Give Freely

I did not come from a family that could be considered particularly wealthy. We did not go on regular vacations, some Christmases had fewer gifts under the tree than others, we didn’t always get to eat at nice restaurants and we were often tight on money. Even today, I’m not what you would call a rich man. However, I have blessings. We never went to bed hungry, we were never without clothes and we still got to enjoy a few luxuries every once in a while. And because I have these blessings, I am also blessed with the capacity to give.

Proverbs 11:24 tells us “One gives freely, yet grows all the richer, another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want”. This is a call by God to not be covetous of the things we possess and to give freely to others. It is not part of the design of man to be greedy and hold tightly onto the things of this world. We were created to be selfless and to bless as many people as we can throughout our brief time on this Earth.

Now, if you find yourself in a similar financial situation as mine, you may be telling yourself that you simply don’t have enough to give. Well, I won’t hold anything against you for it since I held similar reservations about giving some time ago. However, I encourage you to look at the example set by Jesus.

Jesus, although being the Son of God and King of all creation, was not rich. He was flat broke and homeless. And yet still, whenever Jesus had anything to give, He gave it. When He had food, he gave it away. He gave his time to others by offering them teachings and even healings. And at the end of His journey, Jesus gave the only thing He had left that had any real value: His life. Even when He had nothing left to give, He gave some more.

Jesus encouraged a spirit of giving, to not worship our time, possessions or money. His teachings of giving were not exclusively directed towards the rich and comfortable. You may not be called to give thousands of dollars to charity or renovate entire church buildings. But you can still give, no matter how little you have. You can still leave tips to your waitress, you can donate cans of food to the homeless, you can give your time by serving your church. You don’t have to push yourself into homelessness, especially if you have a family to support and provide for. But you can still always give freely abundantly.

We are called to give, never to hoard. Pray to the Lord about what He would have you give and how much. And if you feel a sense of anxiety from the thought of giving, let me encourage you with Matthew 6:26-34, where God promises to provide for and uplift His children. And that is precisely what you are: a child of God. Called to be selfless and give as much as you can.

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