Are You a Strategic or Selfless Giver?

An Expose on the life of Ruth

Beyond taking care of a fellow widow, she exhibited the giving that most church leaders wish for, but hers was different- she needed no prompting. She seemed to be natural, although she was not; she had motive and intention. You want to contest this assertion, wait until you finish reading this piece. It is okay not to be a natural giver. Giving is a skill, which means we get to improve on it as much as we want.

Permit me to say this- asides from the freedom, 96% of widows are never psychologically or mentally prepared to take on such responsibility no matter how much they love their Mother-in-law. The sweet thing is that even the older women don’t try to expect as much as that. Can you blame them? They understand what is obtainable in today’s world and do not try to push their luck.

Sadly, this has some resemblance to our relationship with God. We do not want to give our all, but we want to receive all the benefits of serving God. I will tell you this for free- God does not work with the obtainable, he designs the standard, and if anyone must reap the full benefit, that person must be ready to give his/her all. He wants us to find daily provision and enjoy the abundance (prosperity) of his goodwill. That is the standard, and the church must begin to teach this level of giving as a principle for wealthy living. It goes beyond serving in a church unit, and Christians must learn that.

The human mind trains itself to give and expect to receive in return. That has been the norm for ages, even with Ruth. That is why church leaders need to teach selflessness with tools that will make it attractive for members to accept and keep practicing. This way, giving for causes within the church will not have to either be a levy or coercion.

Let me show you three things that made Ruth the mother of strategic giving; and how we can learn from her.

1. She Weighed Her Options & Made the Better Choice Silently

Now tell me, if you were to be her, would you go to the family you left, abandoned and neglected for years, as to stay where you are loved and accepted?

Ruth knew that as long as she had Naomi by her side, she had a great measure of goodwill. So she made a plan and stuck to it. For her, taking care of Naomi was an opportunity to lead a better life and serve the God of her husband’s family without restriction. She had motive and intention!

2. She Chose to Satisfy Her Need Instead Of Taking the Offer

3. She Got Served Right

God works in mysterious ways. If not, why was it Boaz’s field she chose? The man gave with all his heart without having any intention. He sought to make the two widows happy. However, with her mother-in-law’s help, they tried to get him to be her kinsman-redeemer; but the man turned the table around. He let her lay at his feet till daybreak but went out the next morning to fulfill tradition over her redemption as his wife. He was God’s way of telling her that her giving was only strategic, not selfless.

A lot of Christians today are like Ruth while the Church is Naomi and Boaz, the pastor-in-charge. Like Ruth did to Naomi, we drink from the church’s cup all the time, but we give back in droplets. Like Boaz, the pastor-in-charge must bring us back on track when we are going overboard.

It is a good thing now that Digital churches all over the world have now fully emerged; we no longer need to start asking for account details of any church before we can give. ChurchPad has a text-to-give product that makes it very easy and fun to give to causes or projects with no worries about security. It is the right tool every church leader needs to teach the difference between strategic and selfless giving.

Sign up to start your free trial today.

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ChurchPad is a Complete Church Management Software. ChurchPad empowers your church culture to create an ultimate experience while leveraging technology.

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ChurchPad

ChurchPad is a Complete Church Management Software. ChurchPad empowers your church culture to create an ultimate experience while leveraging technology.