WHEN DOES THE GIVING STOP? Have you ever received a gift and then felt required to give a gift in return, and then the person gives a gift to you and, well you know how it goes, the gift-giving just keeps going and going? The gift giving becomes no longer motivated by love as much as motivated by obligation and guilt. The gift given out of love becomes the gift given out of guilt; tragically, this is not the way it was meant to be.
I often find myself in this same situation when it comes to giving to the Lord. The Bible tells me that I am able to give because God first has given to me. Without the gracious giving of God I would not have the ability, or even the desire to give. You see the problem is that God has given so much to us that we can feel guilty that we can give back to Him in like manner. Like trying to out give the super gift giver in your family we try to give God that which we do not even possess and since we fall so miserably short we either feel guilty or stop giving, both of which God does not desire of us.
I believe the answer to this dilemma is found in understanding that God does not call us to give that which we do not have, but only that which we do. We are not able to out give God, but that does not mean we shouldn’t give in return. But our giving should arise out of that which we possess. What is this that we possess? Our very life, the choice we make on how to spend our time and money, these are gifts which we can give. Our prayers of praise to God and our words of encouragement to others, these are gifts we can give. The skill, talent, or hobby that brings joy to our life, these are the gifts that we can give.
No trying to match God’s gift. No guilt involved, just the simple joy that comes from giving out of our heart and life. This is the gift that will best bless the heart of the great Gift-Giver.
So let us give.