The natural response of a thankful heart is giving. Giving praise to God for what He has done, certainly. But also giving to God’s work so that the gospel can continue to spread throughout the world and giving to help those in need. The trouble is with so many worthy people, charities and causes how do you decide which ones to give your time, money and gifts to support?
The whole issue of giving, raises questions about why a person should give, how much they should give, where should you and I direct our giving to and how can we give.
The principle of giving is clearly established in both the Old and New Testaments. No doubt many of us have heard that in Old Testament times, people gave a tenth of their produce, known as a tithe, as a way of response and thankfulness for God’s bounteous blessings. In actual fact, if you look at the chapter on Discipline of Giving, in Disciplines of a Godly Woman, Barbara Hughes explains that Israel actually gave more than a ten per cent tithe. This is a book I found challenging in many areas, not just the chapter on giving. I have a review of this book in the spring 2007 issue of Footprints magazine.
But back to the topic of giving. The New Testament lays down no hard and fast rule regarding the percentage of income a Christian should give. Rather, Christians are challenged and encouraged to be generous and loving. After all Jesus gave the ultimate – his life to show his love for us.
Giving should not be a haphazard, ad hoc affair but something that is planned, carefully thought out and prayed about. 1 Corinthians 16:2 and 2 Corinthians 9:7 give practical advice about how to give in a thoughtful, planned manner and cheerfully, not under compulsion.
Think about all you have received from God. Surely then, since God sent his Son to die for us, we should gladly and sacrificially give, whether in terms of time, money, using our talents and spiritual gifts in His service or a combination of these. Each one of us needs to look at our situation and set aside an amount in keeping with the income we receive and then give in a cheerful manner not begrudgingly. Remember ‘God loves a cheerful giver,’ 2 Corinthians 9:7. Scripture also says that ‘he who gives to the poor will never want,’ Proverbs 28:27.
Tomorrow we’ll look at how to decide who should be on the receiving end of our giving.
Bible verses from The New American Standard Version
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