By Rev. Julius Izza Tabi
The blessings of generosity
“In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive” Acts 20:35*
I have been raised and now serve in a church where nearly every Sunday, there is an appeal to Christians to give towards a project, activity, ceremony and other related activities in addition to the regular Sunday service giving. Although many believers do generously give in response to these appeals, to some believers, it has become ‘unbearable.’ I have heard many complain and known a few who left the church because they think it is too much a demand.
Read more: The blessings of generosityWhereas I believe that there is a better way the church can plan regular giving than often what is practiced, a believer need not to complain or evade generous giving lest he or she misses the blessings of generosity. One of the spiritual laws of giving is this: ‘it is more blessed to give than to receive.’
These were Jesus’ words as quoted by apostle Paul in his farewell address to the Ephesians. He exhorted and encouraged them by his own example to be hardworking, earn a living such that they can support the weak in their midst. At one point, Jesus said that the poor will always be in our midst, so, we shall always have the privilege to exercise our generosity by supporting the poor that are among us. Whenever opportunity presents, let us give as much as we can, there is a blessing in giving, much more than in receiving.
The Bible has a lot to say about giving, and there is no verse which has a command as this: thou shalt not giveth. According to Dr. Tom Davis’s statistical analysis, the Bible has more to say about giving or possessions than love. He noticed that whereas the word love is mentioned 714 times in the Bible, giving or possessions is mentioned 2,172 times. This is not to say that giving is above love, after all, the former is an expression of the latter. But we can say that the Bible considers giving as an important theme that it couldn’t remain silent on it.
Giving is not to be restricted to the support of the poor, there are many cases at which our generosity is called. Is it tithe, is it church offering, is it a freewill giving, is it a thanksgiving offering, is it giving in response to an appeal to execute a project, mission work, etc.? Whatever the purpose of the giving, we have been encouraged to be generous, for in doing so, we receive more blessings than if we give sparingly or give with grumbling heart or worst still, fail to give at all. You will never become poor because of generous giving, instead, a Bible proverb says;
“It is possible to give freely and become more wealthy, but those who are stingy will lose everything. The generous prosper and are satisfied; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed” Proverbs 11:24-25, NLT.
Some people are held back from giving because they think they do not have enough to give. “Where will I find my day’s supper if I give away what I have” they reason like the Shunammite widow. Others think that the rich should be the ones to give generously, after all they will still have something to spare after they have given. But the poor widow whom Jesus watched drop her ‘all’ (the only remaining coin) in the offering basket as commended by Jesus teaches us that we do not have to give from the excesses we have and that there is no one too poor to give.
“Generosity’s not about how much you have in your pocket. It’s about what’s in your heart. Now, the potential to be generous is available to all of us” Dr. David Jeremiah
What has been your attitude towards giving? How have you been responding to the opportunities to give? Did you know that it is more blessed to give than to receive? Will you (a believer) emulate God your father in his generosity of giving his only Son for the salvation of humankind? Be it known to you that this ‘spiritual law’ of possession and giving stands: it is more blessed to give than to receive. There is blessing in generosity. Be as much generous as the Spirit of God prompts you to be.
Rev. J
*Unless indicated, all scripture quotations are from the New International Version (NIV), 1984.
Rev. Julius Izza Tabi is a priest in the Anglican Diocese of Ma’di-West Nile in Arua City, Northern Uganda. He is a PhD candidate at Uganda Christian University and holds a Master of Philosphy in Religion, Society and Global Issues from MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society. Julius is the Director of Uganda Christian University Arua Campus. He is married to Oliver and with their three children; Samuel, Shemuel, and Shalem, the live in Arua, Northwest of Uganda.
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“Be as much generous as the Spirit of God prompts you to be”
Rev. Julius Izza Tabi
JIT Global Impact Ministries 
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