So , as we seek to steward our own resources and give back to the Lord from that which He has given us , the key question is : how much should we give ? My answer is simple : I don ’ t know . But I do know that each of us must answer that question privately before God .
As I look through Scripture , I don ’ t see concrete answers . But I do see several principles that have guided Linda and me to make our yearly budget , including donations .
First fruits : Deuteronomy 26 speaks of giving the Lord the first fruits . What captures my attention is that the Lord expects us to give to Him first , not last . We don ’ t wait until the end of the harvest to calculate the tithe . We give Him the first ! A faith promise is not asking God to provide extra so we can give the extra to Him , but rather , we ask Him how much we should give , and when He tells us , we give that . Faith is exercised when we have to rely on God to provide the rest of what we need during the month .
The widow ’ s mite : In Luke 21:1 – 4 , Jesus watched as people dropped their offering into the temple box . A widow put in two tiny coins . Jesus ’ response was , “ This poor widow has put in more than all the others . All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth ; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on .” I ’ m captivated by two things from this statement of Jesus . First , God doesn ’ t look at how much we give but at how much we have left after we have given . Second , I ’ m amazed by the simple fact that Jesus didn ’ t stop the widow . I think I would have ! But Jesus didn ’ t want to rob the widow of the privilege of giving sacrificially .
Meaningless giving : Two Old Testament prophets warn against giving out of duty or ritual . Amos 5:12 – 14 warns against giving while living unjustly , expecting somehow that our gift will offset our lifestyle . Malachi 3:8 – 10 warns against a cavalier approach to giving — one in which we give God what we feel like instead of making our gifts to God a serious matter of intentional concern .
Where does that leave us ?
• Each of us needs to be intentional in giving . We must approach God in prayer to determine how much to give and to whom our
money should go .
• Our gifts should drive us to depend more on God . Many times , this means giving sacrificially — giving away what we would have used personally . Our giving should reflect our dependence on Him .
• And we should always remember that our giving is not the first thing God looks at . Our lifestyle is so much more important . Nevertheless , our lifestyle is reflected in how we give . Our giving should reflect our personal integrity .
In these ways , we steward what God has given us .
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