Spontaneous Giving

~ DeborahMarie

photo of man holding cardboard

I am not a spontaneous person at all, so when it comes to giving spontaneously to someone holding a sign at a traffic light asking for money, I need God’s help!  Without it,  I’m tempted to jump to judgment, or the light will turn green while I’m still praying and processing if He wants me to give and how much!

I wanted to be a spontaneous giver, so I began asking God to make me one.  Ironically, the Lord answered my prayers by showing me how to prepare to give spontaneously!

I find it thoughtful that the Lord took my planner-personality into consideration to give me the following list!

  • Be prepared! I keep a modest amount of $1 bills in my wallet weekly, so when there is someone at the traffic light, parking lot, on a street corner, or a bell ringer at a red kettle this time of year, I am prepared to give.
  • Just do it!  Do not question the situation.  Do not pass up the opportunity.
  • Judge not!  God knows who is poor and needy, not I.
  • Pray!  Everyone can use prayer.

I have a friend who keeps a supply of gift cards rather than cash to give and that’s good, too.

If you wrestle with giving spontaneously to strangers asking for money, pray and ask the Lord what He wants you to do.  You may be able to do more than $1 or like my friend you can afford to give a meal gift card.  Or maybe God wants you to hand them a tract sharing the plan of salvation. Whatever God lays on your heart, I encourage you to be prepared to give spontaneously at the next opportunity.

  Those who oppress the poor insult their Maker, but helping the poor honors him. Proverbs 14:31.  

 

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Pexels.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Published by DeborahMarie

I'm a child of Jehovah God, a wife, and mother. My inspiration to write comes from the Word of God, and the goal of my writing is to influence people to follow after Jesus Christ. If just one person comes to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, I will have accomplished what I set out to do. The name of my blog comes from knowing that God has been faithful to me, and I want to testify to His faithfulness! Lamentations 3:22-23 "The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning." ~Blessings!

23 thoughts on “Spontaneous Giving”

  1. I was happy to see this post Deb! I saw so many people with signs in Florida and I occasionally gave but I sometimes wondered if it was legitimate. But you made a good point to pray and God will lead. It’s also a great idea you mentioned to keep some cash on hand. Thank you!

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Whenever we meet a natural need it should always be in the context of leading someone to Christ, not just giving for the sake of giving because we have it. Meeting needs is good but we have to make sure that when we give to those less fortunate we are not simply just trying to meet a natural need but we are tying to make sure they give their lives to Christ and make Him Lord over their lives.

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  4. Amen 🙏🏿. I really enjoyed reading this post. I definitely agree that we should pray and allow the Lord to lead us. We shouldn’t be so concerned and focused on what the person will use the money for. Where there is a need, God will position us to be a helping hand and a blessing. We must not overlook these opportunities because of someone’s condition but much rather we must give cheerfully with a heart like the Lord. Thank you for sharing 😊

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  5. Having a willing heart to give is essential. Having the wisdom to know to whom and what to give is also essential, so I like it that you mentioned seeking the Lord for wisdom in this. For, as you mentioned, there are many different ways we can give, and sometimes our offers of gifts may even be refused by those begging if we don’t offer money but we offer food instead. We have had that happen. And, there are many scammers out there, too, and so we do need wisdom from God.

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  6. Ooohhh, I like this post Ms. Deborah! God had to help me in the opposite way. I am a planner; but also a total giver….like I would give to any and everyone. I had to learn to listen to God about when to give. So, what I gather from your experience is to listen to God no matter what. I LOVE that you look at giving as an opportunity! Thanks for sharing!

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      4. I will be praying for you! Between holidays, employers tend to “shut down” until after the first. God has the perfect job for you! I don’t know what He has laid on your heart to pursue, but I was thinking it would be awesome if He lead you to a place where you could use your God-given writing skills for Him!

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