Olivia and her husband had been regular givers at their church. At first, they only gave modest amounts, just to participate. With kids and a school loan and mortgage, and just one income, Olivia found it hard to do more than simply participate. Sometimes, they barely gave anything. Rarely did they give much more. Yet gradually, Olivia found that giving to their church had worked its way into their budget. They started giving a little more, and then a little more. Finally, after a few years of giving, Olivia and her husband began to tithe a regular portion of their income first, never mind what other expenses they had to pay. And to her surprise, for the first time in her life Olivia felt right about money, in control and with no guilt for how she spent or saved it.
Giving
Churches are voluntary organizations supported by the generosity and commitment of their members. Churches do not sell tickets for seating or charge membership fees. They have no cover charges for entering the sanctuary for a worship service, even a special standing-room-only Christmas Eve or Easter service. They sell no seat licenses and charge no subscriptions. You and your family may become members, attend services and classes every week or several times a week, and drink free coffee and maybe have free cookies or donuts, too, all without paying anything if you wish. The church will invite you, though, to participate in the ministry of giving. You may hear a gentle or clear solicitation during the service, giving you the opportunity to place money, a check, or a pledge card in a bowl, basket, or bag, or to give online. The church’s website may also invite online giving and sign ups for automatic account deductions, all with the twin aim of enabling members to give back to God while financing church operations. Churches depend on member giving for the ministries they support, and many members give generously, consistently, and even sacrificially, as Christ recognized when he lauded the poor widow who gave her last mite.
Tithing
Christians differ in their view of the Old Testament injunction to tithe. To tithe is to give a regular portion and the first portion of one’s income to the church, with ten percent being the traditional percentage. Jesus Christ mentions the Old Testament practice of tithing but in the context of criticizing the Jewish religious leaders’ legalism. Many Christians do not regard themselves as bound by the Old Testament law and customs, including the practice of tithing. But Christians generally recognize an obligation of support, and privilege of generosity, in giving to their church. Many Christians and Christian leaders and denominations use tithing as a measure or aim for generosity. Ten percent of your household income may sound like a lot. Yet to have the commitment, devotion, and privilege to give ten percent may bring you far greater returns in the discipline, confidence, and trust you exercise. God even says in the Old Testament that he rewards tithing, whether for you those rewards may be financial, material, or in health, family, career, protection, reputation, advancement, or other ways. If you haven’t tithed, try it, and see how it changes your life and outlook. As Christ himself said, giving is better than receiving.
Offering
Some Christians distinguish tithing a tenth of one’s income from an offering of whatever amount God moves the heart to give. Tithing can have an air of duty or obligation about it, while offering may instead feel more voluntary and generous. You may thus hear churches invite members to bring their tithes and offerings forward during the service, tithing referring to regular giving of a portion of one’s income and offering referring to spontaneous giving from the heart. Some churches will take up special offerings at certain times, such as a Thanksgiving-season offering for a food pantry, or for certain purposes, such as to help the church’s care ministry or to send a team of youths on a mission trip. Some Christians prefer to respond to special requests, while other Christians emphasize regular giving. Consider how and when God is calling you to give.
Generosity
The way of Christ is indeed one of generosity. When a rich young man who believed himself righteous for having kept the commandments asked Christ how to inherit eternal life, Christ told him to sell all he owned, give it to the poor, and follow Christ. Wealth gives an impression of security. But as the saying goes, you can’t take it with you. Salvation doesn’t come by hoarding wealth. Eternal security is instead in Jesus Christ. Riches are fine, but don’t place your security in them. Be generous with your wealth. And don’t feel ashamed if you cannot be as generous as the richer person next to you. God may not be measuring your gifts by their size but instead by your sacrifice. When Christ saw the poor widow give her last two mites, he said that she had given more than anyone else. She had given all she had, out of her poverty, while others had only given their surplus. God measures your generosity by your heart for giving, not in the way that your wallet measures the amount of the gift.
Motivation
Your motivation when giving matters. Giving for the wrong reasons doesn’t help you and may not even help the gift’s recipient. For instance, don’t make a show of giving, to satisfy your own pride and impress others. Christ said that when giving to the needy, do it in secret so that his Father may reward you. If instead you give generously with a loud announcement, to impress others and boost your reputation for generosity, you will have already received your reward. And don’t give solely out of obligation. As Christ put it, you received freely and so should give freely. God provides abundant seed for the birds, although they do not sow or reap. God gives you far more, both his kingdom and his Son, although you did not earn either. To be Christ-like, you, too, should give generously without expecting return. If you give generously, Christ promises that you will receive even more generously, according to your generosity. Indeed, your return for giving with the generosity of God’s Son will be all God has, even his kingdom. Your motivation for giving should be gratitude for all God has done, especially in giving you his own Son. A heart filled with gratitude is a generous heart, while a heart filled with bitterness is a grudging heart.
