THE JOY OF GIVING: (BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE ON GIVING)

A mother wanted to teach her daughter a moral lesson. She gave the little girl a quarter and a dollar for church "Put whichever one you want in the collection plate and keep the other for yourself," she told the girl. When they were coming out of church, the mother asked her daughter which amount she had given. "Well," said the little girl, "I was going to give the dollar, but just before the collection the man in the pulpit said that we should all be cheerful givers. I knew I'd be a lot more cheerful if I gave the quarter, so I did."

We can not blame the little girl; she didn’t know any better. She did not know the Joy of giving. Not only that little girl but unfortunately many Christian adults loose their joy when it comes to giving to the work of God. Why do we find it so difficult to give? Why are we not finding joy in giving? Whenever a pastor starts to talk about giving people tend to switch off thinking OK, here he goes again about money, but wait a minute, don’t be turned off, I am not after your money, neither is God; as Paul has beautifully put it in Philippians 4:17 “Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account.”

Around thanksgiving and Christmas we get a lot of appeals from Christian organizations, charitable societies, ministries, and it looks like all of them are after our money. We can be turned off with all these appeals and decide not to give anything at all. That should not be our attitude but at the same time we don’t want to be wrongly influenced and manipulated by these appeals. Instead we want to see what God’s word has to say about giving and discover the Joy of Giving. Are Christians required to give? Is giving necessary for my spiritual growth? Many sincere and God fearing Christians have conflicting views when it comes to giving to God and to Church. I would like to explain several principles of giving that are mentioned in both the Old Testament and the New Testament.

I.GIVING IN THE OLD TESTAMENT:
The giving nature of God runs throughout the Bible. Over a thousand scriptures in the Bible talk about giving and many of them refer to God giving to humanity. The following scriptures explain how generously God gives to his people:

After creating man God made him in charge of the Garden of Eden and gave him every seed-bearing plant and fruit bearing tree as food to man. Later on after the flood he also gave them the animals as food. God entered into a covenantal relationship with Abraham and said, “All the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring for ever.” I will give this land.”(Gen 13:15) He reminded Isaac, Jacob and their descendants about the promise he had made with Abraham. In accordance to the promise the Lord gave the Israelites a land flowing with milk and honey along with the land to man he also gave them the ability to produce.

We have been created in the image of God therefore we are to reflect the nature of God and as we see part of it is giving. In the OT we often read God commanding his people to bring burnt offerings and sacrifices. God’s people were also required by God to bring tithes and offerings.
In Malachi 3:8-11 “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' “In tithes and offerings.” You are under a curse-- the whole nation of you-- because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty.”

This scripture is often used by preachers and pastors to induce fear in people regarding tithes and offerings. They convincingly speak to make their listeners and viewers believe that if they give tithes regularly and give generously for the work of God they will receive blessings and failure to do so some curse may come upon them. I have mixed feelings about it. Yes it was true under the Mosaic Law, tithing evoked a blessing from God and failure of it evoked a curse. But we are no longer living under the Mosaic Law because Christ has fulfilled all the requirements of the law and has therefore taken away the curse of not fulfilling it from us.

II. Giving in the New Testament:

Under the new covenant we don’t live by the law but by grace, does that mean we are free from giving tithes and offerings? What does the N.T say about giving? Were the believers in the early church required to give tithes and offerings?

During Jesus’ time the Pharisees were practicing the law meticulously; to an extent that they became proud of it. Tithing was still a kept up tradition. Listen to this proud prayer of one Pharisee, “The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: God I thank you that I am not like other men, robbers, evildoers, adulterers or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.”(Luke 18:11-12). Jesus did not dispute that practice but rebuked the Pharisees for their failure to take care of the poor and the needy. Although we are not obligated to tithe; however giving was highly encouraged by Jesus and the apostles and was a visible phenomenon among the early churches. How has been the giving of the Church in America Today? Is it increasing or declining?

According to a George Barna’s Research (May 19, 2003).Church revenues fell during the past 12 months. One reason may well be the decline in the proportion of Christians who tithe. Among the highlights of this report on tithing are: (1) The proportion of adults who tithe dropped by 62 percent in the past year. (2) Just 6 percent of born-again households tithed to their churches in 2002. Here are a few points to consider when it comes to giving.

