Giving for the Joy of It

“A generous woman extends more than her coin purse. She’s also generous with her heart.” ~ It’s Good to Be Queen

Giving to others can be tricky. Yes, we do it to bless, not to impress, but sometimes we secretly hope we’ll knock the person’s socks off with our generosity.

Just being honest here.

From God’s point of view, giving generously isn’t about the size of our gift. And motive matters far more than money. This week, a quick look at what else His Word can teach us.

Chapter Eight: It’s Good to Give Generously

How generous was the queen of Sheba? Take a look:

And she gave the king 120 talents of gold,
large quantities of spices, and precious stones.
Never again were so many spices brought in
as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
1 Kings 10:10

Okay, that’s a ton. More like 4.5 tons of gold, plus spices worth even more. Since she presented her hostess gift right before she got outta Dodge, Sheba clearly wasn’t trying to earn Solomon’s favor. Rather, she was displaying her gratitude and respect.

So, one reason for giving? To show how grateful we are. In Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi, he assured them their gifts of support were “a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God” (Philippians 4:18).

A second reason for giving? It’s fun. When the Bible says, “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7), the word “cheerful” comes from the Greek word hilarós—as in “hilarious.”

What’s the connection? When you make someone laugh, when they see the humor in what you’re saying, they’re won over. Their laughter becomes a gift, freely and joyfully given.

That’s how God wants us to give—from a sense of joy rather than a sense of duty.

Time for me to answer one of our Study Guide questions, then I hope you’ll do the same. You can be sure I consider each response a gift. And this week, I have a surprise for you. Keep reading…

From the Study Guide

2. c. How does 1 John 4:11 capture the heart of gift giving?

This is the verse I usually write on the notepad in my hotel room before I check out: “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 1 John 4:11.

It’s one way to let the housekeeping staff know why I left a tip for their good service. Not because I’m kind or caring or generous, but because God is all those things and more.

His gift to us—His only Son—remains the greatest gift ever given to humankind. When we give to one another—cheerfully, eagerly, generously—we are doing what we can to follow His example.

That’s why our gifts need to be personal, meaningful, and sacrificial, wrapped in love, mercy, and grace. Because that’s how the Father gives.

Bless You, Lord, for showing us what generous giving means, then stirring our hearts to do the same. We’re not there yet, but we want to be. So grateful, Lord, for Your patience and Your love.

Now, it’s your turn

How would you finish, “It’s good to give generously because _____.”? Keep reading to find out why you’ll want to take a moment to respond! Also, my free video teaching for Chapter 8 awaits you on Vimeo and you’ll find this week’s smart phone/tablet wallpaper here. How grand, learning from the queen of Sheba with you!

Your grateful sister, Liz
@LizCurtisHiggs

P.S. Now, the delightful surprise: our friends at DaySpring are celebrating this week’s post on giving with a generous giveaway!

Ten winners will receive my new Parable Treasury, a collection of my best-selling Parable books for children ages 3-7 plus DaySpring’s beautiful “Think About Such Things” Journal, featuring a Scripture verse on each page and bound with embossed faux leather in a lovely harvest orange.

Entering to win is easy: just post a comment under “Share Your Thoughts” below. Then we’ll choose ten winners at random on Tuesday, October 20 at 12noon ET—the perfect lead-in for next week’s post on why It’s Good to Receive Graciously!