The Seven Pillars of Financial Success, Pillar 7: Give

For those of you new to Free Money Finance, I post on The Bible and Money every Sunday. Here's why.

The Bible discusses the keys to personal finance success quite plainly. If you read the book of Proverbs in particular, you'll see that the path to financial success isn't that difficult or extensive. In fact, the wisdom to be prosperous can be found in a few simple steps.

Over the next few weeks, I'll be sharing what I consider to be the seven pillars of financial success from the Bible.  I picked up on the number seven from Proverbs 9:1 where it says:

Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn out its seven pillars.

Today we'll be discussing Pillar #7: Give.

There are numerous verses I could quote regarding giving (and I've covered many of them here previously), today I prefer this one from Ecclesiastes 11:1 where the Bible says:

Be generous: Invest in acts of charity. Charity yields high returns. (The Message)

The Contemporary English version says it like this:

Be generous, and someday you will be rewarded.

Now I'm not going to go into whether the rewards you receive are here on earth or "treasures in heaven" that the Bible talks about regularly, but instead I'm going to focus on the benefits of giving -- what you receive when you give. For instance (click the links if you want more details on the thoughts listed):

• Givers become richer faster. 
• Giving makes you wealthy. 
• Giving is the golden magnet. 
• Givers are happier (and happiness is something money can't buy)
• Givers have better, longer, more-fulfilled lives.

I could go on and on. There are many great financial and non-financial reasons to give.

Now, how can you go about giving -- even if you "can't afford to" (it's in quotes because almost everyone can afford to give, they just choose other spending as priorities)? Here are some suggestions:

• Start by giving of your time. Volunteer.
• As soon as possible, start to budget for giving. 
• Stretch the budgeted money you have for giving as far as possible. 
• See if your company will match your gifts.
• Over time, increase your giving so that it becomes a higher and higher portion of your "spending."

There are so many wonderful benefits (for you and others) to giving that I simply HAD to make it one of the seven pillars. Do you agree or disagree?

Comments

[Matt]

I am glad that you are basically saying is "GIVE" Whether it be time money or worldly possessions. Time is more valuable than money and reaps bigger rewards. My time with boy scouts yeilds ten fold.

I am not a hair splitter when it come to money giving. What I mean is when you are asked to tith an you say "net income or gross" I don't think God had that in mined. Just give what you can afford but challenge what you give. Some people are blessed with more and should give more. But there are other ways to help people who struggle.

It is Gods challenge to see what you do with the talents that have been given you. So share them abundantly.

[Benjamin Bankruptcy]

I "give" but I'm not sure it would be considered traditional charity. 3% of my income I invest in social entrepreneurship ie business that I would like to see get off the ground, business that would make the world a better place. Mainly that's be geothermal power plants, but I'm looking at other things too.

I should add i don't expect a return on this money, but if I do i'll be very happy

[Rich Avery]

FMF,

I'm glad you included "giving" as one of your seven pillars of financial success.

Growing up, I always knew that giving was an important thing to do, especially as a follower of Christ. But as an adult, I've grown to do it not just because I ought to, but because I really love to.

My life verse is Matthew 10:8b. The Message version says, "You've been treated generously, so live generously." I think the NIV says, "Freely you have received, so freely give." (I'm going from memory here).

So, by giving, I am sharing in the divine nature with God...He has given lavishly to me, and I have the opportunity to join with him in giving to others.

Looking at it from a non-spiritual perspective, I've found that the attitude of giving fosters within me a sense of greater peace, fulfillment, gratitude and contentment. I feel like I'm a part of something that is much bigger than myself, and that I'm truly making a difference in the world.

I love John Wesley's maxim to "Make all you can, save all you can, and give all you can."

[kt]

i like it when financial success is based on bible principles; you can never go wrong when you use God's word without twisting it

[Squirrelers]

I strongly believe in giving, and like the tenets put forth here. If the income minus expense gap increases, it certainly does present an opportunity to increase giving.

That said, it's also important to give time and energy to help others as well. For some, giving a substantial percentage of income is difficult; they might make up for it through service to others. All depends how you look at it.

I like what Rich said above about a sense of peace, fulfillment, gratitude and contentment. I had an experience helping an elderly gentleman very recently, and seeing his happiness to receive such simple help really made an impression upon me. There is "wealth" attained by helping others that can't be measured financially, but in your spirit.

[Georgia]

I heard today in a service at our campmeeting that all we have is God's. He gives us 90% of it to use for ourselves and asks only 10% to show we know it is his.

I heard another story once about a man who did not believe that everything belonged to God. He had heard the visiting preacher say this in church. So - he brought him home to dinner and later took him out to look over his ranch of many, many acres. In the midst of all this land, he said to the preacher "Now, tell me that all this isn't mine." The preacher replied, "I will be able to answer you if you come back in 200 years and ask me the same question." Nothing is really ours. It is only ours on loan while we live here. When we die, nothing is ours any longer.