Christian Giving is God’s Character for Others

Christians have often been motivated by an obligation to give the church or to Christian causes, falsely believing they are required to do so by God’s injunction, and believing that the “all seeing eye” of God is watching them to determine if they measure up to the biblical commands of percentages of 10% or more. This kind of performance-based giving is fear-driven and focused on man attempting to please God and maintain favor with God. It is not Christian giving, but rather a form of fear-driven religious human performance.

Christian giving begins with Christ, for otherwise it would not be Christian. Christian giving is only derived from the Giver, God Himself. Christian giving is God’s character being expressed for others, that others may experience the Life of the Giver – Christ Himself. Christian giving is …“that others may live”! Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). Christian giving is God’s loving and giving character of grace being expressed in and though the Christian toward others, and always unto God’s glory!  

God is a giver/lover, who is reaching out to other personal beings. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16). Therefore a Christian (Christ-one), is a giver/lover who knows his/her identity in Christ and chooses to “live like it,” allowing the giving and loving grace of God to be expressed through them toward others, “that others may live,” unto His glory.

The pre-requisite of Christian giving is first and foremost the receiving of the divine Giver and the subsequent giving of ourselves to the Lord (II Cor. 8:5). God is not interested in your gifts until He has your heart. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). Christian giving comes from the heart of our identity in Christ. Christian giving is as “natural” for the Christian, as breathing is for a human being. Christian giving is effortlessly allowing the character of God to be expressed in and through the behavior of a person in whom God dwells. Giving is an act of faith – a Christian’s receptivity to God’s giving-activity.

Giving is the spontaneous desire of the Christian to allow for the manifestation of God’s loving and giving character to be expressed in and through his behavior toward others. “Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). Giving is selfless and thus best understood as God’s unconditional love or action for others. "The love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us" (Romans 5:5).

We love, we give, because the loving, giving God is living and working in us. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Eph. 2:10). The point being made is that Christian character is always derived from the character of Christ. Therefore, Christian love is an expression of God's loving character and God's giving character, which has been given to us by the presence of the Spirit of Christ indwelling us.

The will of God for the Christian is always to allow the life of Jesus Christ to be “lived out” in giving to, loving, and serving others (II Cor. 8:5).

As Christians, we are to prayerfully discern what God’s giving intent is for us, to determine how He desires to give through us: when He wants to give, to whom He wants to give and how much He wants to give. It is never a question of whether a Christian will give, only when, how much and to whom.

The Christian has a choice to give or not to give! We do not have to give as an obligation or requirement. The Christian desire to give is because the Giving God who is love, is always giving of Himself “that others may live.” There is always a sowing and reaping in life (Gal. 6:7). “He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (2 Cor. 9:6). Giving is the privilege of the Christian to participate with God in all of His giving activity as we give ourselves to His purposes. Don’t miss God’s opportunity to give, for it is the privilege of the Christian to be used as an instrument of God’s loving/giving character as a “cheerful giver” (II Cor. 9:7).

The motto of CrossLife Ministries is, “that others may live,” which expresses the giving heart of God as an integral part of our mission statement. We thank God for each one who has given and is participating as a vital part of this ministry. Your involvement in this ministry has touched a multitude of lives and expresses the giving/loving heart of Jesus. We say, “thank you” in advance to all those whom God will be prompting to give and participate in this ministry of grace, “that others may live”!  

© 2015 by Don Burzynski, www.cross-life.org