A. GIVING IS A CHOICE?

God has made us with a unique ability to choose. He never forced and never will force anyone to do anything he or she is not willing to. Even the commandments are not forced upon us, we can either choose to obey them or reject them. Jesus said if you love me you obey my commandments not if you fear me? When it comes to giving to God and to his work we have a choice to make; we can either choose to give or not to give? That is a decision you must make.
Giving is a choice and should be a joyful one. Paul high lights the importance of giving cheerfully, 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 Remember this: “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” To paraphrase this scripture, “You are under no pressure to give, you are free to decide in your hearts how much to give (you can not decide a Zero) it has to be some amount, once the decision is made then give cheerfully not grudgingly.”

When we give to God with Joy he is able to make all grace abound to us so that in all things at all times having all that we need (not all we want), we will abound in every good work. My wife(Wilma) and I can testify to this. There were times when we joyfully gave away large sums of money to support God’s work and his people. In all my years of ministry I can tell you with experience that He has never let us down. He always provided what we needed and some times what we wanted, but that was a bonus. As the pioneer missionary to China Hudson Taylor would say, “God’s work done in God’s way never lacks his provision”

B. YOUR RECEIVING DEPENDS ON YOUR GIVING:

We all know the principle of sowing and reaping. Our reaping depends on the amount of sowing. Paul said, “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. In order to teach the principle of sowing generously Jesus said in Luke 6:38 “Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Proverbs 11:24-25 “One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” God doesn’t want us to be tight fisted when it comes to giving. All we have ever owned comes from him in the first place any way.

When it comes to generosity no one can beat the Macedonian believers. They were perhaps like us, going through severe trials, economic hardships, struggling financially to make ends meet but they did not let their circumstances dictate their giving. Paul commended them for it. 2 Corinthians 8:1 “And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will.”

What a model of eager participation and generosity. They actually considered giving a privilege. Paul’s ministry needed funding and these believers were willing to invest in the work of the ministry. We read in the Gospels about the group of women who supported Jesus out of their private earnings. In the same way the ministry of our church can not flourish without the generous giving of its members.

C. GOD IS NOT AFTER YOUR MONEY BUT AFTER YOUR HEART:

Have you wondered how much actually God requires of you to give? In the OT law God required people to bring tithes 10% (tithes) from all their increase. Jesus not only fulfilled the law but also intensified the law. He wants you to give him more than just 10% give him all of your heart. Are we turning our hearts to God? Psalm 119:36 “Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain.”

During one of his visits to the temple in Jerusalem, Jesus sat down opposite to the offering box and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. A poor widow also came rather nervously and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. In order to teach them a lesson Jesus called his disciples to him, and said, "I tell you the truth; this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything-- all she had to live on." (Mark 12:41-44) How could that be possible? She only gave less than a cent? The truth of the matter is not the quantity but the willingness to give all we have for the work of God even when it hurts.

God places much greater value on a few dollars given with a right attitude and a joyful heart than the great philanthropic charity done in order to get publicity. When we give we must give whole heartedly even if it is a small amount. God is no debtor to any one. Even if we give a glass of water to one of his servants we will not certainly loose our reward then how much more we will receive when we actually start giving generously for the work of God? (Matthew 10:42)

Oseola McCarty, eighty-seven, did one thing all her life: laundry. For decades, Miss McCarty earned fifty cents per load doing laundry for the well-to-do families of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, preferring a washboard over an electric washing machine. Every week, she put a little bit in a savings account. When she finally retired, she asked her banker how much money she had socked away. "$250, 000," was his reply. She was in shock. "I had more than I could use in the bank," she explained. "I can't carry anything away from here with me, so I thought it was best to give it to some child to get an education." This shy, never-married laundry woman gave $150,000 to nearby University of Southern Mississippi to help African-American young people attend college. "It's more blessed to give than to receive," she tells reporters. "I've tried it."

The Bible explains God as a giving God. Since our God is giving we too are called to give. No one can beat the generosity of God in other words we can not out give God. We are not obligated to give, but who in their right mind and with grateful heart wouldn’t want to give when all that they are and have has been given to them by God in the first place.

What is your attitude towards giving? How do you handle money? Is Jesus Lord over your check book? The Bible says where your treasure is there also your heart is. Who is you treasure? How has your giving been lately? Do you honor God with your finances? Beautiful words of reminder from Paul: 2 Corinthians 8:7 “But just as you excel in everything-- in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us--see that you also excel in this grace of giving.” May the Lord help us to increase in the grace and the Joy of Giving.