Giving IS the Game
March 28th, 2010 § Leave a Comment
This morning I read 1 Corinthians 9:6-15. It’s about giving money but it can be applied to giving anything. It resonates with me because I love to give. It’s easy for me to catch the vision of a group like World Vision or Cup of Cool Water and want to get behind it.
I give because I want the results that they are trying to produce.
It’s worth noting that the results of giving are not magical – it’s not money coming back to us like karma or something. Giving to support a charity increases (or should increase!) the effectiveness of the charity. Giving, in Christianity, isn’t ‘pay to play’ – giving IS the game. Give to what you want to see grow. To hijack a famous saying, “Give to the good you want to see in the world.” Hrm.
The passage also scares me, because it can be applied to emotional giving. That’s a bigger challenge. Enthusiasm sometimes drains me, leaving me bitter and depressed – particularly when my excitement isn’t matched by others’, or what I’m hoping for doesn’t happen. It’s just emotional ups and downs, but without intentional effort I begin to shy away from “the drama.” But again, how much I put in to something affects how much it grows. If I care, if I want to see results, I’ll allow myself enthusiasm.
