Have you ever felt the urge to give out a gift to someone before? Giving is not limited to material things alone, you can give in material and in kind.
What is giving?
Giving is an extension of a gift from someone (known as giver) to another person (known as the receiver). In most cases, the receiver might not be less privileged but the giver only felt like giving out a thing to the person. A little child can give his bottle of water to an elderly person whom he sees to be in need of the water, probably to drink or to wash his hands etc that doesn’t make the little child superior to the elderly person, he only had what the person needed. Another instance is when a person gives or sows a seed into the life of another person, either cloth or money, whatever it is, it’s just a seed sown, doesn’t necessarily mean that the receiver is in need of it.
Why do people give?
1. To meet the need of others: many people give when they notice the other person is in need of such thing. The receiver in such situation will be filled with excitement
2. To attract blessings to their life: in most cases people sow seeds to the life of men of God to attract blessings, this is not only applicable to men of God, anyone can bless you for giving to them.
The bible says in Luke 6:38 Give and it shall be given unto you… So as a giver, you have nothing to lose, rather you attract more blessings to your life. Remember there is seed time and harvest time Genesis 8:22
3. To attract favour from the receiver: it is a normal thing for people to buy something when going to visit someone, the person being visited might be someone in a reputable position and the receiver needs a favour from the person, so he or she would get a present on his/her way to seeing the person. In 1 Samuel 25:18,27 Abigail had to give some loaves of bread, bottles of wine and other things to David in order to find favour from him.
4. The other person in need asked for it: many times people find themselves in one need or the other, but some gets their answer quickly while others don’t. What differentiates them is this, some will humbly ask for help while others won’t ask. A person who is capable of helping might not see you in the need. He or she might not know you have the need but when you ask, you are likely to get your needs met.
So, some people give because the other person asked for it. An example in the scriptures is the widow of Zarephath and the prophet Elijah in 1 Kings 17:10-15
Prophet Elijah asked for a morsel of bread and he got it.
5. To be a blessing unto others:
One thing you should know is that God didn’t bless you for yourself alone. He has blessed you to be a blessing unto other people around you Genesis 12:2. Your life should be as a flowing river, which has green grasses surrounding it. A flowing river can never stink because it is not withholding that which it has and it will definitely be surrounded with green leaves and grasses because they flourish from it. Being a blessing to others will attract more blessings to you. Acts 9:36-41
Dorcas while she was alive kept doing good to those around her, she was a blessing to them and when she died, they were the ones who spoke good about her to the man of God. Dorcas came back to life after being prayed for. Never should you think that your good works is in vain for God himself is the rewarder of men.
Proverbs 11:25
Why should we give? (Benefits of giving)
1. God commands it Deuteronomy 15:7, 2 Corinthians 9:7
2. It is more blessed to give than to receive Acts 20:35
This does not mean that being at the receiving end is a bad thing but there are a lot of blessings attached to being the giver, because proverbs 11:25 says he that watereth shall be watered also himself
3. To help those in need: it is bad to see someone in need and look away when you are in a position to help. If you have what the fellow is in need of, do not hesitate to help the person.
Proverbs 3:28 KJV
Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.
A little help might save the life of someone so don’t hold back what you think can be of help to someone else.
In conclusion, be a cheerful giver, giving should not be done grudgingly. And do not close your eyes to the needs of others around you, remember all you have was given to you by God and God has blessed us to be a blessing unto others.