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The Purpose Of Giving Speaking of giving, there is a story of three sons who ventured out into the world, prospered, and then wanted to show their gratitude toward their elderly mother through the giving of gifts. As the three gathered later in life, the first said, “I built a big house for mom.” The next said, “Well, I sent her a Mercedes with a driver.” The third smiled and said, “I’ve got you both beat—you know how mom always loved to read the Bible, but her eyes were failing her? Well, I sent her a parrot that can recite the entire Bible It took 20 monks in a monastery 12 years to teach him, and I needed to pledge to contribute $100,000 a year for 10 years—but it was well worth it. Mom just has to name the chapter, and the parrot will recite it. Soon thereafter, Mom sent out her “Thank You” notes. She wrote the first son, “Milton, the house you gave me is so huge, I can only live in one room at a time—but I have to clean the whole thing. Thank you anyway.” She wrote the second son, “Marvin, I am too old to really go anywhere, and I prefer to just stay home—so I never use the Mercedes. And the driver is so rude! Thank you anyway.” Then she wrote the third son, “Dearest Melvin, you were my only son to have the good sense to know what your mother likes. The chicken was delicious!!!” Granted…it is a very stupid little story, but it is also the absolute absurdity of it that makes a very important point—how stupid it is to persist in our own understanding of God’s gifts! Oh, I’m not speaking of the spiritual gifts as discussed in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, and Ephesians 4. No, I’m referring to the very nature of God—His loving, and therefore, giving character. So many today misunderstand the very dynamic of giving, especially as it needs to be understood from God's perspective. Now, you would think, that having just come through the Christmas season, we would have a pretty good handle on the purpose of giving. No, actually. It is just the opposite—so much of the focus is on getting what we want, and the long return lines in the stores the day after Christmas only reveals that we didn’t. You see, the spirit of giving, and all of life for that matter, needs to be seen as held in the hand of God Almighty. This is especially crucial as we move into this New Year with all of the uncertainties that loom around. Since all things are under His control, all that He gives to people must be seen as being held in trust, and therefore, returned to Him—and all for His glory. In the Old Testament, this is clearly seen in 1 Samuel 1. Hannah had gone to Shiloh to worship the Lord and to pray for a child, and yet, year after year, she remained barren. One such time, she prayed, “O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but will give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life…” (1:11) Now, this was not some inane bargain with God, making it possible to get what she wanted because God would be getting what He wanted. No, it was all so God could illustrate a very important point. You see, she did then conceive and had a little boy—she named him Samuel, meaning “asked of God.” After the child was weaned, she brought him to Shiloh, saying, “For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of Him: therefore also I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the Lord.” (vss.27, 28) God’s point? The purpose of giving is to give. When God gives a gift, He does not intend for it to be hoarded. No, He intends it to be given back, and all for His glory. If we have had our spiritual eyes opened wide this past Christmas season, we saw this clearly. When the angel Gabriel came to Zechariah the priest and announced the amazing gift of a child he and his wife Elizabeth were about to receive, he didn’t believe it. Not that he couldn’t believe it—he just didn’t. When the angel struck him dumb, and he remained that way for the entire pregnancy, he then knew that God could do anything. Zechariah now firmly believed that everything was in His hands—under the Lord’s control. And when the gift came, the baby John was given back to God for His glory. Zechariah prophesied, “And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways; to give knowledge of salvation unto His people by the remission of their sins.” (Luke 1:76, 77) And so he would—John the Baptist, the cousin of Jesus, would be that voice crying in the wilderness—God is calling one and all to stand against sin. We see it in Mary, too. When the same angel appeared to her and told of the gift that she and Joseph would receive, she didn’t get it at first, either. How was it even possible? Scripture tells us, “And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God…for with God nothing shall be impossible.” (vss. 35, 37) It was all in God’s hand, even if she didn’t understand it all. He loved Mary and Joseph, and He would take care of them—their part was to trust. And so she did—“Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.” (vs38) And Mary would not hoard this gift—she knew the purpose of giving. The gift she was about to receive would venture out from their hometown of Nazareth and become the world’s Savior—even her own! This dynamic of God’s character, by the way, is not just for women—we see it in Joseph, too. When he first knew of this child, he didn’t understand it either—Yes, they were betrothed, but this couldn’t possibly be his baby. When the angel explained the miracle, he embraced the gift—he knew it was from God, even salvation itself. The prophets had declared it centuries earlier: “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” (Matt. 1:23) Praise God—Joseph immediately did as the angel told him to do and took Mary to be his wife, and the two of them raised him and saw Him “increase in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.” (Luke 2:52) Yes, their precious gift had been given back to the Lord, even through all those years of raising Jesus. It can be seen in the visiting shepherds, too. When they received the Good News of this coming Gift, they ran to see Him. The Scriptures tell us, “And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.” (2: 17,18) They received the gift, but didn’t hoard it—they literally gave it away. Oh, not because they didn’t like it and wanted to trade it in, but precisely because they loved it. And they loved it because they knew that God, the Giver Himself, loved them first. They received it, and then gave it back—and that changed their lives, transformed their jobs, and sanctified their relationships. The shepherds returned to their sheep, glorifying and praising God—nevermore to be the same. Isn’t that the purpose of God’s gifts—to manifest His love and who He is; to make Himself conspicuous so that He will be embraced? The Wisemen had been given the significance of the Gift through a star in the east, and they would stop at nothing to give the Gift back. They fell down and worshipped Him and gave them gifts of their own—gold for a king, frankincense for God, and myrrh—for the anointing of a dead body. A dead body? I can understand King and God, but why a dead body? Yes, this baby would come to this earth to be both King and God, and that for the purpose of dying—dying to pay the price for our sin and offer salvation to all who would stand against that sin. He would suffer, die and rise again in order to live within a people who would deny themselves and be given over to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. In recent years, so many in the church have held to such a stupid view of God—a sugar daddy, or even Santa Clause himself. One so-called revival had a banner over their podium, and their chant of it was even louder—“MORE, MORE, MORE.” Altars of greed, more concerned with unbiblical manifestations and warm fuzzy feelings than the glory of God. So many are intent on “getting,” with so few really bringing anything back to God. In fact, at one such meeting, the offering amounted to about 15 cents for every supposedly changed life. When God gives a gift, it is meant to be given back—for the sake of His glory. God’s life birthed in me is intended to be brought back to Him for the sake of His Kingdom. Lord, I give you the life you have given me—by your grace, I bring it back into your house to be used for your glory. No more self, no more me, no more letting the opinions of the world rule over me, telling me what to do and when. No, God’s true church will march right into this New Year of 2003 ruled by only One—the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember—the purpose of giving is to give. Copyright (c)
2005 Christ Our Rock Bible Church. |
