Everything we have has come from God, so why shouldn’t we do with it as God asks?
Did you know that God wants you to give generously to your church and to others in need? You probably did, but what should you give? How should you do it? And why should you do it? Let’s find out together.
What Should We Give?
Last week, we discussed creating a budget as a starting point for obtaining financial freedom, that is, being debt free and being free to use your money as God directs, rather than as our selfish desires or as the devil leads you to use it. One of the ways God directs us to use our money is to give it away. In the old testament, he specifically asked for a tithe, which is 10%, but not just 10%, it should be the first-fruits, the best stuff you have (primarily talking about crops and/or animals, but also money).
“The best of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God.”
Exodus 23:19 (ESV)
Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.
Proverbs 3:9-10 (ESV)
Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.
Malachi 3:10 (ESV)
This was supposed to be given to the house of the Lord, or today, to the church. The tithe is no longer a requirement, but it’s certainly a good place to start. God doesn’t want us to give out of obligation, though. Instead he wants us to cheerfully give what we believe we can give.
Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.
2 Corinthians 9:7-8 (ESV)
You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake.
Deuteronomy 15:10 (ESV)
Kaylin and I felt that God asked for 10% in the Old Testament, and we have no reason to give less than that, so agreed that we would always give 10% of our income to the church. But, not just 10% of our net income. We would give 10% of our gross income, that is pre-tax. We don’t believe taxes and other automatic deductions are truly causing us to earn less. Rather we are required to give up a certain amount of what we’ve earned to the government and insurance, etc. So we’ve agreed that the church gets 10% of my full earnings, not just the part that the government lets me keep.
You don’t have to agree with us that you should give 10% and that it should be 10% of your pre-tax earnings, but I really do believe that it’s the least we could do. The important thing is to give of your first fruits, meaning that tithe should be the first thing you take our of your income and that it should be generous. Do NOT wait until you’ve finished budgeting out your money before determining what portion should go to God. Purposefully decide how much He would want you to give, then figure out the rest of your budget.
Also, that 10% isn’t where we stopped. We find great joy in helping spread the Gospel and God’s love by sponsoring missionaries and children with great needs. We feel that giving all of your money to the church and hoping they’ll do something good with it is a missed opportunity. We’ve befriended and regularly communicate with the people we sponsor. This is a chance to make a difference in these people’s lives not just by giving them money, but also by cultivating relationships. We hope that some day God will give us the opportunity to travel to visit some of these people personally. Currently, while we’re going through this time of monetary drought, we still give, though we’ve had to cut back (sorry to those who we’ve affected through this decision).
I’m not telling you these things to show off. Far from it; I don’t even consider what we give to be extremely generous. Rather, I am simply trying to give an example and help you think beyond “give 10% to your church”. And here’s another example: do something. God has given us more than money. He has also given us time and talents that we ought to steward well. If you are good at something, use that for the Lord! If you have lots of spare time (I know, I know. None of really do, but that’s just an excuse. Set aside time for God and giving, and then fill it in with the other stuff, just like we did with budgeting our giving), give it to God. This includes, but is not limited to, prayer walks, building relationships with people who could really use some good friends, volunteering at a homeless shelter, reading your Bible, praying, running errands for someone who can’t find the time or is disabled and can’t do it his/herself. The list for using talents is even more extensive just because there are so many talents out there! One big one, though, is just to make sure you’re working to the best of your ability at your job.
Reasons to Give
But why should you give? What reason does God have for asking us to give? Why should you be motivated to give? Here are 6 answers to those questions:
- God commands us to give. Those first three passages I mentioned at the beginning sure look like commands to me, and when God says you should do something, who are you to tell him he’s wrong?
- To glorify and thank God. God gave us everything we have, so be thankful for them. Show God your thankfulness and in the process give glory to the one who provides and saves.
- God will bless you. The Proverbs and Malachi passages above both started with a command, but they also ended with promises. You may feel like you have nothing left to give, but God tells us that he will give us far more if we faithfully give.
- You have more than you think. We live in a land of plenty. We look around and see many people with much more stuff than us, so we feel like we have nothing, but you are far more blessed than you realize. An article on Forbes states that “the typical person in the bottom 5 percent of the American income distribution is still richer than 68 percent of the world’s inhabitants.” And I’m relatively certain that you aren’t in the bottom 5% of Americans, so you’re probably better off than more than 80% of the world. Another quote from a book titled Money, Possessions, and Eternity (I highly recommend you read it) states:
As of 2002, 2/3 of all countries had a per capita income less than 10% of America’s. If you made only $1500 last year, that’s more than 80% of the people on earth. Statistically, if you have sufficient food, decent clothes, live in a house or apartment, and have a reasonably reliable means of transportation, you are among the top 15% of the world’s wealthy. If you have any money saved, a hobby that requires some equipment or supplies, a variety of clothes in your closet, 2 cars (in any condition), and live in your own home, you are in the top 5% of the world’s wealthy.
- There is a lot of need out there. There are people out there dying of starvation. Lots of people. America throws away 1/3 of its food every year. What??!? If all the food produced in America was distributed evenly to everyone in the world, we’d probably end world hunger and obesity at the same time. Once again, though, we’re not just talking about money. Get out there and show God’s love to people who have emotional or social needs that you can fulfill.
- Support your church. Churches, including the staff, tend to operate purely on the money people give. The people who go to your church tend to want to keep the church running, and the staff of your church may not be able to make ends meet without your offerings. Not to mention that those people may be some of the best people to turn to when you are in need. Support them.
That’s all I’ve got. I hope this either changes your mind and convinces you to give, or encourages you to give more. The more you invest in God, the more he will bless you in return.
