Why Giving is So Important to Our Faith
“Is God out to get your money? No, God does not need your money! But God does want your worship. And oddly enough – your wallet and your worship are connected in a profound way.” – Tony Walliser
Read Mark 12:41-44
Why Giving Is So Important to Our Faith
Men are curious creatures. In a small group, or interacting with a friend or mentor one-on-one, we will discuss our favorite teams, politics, hobbies, cars, aspirations, family, just about everything. But when the subject of money comes up, we typically clam up.
Why is that? We take the attitude of, ‘It’s my money. It’s none of your business.’ And when someone starts talking about giving some of it away – whether during a Sunday sermon, in a fund-raising letter from a ministry or charitable organization, or the guy holding the handmade sign at the street corner – we reach protectively for our wallets. ‘It’s mine!’
For some of us, the issue is even deeper. The TV show, “American Idol,” has wrapped up its latest season, but for many people the real “American idol” is the green stuff with portraits of dead Presidents on it. We like it. The more of it, the better.
How do we know money is such an all-consuming big deal? Well, if you go to Amazon.com, you’ll find more than 27,000 books on personal finances. Financial planning is a booming profession. Years ago, a mega-rich industrial magnate was asked, “How much is enough?” His answer? “Just a little bit more.”
But this isn’t a new phenomenon. This idolatry of money is so prevalent, Jesus chose to speak more about wealth and money than about Heaven and Hell combined. About 25 percent of the time, His parables and conversations were about money and personal possessions.
In His ‘Sermon on the Mount,’ the Lord boldly declared, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). Then He added, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:24).
So, what’s the solution to this “slavery” to money, our tendency to turn it into an idol? It might seem strange to suggest, but one key to financial freedom is learning to be generous with our resources. Because in reality, it’s God’s money, not ours.
As 1 Chronicles 29:11-12 tells us, “Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is Yours. Yours, LORD, is the kingdom; You are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from You; You are the ruler of all things. In Your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.”
Recognizing the true Owner of our resources frees us to become generous. We’re promised, “And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). Demonstrating generosity with what God entrusts to us as stewards won’t result in poverty. In fact, the opposite is true.
As the apostle Paul wrote to believers in ancient Corinth, “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously…. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all you need, you will abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:6,8).
There’s a principle that if we’re willing to give freely from our material resources, the Lord will provide us with more so we can give more. As a noted Christian philanthropist said, “God shovels it in, and I shovel it out. And God has a much bigger shovel!”
If we cultivate a generous spirit, we’ll discover something else: God’s joy. As Paul went on to tell the Corinthians, “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).
The word “cheerful” in this verse is better translated “hilarious.” We can learn to give cheerfully, maybe even giggling as we do it – with an attitude of gratitude. After all, Jesus assured us, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). Because when we give – knowing God is using us to serve others, whether by enabling them to learn about Christ and grow in their faith, or by helping to meet their physical needs – we also receive. God showers us with blessings of joy!