Have you ever wondered why the Bible teaches mankind to give and to give fervently? I believe God knows mankind was designed by Him to live in community with one another. By definition, communities share common characteristics, interests and goals. The common characteristics shared can be a number of things: religion, neighborhood, race or ethnicity, professions; and the list goes on. One huge positive attribute of community is that those in the community feel a sense of responsibility for one another.

In the community of Christ believers, we must recognize that our community consists of our fellow followers of Christ, but also the wider population of mankind. We exist in this world as both human and Christians. So by extension, we feel a responsibility for those within the general human race, but especially for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Galations 6:10 KJV tells us as Christians the following: “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.”

Since the scripture above is preceded by direction to give or sow, it makes sense to include giving as part of the “good” that we should do. Giving includes distributing our funds, giving of other assets, as well as allocating our time for the benefit of others who are in need.

Given the societal climate we are in with the high cost of basic needs such as groceries and housing, we must allow compassion for others to lead us to give fervently. We can all find that neighbor, church member, or family member who could use help. We can bless them with money to pay necessary bills. We could go through our closets and share some of our excess clothing. We can spend time with them and their families at dinner just to allow them some down time. Sometimes giving can be concerning if you don’t know who to give to directly. Consider giving to your church beyond tithes and offering. Church leaders know who is in need in the congregation and provide help all the time in private. Give to a food pantry or an organization that collects clothes to give to people in need. We should all make a commitment in 2025 to give more.

God is very pleased when people give to help those in need. In Proverbs 19:17 AMP, it says “He who is gracious and lends a hand to the poor lends to the Lord, And the Lord will repay him for his good deed.” Also, Luke 6:38 KJV says, “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over..” When we sincerely and fervently give to help those in need, God is well pleased and He will return the favor to us. We should never give just to receive God’s blessing. That would make our giving insincere. We should give because we love mankind and God’s people.