Money
Your generous and voluntary giving not only benefits the church and the poor. Giving also changes and improves your attitude toward money, freeing you of its grip. Christ says that you cannot serve two masters, both God and money. The Bible warns that the love of money is the root of evil. How, though, does one avoid loving and trusting in money, as powerful as money appears to be? The answer is to give money away. Giving money away is preposterous from the mindset that money invites. Money represents transactions. Money itself has no inherent value, not the paper on which governments print it nor the digital marks representing your bank account. Money’s purpose lies instead in its facility to arrange exchange. When you give money away generously, with no obligation and no return, you demonstrate your control over money and prove it lacks control over you. Giving thus loosens the bonds of money and reduces its temptation. Strange but true: if you worry about money, then try giving it away. If your devotion to money is greater than your devotion to God, then your remedy is to give your money away. Regular and generous giving frees you from money’s grip and opens the door for God.
Stewardship
Another healthy way that Christians view money and wealth is that we are only stewards of all that God owns. The things that we hold are not ours but God’s, for soon they will return to God. We are caretakers of anything we receive from God. They are gifts we control for a time, in service to God. God may in time demand that we account to him for his gifts, like an owner who goes traveling, leaving his servants in charge until his return. Upon his return, the owner will want to see that the servants put his property to good use, earning him a reasonable return. Thus, do not hoard and hide your wealth but instead put it to work so that it earns a reasonable return. Start a business with it that earns a decent profit, or at least invest it where others will use it to earn a return. Don’t hide it in your mattress where no one can reach it and put it to proper use. Capital and assets are not bad when deployed for productive returns. Wealth is only a problem when hoarded without investment, where it will spoil and dwindle. We are stewards of God’s creation, to tend it for his return.
Treasure
Christians pursue a different kind of treasure than money, one that does not rust and that thieves cannot steal. The things that Christians treasure include generosity, humility, gratitude, grace, and forgiveness. Christians treasure love, care, compassion, and service to the poor. Christians treasure justice, freedom for the oppressed, mercy for the judged, and peace for all humankind. Christians most treasure glorifying God in Christ, giving God praise, celebrating his goodness, and embracing his salvation in the work of Jesus Christ. Christians don’t store these treasures on earth, for these treasures are not earthly things. Christians instead store these treasures in heaven, where they need not be concerned about them because they cannot lose them to theft or destruction. Add to your stores in heaven, while seeing diligently to your work on earth.
Modeling
Your generous giving also affects your family and others who know you. Your spouse, children, friends, and neighbors may all see instances and aspects of your generosity. They will all see how ready you are to encourage others, including by sharing your resources. Your generosity may influence your spouse to be more appreciative, confident, and trusting, and to join you joyfully in storing your treasure in heaven. Your generosity may influence your children to have hearts like your own heart for others and for God, leading them to love Christ as you love Christ. Your generosity may influence your friends to be more generous, less devoted to money, and more devoted to God. Your family and friends are watching you, seeing what you do, noticing how it impacts you and others, and drawing from your model and influence. Give generously out of your own interest in pursuing Christ-like character, but also give generously to influence your family and friends to likewise be generous.
Reflection
What are your giving practices, whether to the church, charities, or other causes? What motivates you to give? What are your obstacles to giving? How do you measure how much to give? What changes do you need to make in your giving practices, to reflect Christ-like character and follow biblical principles and injunctions? What is your attitude toward money? What evidence do your finances show that you put your money to work as God’s trustworthy steward? What evidence do your giving practices show that you put God above money? How has your giving affected your attitude toward money and your Christ-like character? Can you recall an instance or a season when you gave sacrificially rather than out of your surplus? Do you prioritize giving over other financial goals? Can you recall an instance when God rewarded your giving, whether financially, spiritually, or otherwise?
Key Points
Faith urges voluntary and regular giving to the church.
Some Christians tithe the first tenth of their earnings to the church.
Christians also participate in regular and special offerings at church.
Faith calls one to be generous in giving, even to the point of sacrifice.
Faith calls for giving out of your heart rather than obligation.
Don’t give for show but instead secretly, so that God may reward you.
Giving generously keeps you from idolizing money above God.
We are stewards for God of all he gives us, putting his gifts to work.
Faith has us store our treasures in heaven rather than on earth.
Your generous giving positively influences your family and friends.