What Is Giving?

We would like to think that our money belongs to us, and that we can pretty much do with it as we please. Yet, Scripture reminds us that God has given us the ability to produce wealth: "But remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth . . ." (Deut. 8:18).

The Lord can and may bless you with riches. That does not mean that you have to be a millionaire. Being rich is somewhat relative—especially if you compare your wealth with a good portion of humanity in the rest of the world.

If God does bless you materially, the Bible says that He requires three things of you:

"Tell those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which will soon be gone. But their trust should be in the living God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and should give generously to those in need, always being ready to share with others whatever God has given them" (1 Timothy 6:17–18 NLB).

1. Do not be arrogant or place your ultimate hope in wealth.

As the passage says, your wealth will soon be gone. You can't take it with you after you die!

2. Use your money for good.

You are not an owner, but a steward of your money. For that reason, you should do good with what God has given you. Along these lines, Paul told the believers in Philippi that their financial gift to him would result in a reward for them, "fruit that abounded to [their] account" (Philippians 4:17). Then he went on to promise that God would supply all their need. From this we see that when you invest your money into the work of the Kingdom of God, you are actually laying up for yourselves treasure in Heaven.

3. Enjoy what God has given you.

God richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. We should not feel guilty about the blessings God has given us.

Principles for Giving
Read 1 Corinthians 16:1–3 

The Apostle Paul was not afraid to talk about the giving of money. Although he never over-emphasized it, he never neglected its importance. In this passage, he details some important principles regarding the subject.

1. Giving is a universal practice.

Paul writes, "Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches in Galatia, so you must do also . . ." (v. 1).

This was not just something that the Corinthians had to do. Everywhere Paul went, wherever he founded a church, he taught them to give, because giving is an essential part of the Christian life. As I mentioned in our last message, we need to freely give as we have freely received. After all, He has freely given us His unconditional pardon and the transformation of our lives and families—things we would never have been able to buy with any amount of money.

2. Giving should be done every week.

Paul writes, "On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside . . ." (v. 2). This is one of the first indications we have in the epistles that the Christians (by this time) had begun to gather regularly to worship, pray and give on the first day of the week, Sunday. But we see that this was done on a consistent basis.

3. Giving is a personal act.

Paul says, "Let each one of you lay something aside . . ." (v.2). He does not leave anyone out. Even children should be taught to give. It may be only a few pennies, a nickel, or a dime, but they should be taught the importance of giving at an early age.

4. We should be prepared to give.

Paul says to "lay something aside and store it up" (v. 2). We should set aside money for the work of the Kingdom out of every paycheck. Some may say, "But that is legalism!" Is it legalistic to say a prayer of thanks over a meal? Is it legalistic to set Sunday apart as the Lord's day in which you will go with your family to church? Is it legalistic to discipline yourself to read your Bible on a regular basis? That's not legalism; that's good planning, obedience, and wise stewardship. It represents a life that has been dedicated to God.

5. God will meet your needs and prosper you as you give.

Later in 2 Corinthians, Paul writes, "God is able to make it up to you by giving you everything you need and more, so that there will not only be enough for your own needs, but plenty left over to give joyfully to others." He then goes on, "God . . . will give you more seed to plant and will make it grow so that you give away more and more fruit from your harvest" (2 Corinthians 9:8, 10).

As mentioned in the previous message, God promises to bless and provide for the faithful giver. In fact, God makes a dramatic promise if we obey it.

Read Malachi 3:8–11

This passage contains several key points:

• If we fail to bring our tithes and offerings to God, we are actually robbing Him (v. 8). This reminds us again that giving is not an option in the believer's life.
  
• God makes a distinction between tithes and offerings. The word "tithe" actually means "one-tenth." In the Old Testament, we read of several instances where a tithe was given: Abraham presented a tithe to the priest-king of Jerusalem, Melchizedek (Gen. 14:18-20); and Jacob pledged to offer God a tithe of all of his possessions (Gen. 28:22). In the New Testament, Jesus mentioned it as well, though He warned that strict tithing must accompany concern for the more important demands of the law—namely those that dealt with just and merciful living (Matt. 23:23; Luke 11:42).

Israel practiced both required giving and freewill offering. Within the required giving, three tithes were specified:

First was the Lord's tithe; the second was the festival tithe; and the third was the poor tithe, collected every third year for the needy. Israel's practice of tithing (not even including freewill offerings) totaled between 20% and 25%. At that time, the Israelites' government and religious life were closely intertwined. Today, we are all taxed heavily by our government, and Scripture teaches that we should obey the laws of the land, including the giving of taxes. But our giving to the Lord is a separate matter.

Should we still tithe today? While we are no longer under the law, as we live under the new covenant in Christ, that does not mean that we disregard Old Testament law. Instead of doing it out of mere duty and fear, we now do it out of love. We as Christians should give a minimum of 10% to the Lord. I also believe that the tithe should go to the church you attend. The tithe for Old Testament believers went to the maintenance of the Temple. The tithe for New Testament believers should go to the maintenance of the church.

God makes an incredible promise to those who obey. God actually challenges you to test Him in this area: “'Try Me now in this' says the LORD of hosts, 'If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field'” (Malachi 3:10–11).

I challenge you to give your tithes and offerings to the Lord and see if God is as good as His Word. I think He is—and I think that you will see that for yourself, as well.

Part IX