E91 - Hope’s Harbor Gritty Bible Devotions - Discovering Your Spiritual Gift - Part 5 of 7 - Giving
Hope’s Harbor
Gritty Bible Devotions
Episode #91
Title: What is Your Spiritual Gift? Part 5 of 7 - Giving
Date: January 30, 3023
Contact: info@hopesharbor.net
Key verse: Matthew 20:28 - “…just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."
The word Give is used 377 times in the New Testament, King James Version: it means to bestow, bring forth (G1325)
Now, in the key verse, Jesus tells us He gave His life as a ransom. And in the account of the Last Supper in Mark 14:22 & 23, Jesus gave the bread and the cup which were symbolic of his body and blood. This act of Jesus points back to the action of giving His life, in the key verse.
Intro: The spiritual gift of giving is an action gift. The word itself is a verb, which refers to taking action. This gift requires that we do something, we bestow something to others.
And while all Christians are required to give, Christians mature in their faith will be the first to give of themselves, their time, and their treasure.
Devotion focus: Giving that pleases GOD
Have you ever given much thought to the fact we can actually please GOD?
Listen first to a warning about giving and then listen to the blessing of giving with the right motive.
The warning: 2 Corinthians chapter 9 verse 6 – ‘But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
The blessing in verse 7 – ‘So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.’
Verse 6 is a warning to the stingy-hearted person. It describes the cause-and-effect of withholding from GOD when it comes to giving. And listen, stingy people seem to prosper when they take what belongs to GOD and they invest it for their own wealth, which they hoard. The ‘reaping sparingly’ of 2 Corinthians 9:6 may happen in this life, but will certainly happen at the judgment seat of Christ when Christians are rewarded for their deeds.
This is not about GOD’s wrath, which was settled at the cross and no Christian needs to fear GOD’s wrath. Rather, the judgment seat of Jesus is when GOD rewards His people for the good they did in their life, or He withholds the rewards. This principle is described by Jesus in Matthew 25 verses 15 – 28.
I hope the point is made about the consequences of a lack of giving. Let’s look at giving that pleases GOD.
So we know from 2 Corinthians 9:7 that GOD loves it when we give from a cheerful heart because a cheerful giver indicates love for GOD. Cheerfulness also indicates a willing heart.
Concerning someone with a willing heart, there was an event, recorded in Luke 21, verses 1 through 4, during which Jesus was sitting near the treasury in the temple, watching people giving their offerings. A poor widow approached. She gave 2 mites. An online source valued a mite in today’s money as 1/8 of one cent. So not even a penny. Listen to the account found in Luke 21, verses 1 through 4.
Verse 1 – ‘And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury,
Verse 2 – ‘and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites.
Verse 3 – ‘So He said, "Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all;
Verse 4 – “for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had."’
The widow is described in verse 2 as poor. The Greek word for poor is the same for a beggar. She lived in poverty. In verse 4 Jesus said she gave all of her means to live. When she gave, there was nothing left for her. And Jesus commended her.
So what do you think? Did Jesus commend the action? Or her heart? I believe He commended both because her action revealed her heart.
This story should be a reminder for us to keep a close watch on our motives when giving, especially when this is our primary gift.
Also, keep in mind, Scripture exhorts us to use wisdom in all we do. This is especially true when you consider all the scam artists practicing theft today, especially on the internet. But not only the internet, also through our phones. Text messages abound with scams.
Before giving to a religious organization, look into them first. Ask a trusted pastor if you need guidance before giving. Pastors know about the scams going around, preying on churches and gullible members.
Legitimate ministries are open with their finances. Only 5% - 10% of administrative costs are acceptable. There are so-called ‘charitable’ organizations in which only 4% make it to those for whom the donations are intended. This is inexcusable. (*See link in the appendix for this finding)
Not all the ‘charities’ in existence are for helping those in need. One online site listed the pay and compensation for CEO’s for about a dozen of these so-called charities. Every president/CEO of these makes over $1,000,000 per year and several make multiple millions yearly. I’ll let you decide whether to give to such organizations. Just use wisdom.
Here is one example of a good ministry: Kupendwaministries.org. This is a maternity ministry located in Uganda. If you go on the website you will see the work being done with the donations coming in. David and I have both served there, and support their ongoing work.
Summary: If you are just now discovering your gift is giving, then you have an exciting adventure ahead of you. When you exercise your gift with wisdom and generosity you will change the lives of others. Let the Lord guide you.
As for the rest of us, we are called on to give to GOD’s work in the world. All of us may take comfort that living a life of sacrificial giving will one day be recognized openly by GOD when we stand before Him.
Action to consider: If you think your gift is giving, then take time today to sit down for a moment, away from distractions, and write out a few ways you would like to give. Then ask around your friends at church for ideas they may have, and look into some of these that appeal, along with the list you wrote.
