Giving generously when you live on the support of others

How do you feel about giving as someone who raises support? What sort of a giver are you? 

Thinking about giving from a biblical perspective can inspire us to be generous givers as well as help us understand the joy that our partners receive through supporting our Kingdom work.

We’ve just started another round of our Support Raising Training Course this September and we are very excited to do this journey with a new group of Individual Partners!

Each session begins with a Bible study, as we acknowledge that the word of God is the best resource when it comes to having a holistic view for us as Kingdom workers and receivers. It helps us make sure that we keep it Christ-centered and not us-centered. But before we can talk about the importance of living on support well, we first have to look at what it means to be a generous giver ourselves…

More blessed to give

In Acts 20:35, Paul says “In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” For someone living on support, it may be that receiving applies more to you than giving.

So, by flipping the above scripture, we see that it is less blessed to receive than to give – an occupational hazard! Receiving is part of the job, but the wonderful individuals on your partner team are the more blessed!

Four reasons why generosity matters for everyone

And so, here are four Biblical reasons why it is important for you, as someone who lives on support, to also be a good giver:

1. God is a giver by nature

John 3:16 is the best-known verse in the bible, but it is also the best-known verse about giving!

‘For God so loved the world that he GAVE his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.’ - John 3:16.

No matter how much we give, we cannot outgive God. This should be our motivation to be a blessing to others because we know what God gave for us. And now that we have the gift of the Holy Spirit, that same nature dwells within us. We should be known as the best givers: not because we’re trying to meet needs but because He lives in us and we reflect His character.

2. God owns it all

In 1 Chronicles, we read the story of King David desiring to build a temple for the Lord to dwell in. However, God decides that David has too much blood on his hands and that his son Solomon will build it instead – but gives King David permission to fundraise for it!

So, David kicks it off by giving a donation himself and once all the gifts from the community are collected in, he gives a prayer of thanks which acknowledges God's role: 

‘But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.’ - 1 Chronicles 29:14.

Psalm 24:1 says; ‘The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.’ It’s safe to say that the money we give to others is not ours but simply us passing on what God has given to us. For the partners who give to us, it’s the same! They are passing on God’s money that has been entrusted to them. 

3. It’s good stewardship of what God has given us

Jesus encourages us to:

“...store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” - Matthew 6:20.

This is highly countercultural as society encourages us to invest as much as possible in our lives here and now. Few financial experts will advise us to invest in God’s Kingdom. We value people by how much money they’ve kept and not what they’ve given away.

But life in God’s Kingdom is founded on very different principles. It’s a privilege to invest in things that bring glory to God and advance His Kingdom here on earth.

4. It’s a joy to give

Paul is well known for writing a significant part of the New Testament and in 2 Corinthians 9:7 he takes the time to address specifically how we should give:

 ‘Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.’ - 2 Corinthians 9:7.

But what does it mean to ‘give cheerfully’? The original Greek word can be taken to mean ‘natural habitat’. This is what God desires for us. It’s our default position, it’s not an action we do here and there but a lifestyle we walk out consistently.

Generosity health check

Why not take some time to consider or review your own giving. Do you live in the land of giving where sowing generously is your natural habitat? If not, is there something holding you back?

Is there a Christian worker or organisation you have been thinking about supporting, but haven’t got around to it yet? How about setting up that support today?

If not, who might you like to support? If you would like some inspiration, visit our Cause Finder pages where you can search by partner type (such as individuals, charities or churches), or by location or cause type.   

Further reading

For more reasons why it’s good to give, we highly recommend reading Chapter 1 (’Giving God’s Way’) of the amazing support raising resource Personal Support Matters by Claire Niclasen and Myles Wilson which the above points are based on. It’s now available as an e-book.