Giving: Great Generosity to People in Need
Manifesting in many different ways, great generosity to people is often revealed in surprising ways. Here is an example.
Macie carefully evaluated the shirts for sale in a local boutique. With a budget of $50 to spend, she was certain she could find a top and coordinating earrings. A trendy and pale-colored shirt quickly caught her eye, and she thought, No, Janet would look better in a dark or bold color. Her co-worker, Janet, was a single mom and having financial difficulties. Several days earlier, Macie had overheard her confessing that she couldn’t remember the last time she had shopped for herself. Just thinking about the possibility of Janet’s surprise and excitement to receive an unexpected gift brought joy to Macie’s heart. To top that, the most exciting part for Macie was that she planned to give it to her anonymously. Macie has the gift of giving which is great generosity to people.
Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. –Romans 12:6-8
What is the Gift of Giving?
It is the God-inspired ability to extend great generosity to people in need. When people with this gift encounter a person that is lacking something, they are able to quickly identify the need, even if it isn’t obvious to others. Maybe the giver notices that someone needs help with a $10 lunch, a $200 car repair, or $100,000 for a home in foreclosure. Without a doubt, the size or magnitude of the need makes no difference to the person with this gift. If the need is beyond the giver’s resources, he or she solicits the help of others to combine resources. People endowed with the gift of giving often seek to find new sources of revenue or creative ways to better use resources.
Biblical Examples of Giving: Great Generosity to People in Need
The Good Samaritan described in Luke 10 had the gift of giving. As he was traveling, a Samaritan man encountered a Levite who had been left for dead. Several other travelers ignored the beaten Levite. Undeterred by the great racial tension between Samaritans and Levites, the Samaritan man disrupted his personal plans, administered first aid to the Levite, and brought him to an inn for safety and care. His giving extended even further in this passage.
The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’ -Luke 10:35
Generosity doesn’t always show up in the form of money. John 6 teaches us about a boy who generously gave all that he had which was 5 loaves of bread and two fish. Can you imagine being hungry, a good distance from your home, and giving away the entirety of the food you packed? This boy sacrificially and selflessly donated all of his food to Jesus.
Do you know of anyone that extends great generosity to people in need?
It’s not uncommon to hear these people asking questions like: How can I help? What do you need? If they aren’t asking questions, he or she has already determined the need and is generously donating resources to fill in the gap. Examples of people with this gift could include a man that consistently donates toward church missions or a woman who organizes and inspires others to contribute resources to a family who just lost their home to a fire. Or, it just might be a 5-year-old girl who gives the contents of her piggy bank to her elderly neighbor who needs help to purchase groceries.
Want to read about other Gifts of Grace from God? Here are links to the gift of prophecy, the gift of serving, the gift of teaching, the gift of exhortation, the gift of mercy, and the gift of leadership.