A Yardstick For Giving
“How much should I give?” That’s an impossible question to answer since the New Testament refuses to name a minimum. Why not give us an amount? It is probably because God knew the people. People give to the ceiling, not off the floor. If God said to give 10% that would cap many people’s giving at 10%. Seldom do people give more than the requirement. Perhaps, that’s why the New Testament doesn’t provide an amount. The gift is only an indicator of the heart. A person will not give more than is in his heart. So, what is the yardstick for giving? The Bible throws a few “hard ones” at us about giving.
1. How much can I give cheerfully?
2. Does my gift reflect my sense of God’s blessings?
3. When I give, do I give out of a sense of trust in God’s providence?
4. Do I believe it belongs to God or that I share what is mine?
All of these questions make us squirm because they open more than our checkbooks–they open our hearts. Until we expose our hearts, we cannot give acceptably. We would feel more comfortable with an amount, but God doesn’t want us comfortable. God wants us growing. He wants us pushing past our comfort zones and into the realm of spiritual growth. Put the yard stick to your giving. How does it measure up?
Author Unknown
(via Charleston, WV, Bulletin)
Editor’s Note. . . .
The author of the previous article does an excellent job in helping us gauge the way we give back to our Lord from the resources He provides for us to take care of. During my years of ministering, I have not preached on financial giving as much as on other subjects. My conviction is that when a person’s heart is converted to the Lord, giving financially is not a problem for them. It becomes as natural to them as breathing. I believe the author of the previous article truly reflects the message of the New Testament and the true motivation of giving. We do not give from a feeling of compulsion; but, rather, from a feeling of appreciation. When we even partially grasp what the Lord has done for us, we give as an overflow of that gratitude.
I want to challenge each of us to read and meditate on John 19, 1 Cor. 16 and 2 Cor. 8 & 9 this week as we prepare to give next week and in the future.
Everett