I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusements, etc., is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving away too little. If our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say they are too small. There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot do because our charitable expenditures exclude them.
C.S. Lewis
Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
Matthew 6:21
I was inspired to post these quotations on giving today after reading this beautiful post on radical giving by Ngina.
18 comments:
A great quote and it makes one think about how much we give for the good of others.
Thank you for sharing this today.
Hugs
C.S. Lewis said some amazing things! Your flower is just beautiful, is it a zinnia?
Thanks for the reminder Penny:) Hope you're feeling a little better - take care. Blessings, Jo
Oh, are you sick, Penny? Me, too. Best wishes from my headache to yours! And thanks for the quotation from CS Lewis.
K
Jeanne, thank you for your visit. Please come again ;-)
He has a lot of great things to say, doesn't he?! The flower photo was taken at a community garden near where I go to see my acupuncture doctor. I believe it is a type of zinnia. There were so many beautiful zinnias in brilliant colour at the garden.
You're welcome, Jo. I am feeling better today. I think I had the worst of it yesterday. Blessings to you too my friend :-)
Sadly I have the seasonal cold. My head thanks your head, lol. I think (hope) I'm over the worst of it. I h ope you will be better soon too.
Thank you for your post & also for the link to Ngina. Both were brilliant. As believers our economy is up-side-down from the "norm". Our giving-style definitely reveals our heart condition. It's never about how much or little we have. It is the amount it takes to stop trusting him & trusting in ourselves.
Hello Kaybe, I'm so glad you enjoy the posted and the link. I know our economy is different from the norm. I know that makes some nervous and gives others an excuse to stop giving, but truly our God owns everything we have whether it be little or much. Our giving will always reveal our heart's condition and some people would rather spend their money and energy on their hobbies and other things. I do believe it is good to have hobbies and interests but never at the expense of helping God's family of believers and increasing our reliance on our God. I'm not perfect as I'm still learning to trust in God and not myself. A big challenge for us all. Thank you for dropping by.
I should add, that is it never about the amount except that our giving should be somewhat sacrificial. That is why I like C.S. Lewis' quotation.
It is a complicated thing ,giving, because there are many ways to give. A smile can bring joy to a saddened heart. A crust can be food for a very hungry individual. One does not always need to spend to be a giver. Sadly these days we are constantly reminded we ought to give and that spoils the beauty in giving. It becomes more of a demand.
Today I give hugs. Tomorrow?
Thank you for your comments, Heidi. I appreciate your views. Personally I don't think giving is that complicated. One is either a giver and believes in giving or they do not. I do agree that giving is not just about money. Even when it is money, giving isn't about the amount one gives. Giving is always about a heart condition. The people who give and those that don't, generally know what their heart condition is and what it is they value most. What they value will determine their actions.
I totally agree that there is beauty in giving freely and without coercion for God loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor. 9:7) In the case of the link I gave, the young woman gave her wardrobe because she had nothing else to give. I think that speaks to a beautiful sacrifice she was willing to make to benefit someone else in need.
Blessings.
Lovely pictures and thoughts.
Thank you Sallie :-) Blessings.
"There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot do because our charitable expenditures exclude them". C S Lewis
So so profound! That just breaks it down for us.
Thank you for the link-back, I appreciate. God bless you
You're welcome, Ngina. I was happy to find your post and equally pleased to find the C.S. Lewis quotation. It's nice to "find" people who think the same way. God bless!
Hello Penny,
Great quotes and thought provoking.
Thanks for sharing.
I do like you new blog "look".
Sue
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