In determining how much we should give, we must be careful to listen to the Spirit leading us. We will only hear Him if we are living free from sin. Sin blocks our ability to discern the prompting of the Spirit upon our spirits. First of all, our giving should be free. Jesus said in Matthew 10:8, “Freely you received, freely give.” All that we have is from God, and He commands us to give freely. We cannot do this if we are enslaved to a lender or to the love of money itself. Our giving must be free, not expecting something in return, not looking for approval or honor before men, but simply because we have the privilege of doing so. We are not to wait for somebody to do us a favor or to earn a gift from us, but we are to give freely from the heart, even if a person or ministry does nothing that particularly benefits us.
Secondly, giving is to be secret. Matthew 6:3-4 says, “But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” We will have had our reward in full if we are seeking to give for the sake of looking good to others. There approval and applause is the sum total of the benefit that we will receive from our giving. There will be no spiritual benefit or eternal reward. If we give in secret so that we don’t give others a chance to judge us, envy us, compare with us, or applaud us, then we will have treasure in heaven and honor yet to come. We are not to let others know what we are giving. It is to be so secret that even our left hand is not to know what our right hand is doing. There are few joys on earth as being able to freely give to others without anybody else knowing.
Thirdly, we are to give according to our ability (Ezra 2:69, Nehemiah 5:8, 2 Corinthians 8:3, 12). We give as much as we are able. We are not to give fifty percent and put ourselves on the street. In some cases God may (and does) lead a person to give an amount that is far out of proportion to their earnings, but God does not require us to put ourselves in a compromising financial situation. We freely give because we have first freely received. We can’t give what we don’t have, and we are not to put our families at risk of not having a home to live in or food to eat. I believe that the clear Biblical teaching is to give as one is able. It is almost always possible to give at least ten percent. Since Abraham set the example and God instituted the tithe, that is a good amount to set as a baseline.
Though we are not compelled to keep the Law, God does write the law on our hearts. Thus, it seems unwise and unbiblical to undercut what was done in the Old Testament. Giving is according to our ability. God understands that life is hard and costs a lot. We must meet our debts and expenses so as to keep a good testimony before men. What good does it do to give to a charity and then fail to pay a bill or bounce a check? We do more good for the kingdom by living in balance and following God’s leading over time.
Fourthly, there are times that God will move us to give above what we feel able to do (2 Corinthians 8:3). This is not the rule, but there are instances where God will call us to give in such a way that really requires faith on our part. This is one of Gods’ ways to cause us to experience growth in Christ through an increasing need to rely upon Him in faith. If this is the case, God will make it clear. Sometimes the call is not just to an individual but to a church. The neat thing is that the giving of one church can meet the needs of the other. And maybe after a time the church that gave is itself in need and others are able to meet their need. The church is to “have all things in common” so that all among it have what they need (Acts 2:44, 4:32).
Fifth, we will reap in proportion to that which we sow. 2 Corinthians 9:6 says, “Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” In other words, those who give generously will themselves be given back to generously by God. No one can say exactly how God will repay a person’s generosity or exactly when it will happen, so we must beware of any who claim to know the mind of God in regard to our finances. God honors those who give to His work bountifully, abundantly, and generously. This is why being satisfied simply because we meet some tithing standard is not God’s intention when it comes to giving. He is looking to see what the attitude is of our hearts.
Sixth, we are not to give out of duty and against our will but cheerfully. 2 Corinthians 9:7 says that our giving is not to be done “grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” The word for cheerful means just that, cheerful, implying a great joy on the part of the giver. The giver is not trying to satisfy the harsh expectations of a deity nor is he supposed to be giving begrudgingly and against his will. Giving is a “want to” thing. God moves in a person to give joyfully and cheerfully. The word could also mean “prompt or ready to act.” In other words, this person is eager to give, chomping at the bit to have the Lord lead Him to give. Giving is from a “want to” mentality rather than a “have to” mentality. There is a great difference between law and grace.
Seventh, we give as the Lord leads us individually. 2 Corinthians 9:7 says, “Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart.” We don’t give because our pastor motivated us by giving us a guilt trip about tithing. We don’t give so that we can get God off of our backs. We don’t give to earn God’s favor. We give because the Lord has led us to give. The Holy Spirit will lead each person to give as they ought. The ability of each person is different, the specific areas to which they enjoy giving might be different, and God leads individually because of an individual will. There is no uniform standard for exactly how much God’s people should give (though I do see ten percent as a Biblical baseline). That we give from an eager and cheerful heart is essential. If we are not purposing in our heart to give or if we find that we have no desire to give, we had better ask the Lord why these things are the case. It is one thing to be unsure about a church or a ministry and be hesitant to give to it. It is another thing to be hesitant to give altogether. God honors in His way and in His timing those who give from a pure heart. We must not judge one another for how much they give, especially since giving is supposed to have been done in secret. God is faithful, and will see to it that needs are met according to how He defines needs. We must just be faithful to give as He leads us in our own hearts.
The end result of giving is that our brothers and sisters in Christ rejoice for how God has moved His church to give to Him. It is beautiful to see how God provides funds in one place to finance work in another. Giving is an indescribable gift in and of itself. The world cannot understand this as they do not enjoy giving for the most part; they enjoy getting. The Christian’s way is backwards, getting much more joy out of giving than receiving. Jesus Himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).
No comments:
Post a Comment