The Other Side of Giving

II Corinthians 9:7 tells us that God loves a cheerful giver. Some people do give cheerfully, but many have a tough time with that. Last week I said that we get (have the privilege) of giving to God’s work through His church. This time, I want to look at the other side of giving. The side that is not so cheerful.

Some folks have a hard time giving cheerfully because their financial picture is bleak. They have over-obligated their income. This happens to people of all income levels. Several years ago, I read a news magazine article that claimed the average American family spends 110% of its income. How does anyone get happy about giving away 10% or more of his income if he is already spending more than he is making? If someone in this financial shape decides to become a tither, how can he do it? Some folks say, “Just have faith and give, then God will take care of everything.” I am the last one to say that God can’t do something, but I have found that He expects us to do our part, too. Some people are so far in debt that if they give 10%, they are not really giving their own money. They are giving away money that belongs to someone they have promised to pay. Seems to me, that is a form of stealing, and I don’t think God takes too kindly to the breaking of the 8th commandment, even if it enables the person to give. I suggest that the over-obligated person, who truly wants to become a cheerful giver, should set tithing as a goal and plan a strategy to pay off bills. Then he can enjoy the honor of giving. In the meantime, he should begin giving a small percentage, and, as bills are paid off, increase that percentage. I believe God blesses that kind of faith.

There are some people who give to get. The hard fact is that some preachers encourage this attitude. I once saw a television preacher look straight into the camera and say, “I guarantee, if you send $50 to my ministry, God will give you that job you need, or the raise in pay you have been hoping for.” I think he had a desperate need for money to build something important: like a Six Flags over Jesus theme park. (A few years later that particular preacher got caught up in a sex and money scandal and wound up spending several years in prison.) It is very true that God promises to bless those who give generously. The thing that is often forgotten is that God gets to choose what the blessing will be. If you give some money, even sacrificially, so that you can get even more money, you may well be disappointed. God may choose to bless you financially, but He may instead bless you with the ability to do without the new car, or house you were hoping for. He may bless you by teaching you how to be contented without the raise, or by helping you find a training opportunity for a job in a new field. Make no mistake, God blesses the giver. The giver has to be ready for whatever blessing God decides to give.

The other side of giving shows up another way: when people give to the Lord, but keep strings attached. Sometimes people feel that because they give to the church they should have the final say on how their money is used and what the church does. If they don’t like a program or a staff member, they withhold, or threaten to withhold, their tithe. Perhaps they make a lovely gift in memory of a loved one, and then limit the ways that gift (a room, a building, a table, etc.) can be used. This kind of thinking can cripple a church. The church winds up worrying about pleasing people who have already passed on, instead of reaching the lost.

Finally, it is hard to be cheerful about giving if you continue to think about what else you could have done with the money. Often new tithers do this. They can’t help thinking, “If only I had kept that 10%, I would have enough to take that fine vacation, buy that boat, or order a bigger steak.” The good news is that if they persist in tithing, most people will grow out of this attitude, but for some people it proves to be extremely difficult.

Let us examine our attitudes toward giving and toward what we have given. Are you giving your money, or someone else’s? As you give, are you planning what you will do with the financial blessing you expect God to give you? When you put your offering in the plate, do you let go of it? When you give, can you be excited that God is going to use it, or do you brood about what you could have spent it on? – Or are you becoming a cheerful giver.

Wow! We Get to Give!!

Christ-followers are called on to be giving people. All of us are to be givers. Some folks have the spiritual gift of giving, or liberality, and are wired to give very generously. Often these folks have a lot of resources to share, but not always. Some folks, who don’t have much, are gifted to give far beyond what would be expected. The rest of us, even if we don’t have the gift of giving, do have the role of giving. I am one of those people. I love to give, and I feel honored to fulfill the role of giving my tithe and more, but I am not particularly gifted in giving. When someone with the gift of giving sees a need, his/her first move is to reach for his wallet. My first moves are to try to figure out a way to keep the problem from repeating itself (gift of administration), and how to learn from the situation (teaching). When someone who is a gifted giver suggests we all chip in, I am glad to do that. Often, I wish I had thought of doing it, but it is not generally my first reaction.

The Bible teaches a lot about giving. In the Old Testament a tithe (10%) is required to support the ministry of the temple. (If you read closely, it looks like the tithe is required three times a year so that would be a 30% annual gift) Old Testament people didn’t feel like they were giving an offering until after they had put in their tithe. The tithe reminds us that all we have comes from God, and “returning the tithe” is the way for us to acknowledge his generosity to us. So when you hear people talk about tithes and offerings, it is not really two words for the same thing. Tithes are what God requires, while offerings are our gifts to him and his work. The tithe was to support the temple, today, that would be supporting the church. Offerings might be for many things, like building projects, mission work, or special needs.

In the New Testament, money was a major topic for Jesus, and the Apostle Paul urged the church at Corinth:
On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. 1 Corinthians 16:2 (NIV)
This could indicate a sliding percentage scale. In light of what the Old Testament says, (of which Paul was a major student) 10% is the baseline of giving for the Christ-follower. If God has enabled us to have a better income, we should expect that he may well want us to give away more.

Giving is to be a joyous experience. We get to be part of what God is doing! God allows us to share in his great work in this world. What a privilege! What an honor to be allowed to partner with him! God could have chosen another way to finance his mission, but he his chosen method is to enable us to make a living, and then rely on us to share our living with his work.

Next time: “The Other Side of Giving”