Giving

THE BIBLE AND MONEY

People hesitate to talk about money in the church. But Jesus wasn’t hesitant about it at all. He spoke more of money than He did about heaven because He knew that wealth and material possessions are concerns which belong to everyone. Money is not evil. Far from it, money can be used to accomplish much good. But, “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). It is this love of money—greed, covetousness—which we must all guard against. One very practical way to guard your heart in this area is to consistently give away a portion of your money to support the Lord’s work in His church.

The Value of Giving

Giving away money to finance Kingdom work makes no sense to those who do not know Jesus Christ as Lord. It seems foolish. But to those who do know Jesus, giving away money for His Kingdom’s purposes is an investment—an investment in eternity. It is a privilege to honor the Lord with a portion of our income. He is the One who supplies our wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18) and He calls us to be His stewards of all that He entrusts to us.

Why We Give

Why does God talk so much about money and giving? Is it because He needs money? Is the giving of tithes and offerings God’s way of raising money? NO! It is God’s way of raising children. Giving is good for us! And it is good for others. When you grow in the grace of giving (as Paul calls it in 2 Corinthians 8:6-7), you encourage others to obey Christ in this area, and you provide resources for ministries which bring glory to God.

How We Should Give

“The Bible teaches us to give regularly (1 Corinthians 16:1-2), proportionately (2 Corinthians 8:12), cheerfully (2 Corinthians 9:6-8) and sacrificially (2 Corinthians 8:1-5; Luke 21:1-4). Of course, all of our giving should be focused on and motivated by God’s great love for us in Jesus Christ. Paul writes, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). Christ is God’s “indescribable gift” to us (2 Corinthians 9:15). When you give, you are being like Him.