Day 3

Bruce Miller, author

 This week, we are reprinting Chapter 1 of  Bruce Miller’s book, Giving: Three Questions. We’re answering the question, “Why give?”

Generous giving puts a smile on three faces. Yesterday we saw that the first face is the most important. Generosity puts a smile on God’s face. Today we’ll consider the second face.

Giving creates joy, starting with God. The second smile is on others’ faces. Generous giving puts a smile on others’ faces.

Put a smile on others’ faces

Giving makes other people happy. It’s such a joy to meet a need. When you give to someone in desperate need, you will often see not only a smile, but tears of joy.

One year over the Christmas holiday, a member of Christ Fellowship called asking if there was someone in need who they could anonymously help. What a joy one of our pastors had. You see there was another family in our church with a bunch of young kids who had a really hard year. This pastor had the privilege of delivering a large check to that family. Mom, dad, and their kids were filled with joy—smiles on every face. The prophet Isaiah poetically put it like this,

 And if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday (Isaiah 58:10).

If we truly love God, then we will give generously to others in need. The Apostle John said it this way,

If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? (1 John 3:17).

In fact, Proverbs says God will reward us,

Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done (Proverbs 19:17).

Giving to the poor is a way of giving to God. I love Jesus’ story of the Good Samaritan who took care of a stranger and gave his money to pay for him to be taken care of. Image the smile on the face of that nameless stranger—and on the innkeeper’s face who told him his bill was paid (Luke 10:25-37). And the smiles of everyone who heard about it. 

In the early church, they sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need (Acts 2:45). So, that the Bible records, that there were no needy persons among them (Acts 4:34–35). I would love to say that there were no needy people in Christ Fellowship because we all gave to anyone who has need.  

It’s a joy to give to those who are serving in ministry. A while back, Tamara and I got so much joy out of telling one of our Christ Fellowship global workers that we had decided to support them on a monthly basis. They thanked us and thanked us and thanked us. We didn’t do it for the thanks. Our joy was to see the smile it put on their faces.

Paul commended the Macedonian Christians because they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people (2 Corinthians 8:4). They were eager to be involved in the privilege of financially supporting ministry to others. It’s a blast to participate in what God is doing. When you get to share in God’s work in Uganda, China or in your local community, it’s a blast.

When you give to the church, you support all the staff. In speaking of those paid by the church, the Bible says a worker deserves his wages (1 Timothy 5:17–18.) Your giving pays their salaries and provides them with insurance. You put a smile on the face of every staff person.

Listen to how Paul summarizes the joyous impact of generous giving:

This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God [it puts a smile on God’s face]^. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God [it puts a smile on others’ faces] for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.  And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you (2 Corinthians 9:12–14). 

Generous giving puts a smile on God’s face and on others’ faces. Then there is one more smile.

We’ll read about the final smile tomorrow.

Reflect

• In what ways can your giving bring joy to others?