Man to Man: The Giver

            I have never been good at gift giving. I love to give, I’m just bad at choosing what to give. On our first Christmas as a married couple, I wanted to give Cindy something special. We had just gotten married in November and were still working at getting our little apartment together. So, I went out and bought a tank vacuum cleaner as her first Christmas present. It was powder blue and looked like a little pig. When she opened it, she was gracious in her response. But I could see on her pretty nineteen-year-old face that this was not a good choice. My ability has evolved and somewhat improved over the past forty-two years. We will sometimes look back on that first attempt of giving and have a good laugh. But I still call on her to pick out things we will give family and friends.

            Gift giving has never been a problem for God. James 1:17 reminds us that, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” This was first demonstrated in creation. Before God brought man and woman into being, he assured that everything they would ever need for their care and happiness was provided. He continued providing the gift of his presence and protection to his people throughout the Old Testament. This culminated by giving the life of his perfect, sinless Son so that I might experience freedom from sin and death. But he did not stop there. To assure consistent interaction was available, God gave his Holy Spirit to live in us as a seal of our salvation and a reminder of his grace.

            It should not surprise us, therefore, that God has made giving and important part of our relationship with him. From the moment man fell away from perfect fellowship, God instituted the sacrificial system. God did not need a lot of dead animals. What he did need, were people willing to release their absolute best and offer it to him. The fact that the priests were offered some of the meat to care for their needs was simply a side benefit. This same pattern of teaching people to give was continued in the New Testament when the Church was instructed to give to one another. In Acts 11, famine impacted Jerusalem. People were called on to give what they could to assist those impacted. In 2 Corinthians 8, the Macedonians were taught to be generous, even though they didn’t have much themselves.

            God does not call us to be generous in our giving because he needs money. His purpose is to teach us to model his character. A heart that willingly gives to ministry is a heart that has chosen to place a greater importance on God and others than on their own security and comfort.

            For those of you who are part of Murray Church, this is not a plea for more to be given. Our church is on solid financial ground, even amid the pandemic and resulting struggle in the economy. Instead, this is a plea to men to continue to pursue a character that follows the example of God. To do this, we must be people who learn to give to others out of compassion and with a willing and thankful heart.