giving. The only thing that breaks the cycle of a BAG mindset is to give, so find a way to give now. Don’t wait until you have more money, don’t wait until the end of the year and see what surplus you have, don’t wait until you make out your Christmas shopping lists and see what you have left over. The longer we wait, the harder it will be to give. And if we think more money will help us give, it won’t. It’s faith that helps us give and when we give, God is thrilled and gives us more. God may not give more money, God may give us those things that money can’t buy.
The blessing that comes when we give might be better mental health and improved relationships. If you give as a couple, God might bless your marriage. If you talk about giving as a family and different ways you can give together, God might bless your family in ways you never thought possible. As you give, God might show up and show off in your life in ways that will increase your faith. When God says He will open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you won’t have room enough to store them, the blessing might be those things that money can’t buy.
Giving is what breaks the bag mindset and starts a new mindset where God provides – we give –God multiples and we have more than enough – and this leads to a stronger faith. Why is it more blessed to give? Because giving not only reflects the love of God but it leads to us having more of what God wants us to have AND a stronger faith.
Learning to give might require us to sit down and reprioritize our entire lives so that God is first, and loving others is first. Isn’t that actually the point?
Aren’t we supposed to put God first in all things? Doesn’t the Bible say to love the Lord your God with ALL your heart and soul and mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself? If we are going to love with all we have, we have to also give with all we have because love gives.
Let me close with some final words of Paul to the church in Corinth. He was trying to encourage them to give so that they could experience the blessing of God.
Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
2 Corinthians 9:6-8
We are blessed when we give. We are blessed abundantly when we give. It is more blessed to give.
Next Steps November 20, 2024
More Blessed
What memorable gift have you received? Given?
How did giving and receiving make you feel?
Which felt better? Why?
Why is it more blessed to give? See John 3:16.
There are two mindsets when it comes to giving:
Summarize each mindset
The BAG - see Haggai 1:6
1. _______________________________________
2. _______________________________________
3. _______________________________________
4. _______________________________________
The BARN - see Proverbs 3:9-10 and Malachi 3:10-11
1. _______________________________________
2. _______________________________________
3. _______________________________________
4. _______________________________________
Which mindset do you find yourself in today?
Giving is what breaks the cycle of the bag mindset.
How and where can you give now?
How can you give not only money but time, faith, and love?
Find one new way to give in this Thanksgiving and Christmas season.
Read what Paul says about the Macedonians’ giving.
2 Corinthians 8:1-5.
Is your desire to give as strong as theirs?
What step can you take today to begin to develop this kind of passion and commitment to giving?
For further study:
Consider the principle of tithing.
See Genesis 14:19-20, Malachi 3:10-11, Matthew 23:23.
Why might tithing be a good principle to follow?
What benefits are there to tithing?
Do you think tithing is the beginning of giving or the end goal of giving?
