Spiritual Gift of Giving in the Marketplace
The spiritual gift of giving is the special ability to spread the awareness of God’s glory by liberally and cheerfully contributing material resources to the work of the Lord.
A marketplace Christian with the spiritual gift of giving might say that marketplace ministry is about “meeting people’s needs through creating value in business” and/or “making money to fund the Lord’s work.”
Spiritual Gift Recognition Statements
- “I regularly give money beyond my tithe toward the Lord’s work.”
- “Giving is one of my favorite things to do.”
- “People who know me well would say I am a generous person.”
Marketplace Impact
Chick-fil-a’s founder, Truett Cathy, used his spiritual gift of giving to donate $68 million to over 700 educational and charitable organizations through his company.[i]
Before he died in 2014, Cathy instructed his descendants never to allow the company to go public. Although the company would receive massive financial investment through becoming publically-traded, he knew that the shareholders eventually would reduce the large amount of charitable giving. He also knew that many of the shareholders would not share his Christian faith, worldview, and values, so the money inevitably would be given to causes misaligned with his value system.
As another expression of his gift of giving, he also used his company to provide jobs and mentorship for thousands of young people. He founded WinShape specifically to fund college scholarships and Christian discipleship training for many of these young people.
My local Chick-fil-a constantly gives away free food to the community. In February, they gave away free Chick-fil-a biscuits every Tuesday. When I was eating with my family at my local Chick-fil-a restaurant recently, the operator walked over to give to us free chocolate chip cookies. Truett Cathy’s spiritual gift of givinghas been multiplied throughout the culture of Chick-fil-a.
Biblical Insights
- John 12:1-8
- Romans 12:8
- 2 Corinthians 8:1-7; 9:2-7
[i] http://www.chick-fil-a.com/Company/Responsibility-Overview
Discussion: Do you have the spiritual gift of giving? If so, please share how you use this spiritual gift in a business setting. Can you think of any other marketplace Christians who use this spiritual gift in a business setting? If so, please share his/her story to encourage other marketplace Christians who have this spiritual gift.
