The Gift of Giving

We want God’s help in obtaining our spiritual health and to have peace that surpasses all understanding. Yet when he provides the instructions to do so, we don’t follow.

Consider this. You go to the doctor with a malady and the doctor asks you questions about your sleep habits, how you eat and exercise, then you say, “I don’t want to talk about that stuff. I just want you to fix my problem.” Are not the doctor’s hands tied? There is a reason for the questions as the doctor knows all these things impact your health.

We struggled to worship God and put him first. Idols, which in the Bible were symbolic things that people worshiped instead of God, have now become our careers, status, physical appearance, relationships and material possessions.

God knows we are most healthy when worshipping him and not false gods. Many of the aforementioned idols are related to money. The love of money. And surrendering this is a large step in our spiritual growth and in obtaining peace.

In the Old Testament the standard of giving was ten percent (Malachi 3:10). With the coming of Jesus, he called us to a higher standard. Adultery wasn’t permitted in the 7th commandment, and Jesus raised the bar in that looking upon another in lust is the same as the act itself.

Churches get a bad rap when talking about finances. These are organizations and require money to continue to operate and to do good works – spread the gospel, serve the community and make disciples.

Yet God doesn’t need your money. And actually neither does the “church” – which is actually the body of Believers. But we need to give as it is our only sure pathway out of the fear of economic insecurity and peace, enabling us to take our eyes off the things of this world with the expectation that those will make us better, and turn our sights to a living holy God who desires a relationship with us.

So, how much to give? 10%? Or more? Here’s a couple of practical tips:

1. Increase your giving: Wherever you’re at, move it up to a new level
2. Give from pay increases: Or from any financial windfall such as bonuses. Increase your giving in each case. You won’t miss what you never had
3. Give first: Use autopay to give so it comes out of your bank account first, then live on the rest
4. Give joyfully and in secret: Never brag about your giving and enjoy that you know you gave and what you support
5. Give without guilt: Envy is destructive so don’t compare yourselves to others. God knows your heart. If you’re unable to increase your financial giving, give in other ways such as your time – volunteer, help a neighbor, etc. Service can also take your focus off yourself and place it on God and others

Spiritual growth and peace is available from God as a free gift as we move closer to him. Moving away from worldly things and placing our hope in God moves us into a deeper, trusting relationship with him. He will open his storehouses to you in blessing (Malachi 3:10). It might not be in a financial way, but he’ll do so in so many other ways that you’ll be grateful to for your commitment to him.