Weekly Thought – January 27, 2026
Fred influenced men and women of many generations. His wisdom appealed to young and old. Often he provided a fatherly (and even grandfatherly) ear. He was always interested, but never curious. He carried countless confidences with him to heaven.
The Gift of Giving
It’s very easy to make people believe God needs our gift. But this is “stinking thinking,” as my friend Zig Ziglar says. God is sovereign, He doesn’t really need our money. But, we need to give in order to mature spiritually. Many of us are spiritually dwarfed by our refusal to give because our money is where our ego is located. Giving is the drain plug for our greed.
A very wealthy man was approached by a large community charity for a donation. He said, “Well, I’ve had my wealth for only a short time. Why don’t you let the old money give and let me keep mine for awhile and get used to it?”
A lot of people mask their greed by saying, “I’ll give later.” One of my friends delayed giving because he said his investment strategy was multiplying the money so fast the Lord couldn’t put it anywhere and do better, so it was good stewardship to keep it. And he planned to eventually give it. This financial giant was sadly a spiritual pygmy.
Discernment and a sense of humor are both required for effective giving. I was once solicited by a Christian organization which told me God would be so pleased with me for giving to them, He would return my gift tenfold. I had a hard time not sending them the letter I wrote telling them their offer was such a good deal they should send me a gift and then they could keep God’s ten time multiple….it seemed like a much better use of their money.
As Christians, we need to help each other develop a fear of the love of money – a fear of the power of money, not a fear of money. We need to encourage each to see giving as part of growth and not just a duty to be completed with gritted teeth or avoided altogether.
This week think about: 1) What motivates me to give? 2) How can I continue to grow in my giving? 3) How am I teaching others to give?
Words of Wisdom : “Giving is the drain plug for our greed.”
Wisdom from the Word: “And as you Philippians know, at the beginning of my gospel ministry, when I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in this matter of giving and receiving except you alone.” (Philippians 4: 15 NET Bible)