JULY 31, Romans 12:6-8  

Today’s text reminds us there are various types of gifts from the Spirit. For our devotion, we shall focus only on one: the gift of giving.

Some of you might already have been given the gift of giving. What does that mean? It means that God will enable you to give to His work cheerfully. This can be in the form of money or offerings to support church or missions. However, it is not confined to church or missions; you could help some classmate or friend who may be less privileged than you by sharing your possessions. If there is anyone reading this devotion and not giving to the Lord, know this gift of giving is something you should have! You should want to give to the Lord, for He has given you and me so much! Whatever we return to Him through tithes or love-gifts is nothing compared to what He has sacrificed for us.

Are you a generous child? Do you like to share things? Do you share things at all? To give simply means to give without anybody knowing or announcing it to anyone. Just do it, and do it quietly. That is the way of blessed giving.

When you first start to give, you may not be used to it. It may even seem painful to you for the sin nature in us tells us to be selfish, teaches us to hold back good things and reserve them only for ourselves. Dear child, but when you let the Holy Spirit take control of your life, when you ask God to help you, you will slowly be able to realise that it is in giving that we find joy.

Dear child, how much pocket money do your parents give you? Do you give a portion of this to the Lord on Sundays? Learn from John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church, who used to say “Make all you can; save all you can; give all you can”. Although he was rich, he gave a lot to the Lord. When he died, he only had about the equivalent of SGD50 with him. This man knew what it was to give cheerfully.

Thought: What is the opposite of a generous child? Would you like to be that?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the lesson today, that I must be a generous child. Help me overcome any initial resistance to giving to Thee and sharing what I have with others. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.