I asked God for the spiritual gift of giving during the Alpha course, and the group affirmed it and prayed for me. Ever since then, the Holy Spirit has been opening my eyes and ears to the needs and wants of those around me that He wants me to partake in through prayers and financial contribution. Sometimes the callings are obvious, sometimes they take time to unfold. 

For example, when the Spirit keeps bringing up a certain person to me over and over again without any obvious reason, I've come to learn that it means it's time to start praying and seeking His face. The Lord has gifted me a number of precious relationships this way, and it's been a blessing to be a witness of the building up of His body. 

One thing I've been learning about the gift of giving is not to set my own limits on what is considered to be "too little" or "too much" or what matters and what doesn't matter... "The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts" (Haggai 2:8). All I have to do is to seek His will and be faithful to it. 

Truly, our God is one who stands ready to give. Many times when I come with the intention to give, I end up being the one who receives the most! That's exactly how I received the gift of tongues, which has been a huge blessing for me in so many ways. 

My favourite verse related to the gift of giving is: "And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved" (Acts 2:44-47).