6. Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7.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. 8.And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
2 Corinthians 9:6–8
24. Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26.What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?
Matthew 16:24–26
Background Information
Why do you give? When you are giving of your money, your time, your emotional energy, or your acts of service, have you ever looked at the motives behind your giving? Do you do it because you feel you have to? Do you do it because you receive affirmation from others? Do you do it because you like feeling needed? Do you do it out of love or concern? There are many reasons for our giving, and sometimes they even get mixed together, but if we are not careful, giving and being charitable can lead to emptiness.
The apostle Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians that it is important to give and that giving generously will bring great rewards. But he also gives us some guidelines about giving, reminding us that the goal is to give freely, not reluctantly or because we have to, but because we really want to. This is the kind of giving God loves, because it is done out of a good heart. But how do we get to that place of purity in our acts of giving? To have a right heart in giving, we first have to have something to give away, because we cannot give away what we do not have or give cheerfully when we are worried that we do not have enough. Also, we cannot just wave a magic wand and stop feeling worried, and feeling guilty that we are not giving from the right motives will not help, so what do we do? Thankfully, Paul also gives us the answer to this dilemma. Paul says we must keep our focus on the God who is able to bless us abundantly so that we always have what we need and more. As we trust God and keep our eyes on Him and not just our resources, we can give freely, knowing that we will be taken care of.
Jesus paints a similar picture when He tells us that the only way to find our life is to lose it. He tells us clearly in Matthew 16:24–26 that the point is not just to lose our lives to find them in some generic sense, but that it is in losing our lives for Him that we will find our life. Denying ourselves and sacrificing ourselves for the sake of others can feel noble, but it also can lead to resentment and frustration. Keeping our eyes on Jesus as our source and our motivation is the only way to give freely and to gain our life through Him, even as we are denying ourselves and maybe even suffering as we do.
As social workers, it is important not to oversimplify or romanticize the idea of charity. Continuing to be charitable and generous with your time, talents, and money as a cheerful giver to your clients and others around you is only possible if you keep your eyes on Jesus as your source and reward.
Instructions
1.Respond to the discussion questions in order:
a.Describe a situation when you had a difficult time being charitable or generous in your attitude or actions toward a client or someone you were trying to help. What made it difficult? What resources (internal or external) did you feel you were lacking that would have helped you to be more generous? What else do you think could have helped you in the situation?
b.Describe a time when God provided for your needs in unexpected ways. How did this enable you to be more generous in some way?
c.What habits do you think you can develop or improve to help increase your faith, trust, and connection to God so that you have the abundant resources you need to give freely? Identify at least two habits and be specific about how you can implement them in your life.
this is from a Christian perspective please
Sample Solution
