Giving is a gift

We had Rev David Loo, a.k.a. The Singing Pastor (or as he has pointed out, also The Singing Loo!), as our guest speaker today, and I almost forgot what a wonderful singing voice he has. His sermon was on the Gift of Giving, from 2 Corinthians 8.

I’ve learnt a few lessons, one of which is this: giving is a gift – we must be careful not to resort to impulse giving or pity giving or guilt giving. Giving is a gift of grace.

I’ve seen and experienced much impulse giving – the thought would just come and without much prayer, the act of giving is just carried out.

Pity giving, on the other hand, is a kind of giving that is almost self-righteous. It elevates one self to a position where the giving is “I have more and therefore I must give to the less”. What is lacking is love and compassion, which is altogether different from pity.

Guilt giving, I think is the worst of the three – it is self-serving. It may or may not be subconscious, where “I give and therefore I feel good about it”.

And of course there is a worse kind of giving – shall I call it “reciprocal giving”*? It is to give in return of something. Some people give so that the recipient will be indebted to them.

Giving is a discipline we must learn and cultivate. It needs much prayer and discerning when and what to give. Money and valuables are dangerous stuff and could cause the downfall of others – so give prayerfully and responsibly.

If in doubt, ask the LORD.

pearlie

* note: "reciprocal" has a two-sided nuance to it -- I am still thinking of a better word to describe this kind of giving with a motive.