The Giver

8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

In Romans 12:8 the Greek word that is used to designate the fifth motivational Gift –translated as “give” in the King James Version, “metadidomi,” and means “to give over, to share, or, to impart.”

This “giving” is to be done with simplicity, sincerity and liberality.

Of all the seven Motivational Gifts, the gifts of giving is the one least likely to be identified by the one who has it because the giver’s

Matthew 6:3 KJV

3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

The giver – like the server, can be a leader or a follower – and – like the prophet and the teacher – has a love for the Word of God.

However, when it comes to the use of resources, the giver is unique!

In the study of these Motivational Gifts we must be sure to distinguish between “learned behavior” and “innate tendencies.”

Someone may have been raised and trained by his parents, or the church, to be generous and to tithe, but one with the Motivational Gift of Giving will have a joyful inward motivation to give and to be generous.

The motivation of a giver is the God-given ability to make money, to make wise investments, in order to advance the work of the Lord.

Because the giver is desirous to have more funds available with which to bless the kingdom of God, he is frugal with personal spending.

The guidelines for the Gift of Giving, spoke of in Romans 12:13, are:

Romans 12:13 KJV

13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.

1. To give to the needs of Christians

2. To practice hospitality

I. Characteristics of a Giver

A. Able to See Resources

A giver is very industrious, has an ability to discern wise investments, and tends to be very successful when it comes to making money.

Despite his natural and effective business ability, he possesses God-given wisdom, as well as natural wisdom, and is motivated to use assets of time, money, and possessions to advance the work of the Lord.

Even if a person with the gift of giving has limited funds, he still has the ability to recognize resources that are available and to draw upon them when it necessitates doing so.

B. Invests Self with Gift

He gives freely of money, possessions, time, energy, and love.

The giver is not only willing to give generously of his money, but he is also willing to give everything else he possesses, and he gives comprehensively and with abandonment.

As the giver grows into mature stages of giving, he will give with absolutely no strings attached and no ulterior motives because, convinced that everything belongs to the Lord, he simply desires to be a channel through which the Lord can distribute His resources.

A give, once he has reassurance that his decisions are God’s direction, will give himself wholeheartedly to the Lord, and then his gift.

Paul explained how the Macedonians gave this way.

2 Corinthians 8:5

2 Corinthians 8:5 KJV

5 And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.

Because the giver sees himself only as a steward of God’s resources and because he believes that everything he has –

money, home, car, and every other possession, belongs to the Lord –

would never think of withholding part of his tithe, because, to him, that would be comparable to robbing God

Malachi 3:8 KJV

8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

C. He Will Desire to Give High Quality

A mature giver will give the very best he has, being not only generous, but, even lavish.

He wants his gift to be the highest quality he can afford, and if he cannot afford to buy a gift he will make one, with great thoughtfulness and skill.

The giver’s ability to discern value motivates him to provide quality gifts because he wants them to last.

More than any of the other Gospel writers, Matthew, who was a giver, describes the gifts that were given to Christ in detail.

He is the only writer who mentioned “the treasures” brought by the magi – described Mary’s ointment as “very precious” – and Joseph’s tomb as “new”

Because the giver is naturally evangelistic, he focuses on giving to ministries that he believes are effectively sharing the Gospel.

When he chooses to give to a ministry he not only willingly gives of his money,

but, also, willingly gives of his time to pray and intercede for that ministry as well as getting involved in other ways –

such as quickly volunteering his services to help when there is work to be done or a need to be met.

D. He Trusts That His Gift Will Answer a Prayer

Because the give knows that the highest, and best, gift is that gift that is given as a result of the leading of the Holy Spirit,

he is especially thrilled when he hears how his gift was an answer to someone’s prayer,

because it serves as a confirmation that his gift was given according to God’s will since it fulfilled an unknown need.

Thus, he will be prompted to give even when a need is not obvious.

HE DESIRES TO GIVE ONLY BY THE LEADING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Because a mature give desires to give only as the Holy Spirit leads him, he cannot be “talked” into giving and will resist pressure appeals to do so.

HE WILL VIEW HOSPITALITY AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE

Like the server, the giver loves to practice hospitality.

While, outwardly, this characteristic looks the same for both, nonetheless, the inner viewpoints differ

because while the server sees hospitality as a chance to serve, the given sees it as an expression of giving.

E. He Desires to Give Secretly

The giver loves to give without others knowing about it

Matthew 6:1–4 KJV

1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. 2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: 4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

Because a mature giver just wants to please his heavenly Father, he does not need people’s acclaim or credit for his giving, because, the joy of pleasing God is reward enough for him.

Because the giver wants the recipients of his gift to look to the Lord for provision,

just as he looks to the Lord for direction, and because he knows that future reward is more valuable then present praise,

he will give quietly, and, often, anonymously.

