{"id":2859,"date":"2012-06-20T10:48:56","date_gmt":"2012-06-20T15:48:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/hungerrumblings\/?p=2859"},"modified":"2012-06-20T10:48:56","modified_gmt":"2012-06-20T15:48:56","slug":"at-the-heart-of-giving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/worldhunger\/at-the-heart-of-giving\/","title":{"rendered":"At the Heart of Giving"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><span style=\"font-size: small\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri\">By Kristyn Zollos<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/hungerrumblings\/2012\/06\/shutterstock_11468292.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2867 alignright\" style=\"margin-left: 8px;margin-right: 8px\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/hungerrumblings\/2012\/06\/shutterstock_11468292-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a>Recently, I have found myself faced with some reflective and often overwhelming thoughts very similar to Colleen\u2019s entry on this blog (\u201cAre Good Intentions Good Enough,\u201d June 18, 2012). These thoughts weighed heavily upon my mind as I considered the causes that I had supported in the past.\u00a0 However, I found comfort in the idea that at least my intentions were good if not often misplaced, but were they?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri\">Matthew 6:3-4 states, \u201cBut when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.\u201d I look back at so many times when I have supported different causes and think to myself, \u201cWould I have given if it was done in secret? If there were not something in it for myself?\u201d In the situations where I want something in return, whether it is a material item or praise of others, I\u2019m choosing an earthly reward over the rewards given by the Lord. What a mistake that is, since I\u2019m pretty sure the blessings of the Lord are far greater than any material reward or compliment I may receive when giving for the benefit of myself. As the ultimate question so often ends up being, to whom does the glory belong?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri\">The last paycheck I received, I took the time to budget my savings and expenses to find how much spending I would have for the following weeks. I was excited to find that I had more than I had expected leftover, and was immediately plotting out purchases that I could make. I\u2019m ashamed to say that my heart sunk slightly when I suddenly realized I had forgotten to subtract out my tithe. It almost pained me to dismiss the thoughts of the backpack that would have carried my stuff so nicely around town or the book at the store that I had been wanting to read. Needless to say, in that instance I was not a prime example of Biblical giving when compared to the model laid out before us by people throughout the Old and New Testaments.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri\">Quite the standard was set when you look at the fellowship of the Christ-followers in the book of Acts. Acts 2:42-47 gives us an amazing example of what it means to be a community of believers.\u00a0 These people were devoted to the Lord and his teachings, and they were devoted to one another. Verse 45 states, \u201cThey sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.\u201d They sold property and possessions. Something tells me it was not the clothes that had been sitting in the back of their closets unworn for the past three years or the rugged land unable to be farmed that they sold.\u00a0 I get the feeling that it was much more than that. But they made this choice, this sacrifice, for the benefit of those in need. And with this \u201cthey broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved (46-47).\u201d The people gave joyfully and with the purest of hearts and they were showered with God\u2019s blessings, just as the Lord said would happen back in Matthew.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri\">Giving should not be about jumping on the \u201cbandwagon cause\u201d that seems to come around every few months for that bracelet or pair of shoes to show what a good and conscientious person I am.\u00a0 Giving should not be about a name on a building or the compliments of peers. Giving should be about praising and worshipping the Lord not just physically and emotionally, but financially as well.\u00a0 Our giving should be an outpouring of our love for God into the community around us and around the world, just as it was in Acts. For when we give out of love and without expectations of personal benefits that is when we receive the blessings of the Lord, the greatest of rewards imaginable.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Kristyn Zollos Recently, I have found myself faced with some reflective and often overwhelming thoughts very similar to Colleen\u2019s entry on this blog (\u201cAre Good Intentions Good Enough,\u201d June 18, 2012). These thoughts weighed heavily upon my mind as I considered the causes that I had supported in the past.\u00a0 However, I found comfort [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":194,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2859","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-post"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>At the Heart of Giving - ELCA World Hunger<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/worldhunger\/at-the-heart-of-giving\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"At the Heart of Giving - ELCA World Hunger\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Kristyn Zollos Recently, I have found myself faced with some reflective and often overwhelming thoughts very similar to Colleen\u2019s entry on this blog (\u201cAre Good Intentions Good Enough,\u201d June 18, 2012). 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