Understanding the Grace of Giving

Recently I was surfing the web, looking for some great money-related stories on giving to share with you when I ran on this piece that talks about understanding the grace of giving. It starts with a couple interesting statements on finances in the church today:

Christians sit on untold quantities of wealth never before imagined. Even the average Christian teenager in America has more disposable cash income ($1500) than 50 percent of the world’s population.

Yet, while our wealth has increased, most Christian leaders of the last few generations have ignored teaching the biblical imperatives of giving. This departure is seriously impacting our ability to further the gospel to a hurting, confused and broken world. A materialistic undertow is threatening the spiritual vitality and financial stability of Christians and Christian ministries everywhere.

Unfortunately, this is where we stand today in my opinion as well. That's one reason I write about giving and what the Bible says about money -- in a hope to educate and encourage people in the grace of giving.

The article goes on to tell several stories of people who decided to give and what happened in their lives. Click through to it if you want to read them.

Then, the piece offers a good perspective on giving:

Some people teach that we should "give to get." Others teach that we should "sacrifice and go without so we can give more to the Lord’s work." The best way to give to the Lord, however, is to see clearly week by week what He’s given us and then set aside the first portion to give back to His eternal purpose as He directs.

That's what the tithe is about -- giving God the first part of what He gives us. That's what I've attempted to explain when I've written The 21st Century Tithe, Questions about Tithing and The Tithe is for Today.

The article then ends with a great thought about tithing:

If you’ve ever owned a vest, you know how important it is to get the first button fastened correctly. When the first button is in the wrong place, every other will be out of order – and you’ll look foolish. The same is true with your finances. If you don’t fasten your giving button first, all your other money buttons (saving, spending, investing) will be out of order, and you’ll be confused and look foolish before God.

If you haven’t already done so, make a spiritual decision today to set aside 10 percent or more of your income, blessings, and assets to God’s work. Set up a practical way to honor your commitment (a separate bookkeeping or checking account, or a special container). Then, begin giving faithfully, generously and cheerfully to the Lord’s work.

Well said!

Comments

[Laine]

While I am not a christian, I'm actually fine with the concepts of real christianity (love, forgiveness and giving, not closed-mindedness, judging and hate). So, I promise I'm not bashing here.

But, I see two different points from you on the subject of tithing. A lot of what you talk about is giving as an investment, expecting a dividend from your gift. But, I also see you saying that this should be done to honor your god. This seems to present opposing views. What if you received nothing? What if you became a classical "Job". Would you still be able to continue tithing? If so, the "dividend theory" really shouldn't be considered no?

I enjoy your blog, find some useful tidbits. Please don't consider this an idealistic attack.

[FMF]

Laine --

No offense taken.

I give because the Bible tells me to as well as it's an act of worship to God. I would give for no reason other than these if that's all the Bible gave me.

However, the Bible does have promises that pertain to giving (Luke 6:38, Malachi 3, etc.) as sowing and reaping that I have found to be true in my life. As I have given, God has blessed me more, which, in turn, has allowed me to give more. And thus the cycle continues.

And remember, even Job eventually got his blessing and came out of his suffering. In the end, God gave him "twice as much as he had before." (Job 42:10) ;-)

[Dave]

Like Laine, I am also not a Christian. I am perhaps a bit of an enigma, being a deeply spiritual atheist. I find my spirituality to a great extent in the interconnected relationships of the people around me. Wealth is a wonderful thing; it can buy us comforts and security. Perhaps the greatest benefit of wealth is that it enables us to be generous.

I find Dickens' A Christmas Carole to provide a number of excellent examples of the benefits of generosity. At the core, the ghosts are not showing Scrooge how he could have helped people with his money. It isn't about guilt or obligation to do good with one's wealth. The ghosts are showing Scrooge all of the relationships that he missed out on because he feared that everyone wanted his money.

Generosity connects us to the lives of the people around us. Although giving money is often a great help, sometimes there is something even more important that we can give. This blog is a wonderful example of that. FMF, you have given us, through your generous gift of your time in writing all of these articles, a virtual community in which we can share our financial successes and often the failures from which we learned as well.

[Laine]

Thanks for the response. I guess it's true, humans are weak. Doing it for it's own sake is a great ideal, but a little something to sweeten the pot is a bit more realistic. And, actions of giving, in an unfaithful mind, can slowly cause the mind to be more in alignment with the action. Makes total sense. And, I agree with Dave on generosity. I tend to be the most affluent in my circle of friends, and in addition to my charitable donations, it is often my support to the network that helps us all enjoy things together. Others give of what they are rich in, and I do the same.