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Articles
Giving: A Way of Overcoming Materialism in Our Lives
“Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” (Luke 6:38)
Who would deny that we live in a materialistic age? And without doubt, all of us who live in America are caught up in materialism to some degree. We all like better and nicer things. But yet, we must realize how strong the pull of materialism is in our lives. Someone has suggested that we ask ourselves two questions before making a purchase: (1) Is this the best use of the resources God has given me? (2) Will I still be satisfied with this in a year? No, this would not apply to everything we need to purchase. But at times, we would do well to ask these questions, step back, take a deep breath, and walk away.
One of the ways to break the power of materialism over our lives is to see ourselves as stewards of what God has entrusted to us. In reality, everything belongs to Him (Psa. 50:10-11). Also, a very important factor in overcoming being materialistic, is to realize the blessings of giving. Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). Do we realize the truthfulness of this statement? Do we believe the words of our text? Giving is the best way to help us fight the pull of materialism. Let’s observe the following guidelines:
1. Give. Again, consider our text – “Give, and it will be given to you.” We serve a giving God (Jn. 3:16). We cannot out-give God. When we give, we are affirming Christ’s lordship in our lives; we are dethroning self and exalting Him.
2. Give generously. The Apostle Paul commended the churches of Macedonia “that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing” (2 Cor. 8:2-3).
3. Give regularly. Giving is not something we do with irregularity. The Corinthians were instructed to give on the first day of the week, according to their prosperity (1 Cor. 16:1-2). Liberal giving requires commitment, involving discipline and consistency.
4. Give sacrificially. David said he would not offer to God “that which costs me nothing” (2 Sam. 24:25). It was out of “their deep poverty” that the Macedonians gave (2 Cor. 8:2). They “first gave themselves to the Lord” (2 Cor. 8:5).
5. Give voluntarily. The Apostle Paul told the Corinthians that “if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have” (2 Cor. 8:12).
6. Give deliberately. Giving is at its best when it’s a conscious effort that is repeated and consistently made. “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart” (2 Cor. 9:7). Thus, our giving should be well planned in advance and thought out.
7. Give cheerfully. “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7). If we’re not cheerful when we give, then something is wrong with our heart.
8. Give increasingly. When we raise our standard of giving, God just blesses us even more abundantly (go back and read our text). “Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God” (2 Cor. 9:10-11).
Surely, when we truly practice the above, we can overcome the pull of materialism in our lives. Are we abounding (excelling) in our giving? We close with the words of the Apostle Paul, as he refers to giving as a “grace” – “But as you abound in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us – see that you abound in this grace also” (2 Cor. 8:7).