Pray while looking over your list and ask GOD for His personal leading for where he would have you give. Highlight the ones that appeal or jump out. Then contact someone there and ask what their needs are, and go from there.
Also, there is a Christian website called spiritualgiftstest.com that may be worth looking into. On this site, there is a test to take in order to help with determining our spiritual gift. David will look into this ministry more, sometime in the next 2 weeks. So far he’s read their statement of faith and it is correct with Bible doctrine. He’ll let us know more by the end of this series.
Next week’s devotion: The Spiritual Gift of Leadership (Organization)
More notes for study:
https://www.fba.org/discipleship/guide-to-spiritual-gifts
· Prophecy
· Service
· Teaching
· Exhortation
· Giving
· Organization
· Mercy
Prophecy:
Characteristics of the Gift of Prophecy
• Need to express themselves
• Quick impressions of people
• Alertness to dishonesty
• Desire for justice
• Openness about their own faults
• Wholehearted involvement
• Loyalty to truth vs. people
• Willingness to suffer for right
• Persuasiveness in defining truth
■ Misunderstandings of the Gift of Prophecy
• The individual’s sense of right and wrong may be judged as intolerance
• The strong desire to proclaim truth may be interpreted as disinterest in listening to another’s point of view
• Frankness may be viewed as harshness
• Interest in groups may be interpreted as disinterest in individuals
• Efforts to gain results may be seen as using gimmicks
• Emphasis on decision may appear as neglecting spiritual growth
• Public boldness and strict standards may hinder intimate personal relationships
The Gift of Prophecy in the Spirit vs. the Flesh
Spirit Flesh
Truthfulness Deception
Obedience Willfulness
Sincerity Hypocrisy
Virtue Impurity
Boldness Fearfulness
Forgiveness Rejection
Perseverance Contentiousness
Service:
Characteristics of the Gift of Service
• Sees and meets practical needs
• Frees others to achieve
• Disregards weariness
• Has difficulty in saying “no”
• Is alert to likes and dislikes
• Has a strong desire to be with others
• Needs approval
• Likes short-range projects
• Puts extra punch to jobs
• Meets needs quickly
• Tends to feel inadequate and unqualified
■ Misunderstandings of the Gift of Service
• Quickness in meeting needs may appear pushy
• Avoidance of red tape may result in excluding others from jobs
• Disregard for personal needs may extend to one’s own family needs
• Eagerness in serving may prompt suspicion of self-advancement
• May react to others who do not detect and meet obvious needs
• Insistence on serving may appear to be rejection of being served
• Desire to sense sincere appreciation may result in being easily hurt
• Quickness in meeting needs may interfere with spiritual lessons God is teaching those with the needs
• Meeting practical needs may be judged as a lack of interest in spiritual matters
• Enjoyment of short-range goals may result in leadership positions and frustration or disorganization with long-range objectives
• Inability to avoid others’ needs may result in sidetracking employer’s directions
The Gift of Service in the Spirit vs. the Flesh
Spirit Flesh
Alertness Unconscious
Hospitality Loneliness
Generosity Stingy
Joyfulness Self-pity
Flexibility Resistance
Availability Self-centered
Endurance Giving up
Teaching:
Characteristics of the Gift of Teaching
• Presents truth systematically
• Requires thoroughness
• Needs to validate information
• Checks out the teacher
• Has great delight in researching
• Relies on established resources
• Is uneasy with subjective truth
• Clarifies misunderstandings
■ Misunderstandings of the Gift of Teaching
• Appears to neglect practical application
• Knowledge may appear as pride
• Appears critical
• Appears boring with unnecessary details
• Appears dependent on research
• Appears to despise wisdom of uneducated teachers
• Appears to lack warmth
The Gift of Teaching in the Spirit vs. the Flesh
Spirit Flesh
Self-control Self-indulgence
Reverence Disrespect
Diligence Laziness, slothfulness
Thorough Incomplete
Dependable Inconsistent
Security Anxiety
Patience Restless, push work aside
Exhortation
Characteristics of the Gift of Exhortation
• Is committed to spiritual growth
• Is able to see root problems
• Prescribes steps of action
• Raises hope for solutions
• Turns problems into benefits
• Desires to be transparent
• Gains insight through experience
• Urges action on clear steps
• Desires to share face to face
• Desires to bring harmony between diverse groups
• Tends to avoid systems of information that lack practical application
■ Misunderstandings of the Gift of Exhortation
• An emphasis on steps of action may appear to be an oversimplification of the problem
• The urgency in giving steps of action may appear as having overconfidence in them
• May appear to be un-evangelistic because of an emphasis on the importance of spiritual growth and being
a living example
• The desire to win non-Christians through living example may appear
as a lack of interest in personal evangelism
• The use of Scripture for practical applications may appear to take it out of context
