Lord, What Would You Have Me Give?
So much of life revolves around money. We make money, spend it, save it, waste it, hoard it, and we give it. We are bombarded daily with financial decisions ranging from buying a cup of coffee to buying a car. One of the most important decisions regarding our money is what we will give to the Lord through our church. Certainly our financial circumstances affect our giving, but by far the biggest factor is our spiritual maturity. By God’s grace, we understand that God is the source of all good things and that He owns all things. All that we are and have are gifts from God. By our giving, we are merely returning to God what God has already given to us. With hearts filled with gratitude knowing what God has given to us and done for us, our question might become, “How much of God’s money am I going to keep?”
For Christians, giving is not an option. God is the infinitely perfect giver. God has given us our physical lives and our redeemed lives through Jesus. God’s nature is to give and that giving nature is seen in Jesus who gave lovingly, constantly, graciously, compassionately, and sacrificially. The Apostle Paul tells us, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children” (Ephesians 5:1). Because giving is inherent in God’s character, when we give, we reflect God’ likeness.
Some of us are given much materially while others have received less. Whatever God entrusts to us we are to use faithfully and responsibly. God has chosen to use us to spread the Gospel, and money is an important tool to support the mission and ministry of God’s Church. The funding of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19) needs to come from believers. The money which God entrusts to us has many purposes, and the funding of mission work is of first importance. Through the giving of our money, we demonstrate our obedience to Jesus’ command to reach out to all people.
As we spend time in God’s Word seeking guidance to the question as to what we are to give, we are reminded of God’s Biblical truths regarding giving. God wants us to give the first portion of our incomes (Proverbs 3:9), give regularly (1 Corinthians 16:2), and give generously of our incomes (2 Corinthians 9:13). In God’s Word, God promises to bless us through our giving (Proverbs 3:10; Luke 6:38). As we prayerfully consider what God wants us to give, let us remember these words from the Apostle Paul, “And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work [including our giving]” (2 Corinthians 9:8).
