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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