Daily Journal: 20 July

Gift-Givers

I have a friend who has an extremely strong gift of generosity. She loves to give. She loves to look for things she can give. She loves to consider what she’s giving to a particular person who she’s chosen to give to. She will hunt and search diligently, thinking about her recipients as she’s doing so. It gives her such joy – and then it gives such joy to the recipient of her giving because not only is it a gift, it is a thoughtful gift that comes from her heart, with joy. Sometimes its frivolous, sometimes its needed, always its meaningful. She’s an amazing, matchless gift-giver.

We can all be amazing gift-givers. We don’t all have the same areas of gifting but to give with a full heart, a willing heart, a heart over-flowing with the desire to treasure someone, is truly the greatest heart for any gift-giver, for any type of gift.

Romans 12:6-8 (NLV)

We all have different gifts that God has given to us by His loving-favour. We are to use them. If someone has the gift of preaching the Good News, he should preach. He should use the faith God has given him. If someone has the gift of helping others, then he should help. If someone has the gift of teaching, he should teach. If someone has the gift of speaking words of comfort and help, he should speak. If someone has the gift of sharing what he has, he should give from a willing heart. If someone has the gift of leading other people, he should lead them [diligently]. If someone has the gift of showing kindness to others, he should be happy as he does it.

Whatever our gifts, doing it with all patient attention, all good effort and diligence, all heart and all joy allows the joy of giving to return to us so that we can continue with even more generosity of heart. It’s the most beautiful principle – that of sowing and reaping – that echoes through the bible.

Luke 6:38 – give and it will be given to you, pressed down, shaken together and running over.

2 Corinthians 9:6 – the person who sows sparingly will reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will reap generously.

Matthew 25:14-30 – the picture story of the three servants entrusted with different gifts of money.

The nature of God towards us as we give from a joyful heart is that our giving would be rewarded and returned to us, multiplied, because He is the ultimate gift-giver and that is the heart of God.

No matter what our gift, it is always a meaningful pursuit.

Proverbs 11:24 (NLV)

There is one who is free in giving, and yet he grows richer. And there is one who keeps what he should give, but he ends up needing more.

Joy embraces our gift where our giving is given freely. The nature of real giving is to give without thought of anything in return and because of this heart posture, the giver grows richer because of it.

I pray we would all become matchless gift-givers in the area of our gifting and pursue it with all joy.