Matthew, a giver, is the only Gospel writer who emphasized secret giving.

F. Concerned That His Giving Will Corrupt

Because a mature giver understands the destructiveness of the love of money,

and because he is very aware that those who need his assistance may not have learned the disciplines that God has taught him in acquiring assets,

he therefore, looks for ways of giving that avoid dependency, slothfulness, or extravagance.

HE IS NOT GULLIBLE

Because he is not easily fooled, it appears that God supplies the giver with a discernment that protects him from those who would wrongly disassociate him from his money.

When a giver selects a ministry that he wants to advance with financial support,

he checks that ministry out thoroughly to make sure that it not only gets the Gospel out effectively,

but, also, that the ministry’s overhead and administrative expenses are not taking too much of the donations.

G. Exercises Personal Thriftiness

A giver is “good at handling money.”

He is careful, cautious, even a little tight with his own spending, and never squanders money.

The personal assets that the given has are often the result of consistent personal frugality and the willingness to be content with the basic necessities of life.

Because he does not like to waste money, and desires to get the best value for the money spent, he will spend extra effort in saving money and being resourceful with what he has.

H. He Uses Gifts to Multiply Giving

Because the giver wants others to experience the joy and spiritual growth that comes by sacrificial giving, his motivation is to encourage others to give if it means his providing matching funds, or the last payment, in order to so encourage others.

I. He Confirms Amount with Counsel

A giver reacts negatively to pressure appeals for money and looks,

instead, to meet financial needs that others tend to overlook.

Because he seeks confirmation on the amount he feels he should give,

a husband, for instance, who has the gift of giving, will often confirm the amount that he should give by seeking if his wife has the same amount in mind.

II. Misuses of the Gift of Giving

A. Hoarding Resources for Self

An effective use of the gift of giving depends upon having the fear (reverence, or awe) of the Lord

because one way we learn the fear of the Lord is by regular giving, the tithe was given to Israel.

Deuteronomy 14:22–23 KJV

22 Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. 23 And thou shalt eat before the Lord thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the Lord thy God always.

If the giver stops exercising his gift, or stops tithing, he will not only begin to lose the fear of the Lord, but, also, his storing up will cause him to become stagnant.

B. Using Gift to Control People

Because the giver, like those who possess the other gifts, sees his gift as of primary importance

and may not understand why some do not give as much as he does, he can – as a result of his lack of understanding – either consciously, or unconsciously, attempt to pressure others to give.

Because a give has a desire to make sure that his gifts are wisely invested and used, he may buy an item rather than give the money for it.

In the process of purchasing items, or sponsoring projects, a giver, without realizing it, may be using his gifts to control lives and ministries.

C. Forcing Higher Living Standards

If a giver’s focus is more on the quality of the gift than the need that it is meeting, he can cause the receiver to be dissatisfied with the quality of other things that he owns.

While a giver could excuse personal luxuries on the basis that he is generous with his money, when he is not faithful in little, God will not trust him with much.

D. Feeling Guilty about Personal Assets

A giver, not in fellowship with the Lord, can begin to feel guilty as he stores up funds.

Even if he is preparing for a special need, he must have the reassurance from the Lord that his plans are according to God’s will.

E. Rejecting Pressure Appeals

If a giver reacts negatively to all appeals for funds, or looks only for the hidden and unannounced needs,

he may not only fail to get the mind of the Lord in a particular situation,

but he may also miss an important opportunity to give wise counsel, as well as giving needed funds to a worthy ministry.

F. Giving Too Sparingly to Family

Because the frugality of a giver can be extended to his own wife and children,

he must show them the same concern and care that he shows to others

he must delight as much in meeting their needs as he does in meeting the needs of others,

or they will resent his generosity to others.

On the other hand, because he loves to give so much, he may tend to spoil his children, or other relatives, by giving too much.

By listening to the Lord and by wise counsel, he can avoid the damaging consequences of unwise giving or investing.

G. Giving to Projects Vs. People

If a giver loses his focus on meeting the needs of people, he may be unduly attracted to projects.

His desire for measuring value may prompt him to build a “memorial to his generosity.”

Paul’s collection was for the needy Christians simply because the emphasis of Scriptural giving is the distribution of funds to meet the needs of the saints.

H. Causing People to Look to Him vs. God

If a giver lets others know what he is giving, because it will cause many to turn their attention from the Lord to himself, he runs the danger of attracting carnal Christians who have wrong motives.

Because people can be trained to appeal to human inclination, they are able to extract funds from others that who are not so directed by the Lord

I. Waiting Too Long to Give

If a giver is not instantly obedient to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, not only may he lose the joy of seeing God accomplish a miraculous provision through him,

but, also, the one who was to receive the gift will be denied the opportunity of seeing God provide funds precisely when they were needed.

Related Media

Related Sermons