• The emphasis on steps of action may appear to disregard the feelings of those being counseled
The Gift of Exhortation in the Spirit vs. the Flesh
Spirit Flesh
Wisdom Natural inclinations
Discernment Judgment
Faith Presumption
Discretion Simple mindedness
Love Selfishness
Creativity Underachievement
Enthusiasm Apathy
Giving
Characteristics of the Gift of Giving
• Is able to see resources
• Desires to feel a part of the work
• Desires to give high quality
• Hopes the gift is an answer to prayer
• Desires to give secretly
• Prefers to give without pressure of appeal
• Is concerned that giving will corrupt
• Exercises personal thriftiness
• Gives to motivate others to give
• Confirms amount with counsel
■ Misunderstandings of the Gift of Giving
• The need to deal with large sums of money may appear to be a focus on temporal things
• The desire to increase the effectiveness of a ministry by a gift may appear to be an attempt to control the work or person
• The attempt to encourage others to give may appear to be putting pressure on people who have less to give
• The lack of response to pressure appeals may appear as a lack of generosity
• The personal frugality by which the individual lives may appear to friends and relatives as selfishness in not meeting their wants
The Gift of Giving in the Spirit vs. the Flesh
Spirit Flesh
Thrifty Extravagant
Resourceful Wasteful
Contented Covetous
Punctual Tardiness
Tolerant Prejudice
Cautious Rashness Giving – Unthankfulness
Organization
Characteristics of the Gift of Organization
• The ability to see the big picture and visualize the final results of a major undertaking
• The ability to break down the major goals into smaller, achievable tasks
• The motivation to organize that for which he or she is responsible
• The ability to know what resources are available and needed to reach a goal
• The ability to know what can and what cannot be delegated
• A tendency to remove him or herself from detracting details in order to focus
on the ultimate goals
• A willingness to endure reaction
• A need for loyalty and confidence from those who are being directed and served
• A tendency to assume responsibility if no structured leadership exists
• A desire to complete the task as soon as possible
• A joy and fulfillment in seeing all the parts come together and others enjoying the finished product
• A desire to move on to a new challenge when the previous task is fully completed
■ Misunderstandings of the Gift of Organization
• The ability to delegate responsibility may appear as laziness in avoiding work
• The willingness to endure reaction may appear to be callous
• The neglect in explaining why tasks must be done may prompt workers to feel like they are being misused
• The viewing of people as resources may appear that projects are more important than people
• The desire to complete the task swiftly may appear to be insensitivity to the schedule, weariness or priorities of others
• Singling out people the individual thinks is specially important to his goals may appear to be showing favoritism
The Gift of Organization in the Spirit vs. the Flesh
Spirit Flesh
Orderly Disorganization
Initiative Apathetic
Responsibility Unreliable
Humility Dictatorial
Decisiveness Double-mindedness
Determination Faintheartedness
Loyalty Unfaithful
Mercy
Characteristics of the Gift of Mercy
• The ability to feel an atmosphere of joy or distress in an individual or group
• A tendency to be attracted to and understand people who are having mental or emotional distress
• A desire to remove hurts and bring healing to others rather than to
look for the benefits of the hurts
• A greater concern for the mental distress than the physical distress of others
• A sensitivity to words and actions that will hurt others
• A tendency to react harshly when intimate friends are rejected
• An ability to sense genuine love and a greater vulnerability to deeper and more frequent hurts from the lack of love
• A need for deep friendships in which there is a mutual commitment
• A need to measure acceptance by physical closeness and quality time together
• An enjoyment and unity with those who are sensitive to the needs and feelings of others
• A tendency to avoid firmness unless the individual sees how it will bring benefit and eliminate greater hurt
• A closing of the spirit to those who are insincere or insensitive
■ Misunderstandings of the Gift of Mercy
• The avoidance of firmness may appear to be weakness and indecisiveness
• The sensitivity to the spirit and feelings of others may cause some to feel the individual is guided by emotion rather than logic
• The attractions and understanding of those in distress may be misinterpreted by those of the opposite sex
• The sensitivity to words and actions that cause hurts may appear to be taking up another’s offense
• The ability to detect insincere motives may cause some to feel he or she is hard to get to know
The Gift of Mercy in the Spirit vs. the Flesh
Spirit Flesh
Attentiveness Unconcern
Sensitivity Callousness
Fairness Partiality
Compassion Indifference
Gentleness Harshness
Deference Rudeness
Meekness Anger
____________________________
Ben Mandrel
Ben is the president and CEO of Lifeway Christian Resources.