Sacrificial Giving

“But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully”……”But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.”  II Corinthians 9:6; Hebrews 13:16

That old saying, “What goes around, comes around” could also refer to charitable giving.  If a farmer desires a bountiful harvest, he won’t’ be stingy when he plants the seed in the ground, applies fertilizer, and irrigates the crop when there is a lack of rainfall.  An employee on the job who does just enough work to get by will not be looking at any promotions or pay raises coming to him or her (unless, of course, he or she is the child, nephew, or niece of the company’s owner).  A student who doesn’t apply himself to his studies can’t expect to get into a good college.  One who finds it difficult to turn loose of some of his money for charity may find that the Lord may not be so free with His blessings.  If one desires God to pour out His blessings upon him or her then he or she must be willing to generously bless others.

While we praise God, we can physically show Him honor by serving Him through serving others and filling needs with our resources which He has supplied to us.  Paul asked in I Corinthians 4:7, “…what do you have that you did not receive?  And since you received it (from the Lord), why do you act like you got it all on your own?” (paraphrased).  Giving of our time, talents, and treasures for the cause of Christ are the kinds of sacrifices of which God is well pleased.  While it is true that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ alone and not by the works that we do (Ephesians 2:8-9), faith requires good works otherwise it is a dead faith (James 2:20).  How else could we live out our faith than by doing good to others and providing for those needs that we can meet?  In James 2:15-16, he gave an illustration to highlight the principle of working out one’s faith.  If another person is in dire need of food and clothing, and you know about his or her situation and all you do is wish them well rather than meeting the need as you are able, then what kind of faith is that?

I don’t know how many times that I have heard folks say that they don’t go to church because all the preacher does is talk about money.  I have estimated that over my lifetime so far, I have probably heard at least 4,000 sermons by several different pastors of the churches of which I have been a member, and 99.9 percent or more of those sermons was not about money.  Preachers, at least the ones that I have known over the years, talk less about money that Jesus did.  Why are folks so “frugal”, actually greedy, over giving money to the cause of Christ.  The contributions that are given are to spread the gospel to the lost world, and that is money well spent.  Knowing that what I give goes toward folks being able to hear the gospel and hopefully come to faith in Christ gives me joy.  Of course, we have all heard of unscrupulous pastors who commit fraud, become wealthy on the backs of their congregation, and thus it is up to those who give to make sure that their contributions are going to uplift the name of Christ and spread the gospel.  The church as an organization is like all other organizations:  they need money to keep the doors open.  The secular world is not going to support Jesus’ church, so it is up to those who belong to Him to spread the gospel to a lost world, maintain the place of worship, and provide for the needy.

A man who attended the same church as I did when I was younger said many times that he and the Lord could make 90 dollars go further than he could make 100 dollars go by himself.  Ten percent is just the starting point for giving and not the limit.  After all, it all belongs to God.  He allows us keep more than we give back to Him which is generous on God’s part.  Giving should be scheduled in like any other expense.  It shouldn’t be a spur of the moment decision, at least, not on a regular basis.  Giving shouldn’t be done with a begrudging attitude as if one was being forced to give.  God wants us to give because we want to give, not because we are pressured, intimidated, or shamed into giving.  It is “more blessed to give than receive” (Acts 20:35).  I had much rather be able to give than to have to receive.