Know God's HeartGod doesn’t need our money; He already owns it all. As we willingly set aside the first part of our income for the Lord, our hearts will turn toward Him. (Matthew 6:21) When we give to the church, we fulfill God’s command to “bring the whole tithe into the storehouse.” Through the church we directly meet people’s needs.
It is critically important to understand that the money we have is not our own. It is God’s money, and he has entrusted it to us to manage. A good money manager will responsibly do four things with the money God has given him: worship God (Lev 27:30), meet his own needs (Phil 4:19), meet the needs of others (Acts 2:45), and have a little fun (1 Tim 6:17). Interestingly, two of the four areas of money management involve giving: worshiping God and meeting the needs of others. Through giving, we do both.
The Old Testament gives us an example of active, proportionate giving called the tithe. The New Testament neither prescribes nor prohibits the tithe. But tithing (10% of income) can be a great starting place for our giving. The Bible also tells us that our money which belongs to God, is to be immediately set aside for Him (Lev 27:30), and is to be brought to the storehouse (Mal 3:10). Today, that storehouse is the local church. God wants our money to go to the local church for the same reason He wanted it to go to the temple’s storehouse, “that there may be food in my house”. The church’s job is to meet the needs of people. When we actively give to the church, we give to others in need through the church.
Worship is anything we do whose purpose is to praise and glorify God. We worship God with our mouths when we pray, tell others of His love, or sing to Him. We worship God with our bodies by eating right, bowing in prayer, or even dancing. We worship God with our money when we give. By giving God a regular, proportionate amount of our income, we are showing Him that He is more important than the cable company, the mortgage company…even the IRS. We are saying that we believe Him when He promises to provide for us (Gen 22:14) and that He will bless our lives through our giving (Mal 3:10, Pro 3:9-10). As faithful Christians, giving should be as natural as bowing our heads during prayer.
Experience True Life
Giving is the antidote for materialism. The Bible says that by giving generously we are able to “take hold of the life that is truly life.” You aren’t truly living unless you’re freely giving. (I Timothy 6:19)
Have you ever wondered why God would have us give our stuff away? Greed and materialism run rampant in today’s culture as they have in just about any culture across the globe and throughout history. God hates greed and materialism because they rob us of the abundant life He wants us to have. Hording money will not buy us freedom in life - it actually buys us slavery to possessions. Generosity is the only way to experience life as God intended us to.
"Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way…they may take hold of life that is truly life."
I Timothy 6:18-19
Giving also helps combat legalism. Legalism is a noose that can slowly tighten around a Christ follower’s neck and choke the life right out of him. We’re being legalistic in our giving when we do so out of a guilty conscience. God doesn’t want us to give because we think he’s going to be disappointed in us if we do not; he wants us to give because we truly want to give. Greedy people sometimes give more money than anyone, but they experience less life because they do it out of guilt; generous people give because they love God, they love those in need, and they want to be just like Jesus. God is not interested in the simple action of giving; he is intensely interested in the faith that prompts the action of giving.
"Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:7
Test Him and See
Giving is the only area in the Bible where God invites us to test Him. Give a regular, proportionate amount of your income to God and see if He does not open the floodgates of heaven to bless you in ways that you never imagined possible. (Malachi 3:10)
Do you remember when Satan dared Jesus to jump from the roof of the temple, forcing God to save him? (Matt 4:6-7) Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:16 when he replied, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” It is not holy to test God; it is sinful and faithless. However, and this is a big however, there is one and only one place in the Bible that God invites us to test him.
“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse. 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.” Malachi 3:10
God knew that we would find ourselves in impossible financial situations. He knew that when he asked us to give we would reply, “I can’t afford to give that much money, let alone pay you before the mortgage company.” Well, the truth is that God not only promises to provide for us, but he takes it a step further by promising that he will flood our lives with all kinds of blessings, including financial blessings. All we have to do is trust him enough to take action.
Not Convinced? Check out this passage from Proverbs:
“Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.” Proverbs 3:9-10
As surely as a penny falls to the ground because of the Law of Gravity, giving will bless our lives spiritually and financially because of God’s Law of Giving.
“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.”
Luke 6:38
“One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.” Proverbs 11:24
Make and Eternal Investment
Even when the stock market’s down, we can make an investment that pays dividends now and for eternity. By investing in North Metro, we can leverage our money for eternity as the church makes a difference in their world and the world for Him. (I Timothy 6:7)
The stock market goes up and down. We gain money, and we lose money. The poor man today may be rich tomorrow; and the rich man today may be poor tomorrow. There is only one safe place to store our treasure, and that is heaven.
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Matthew 6:19-21
One way to store treasure in heaven is to give. God does not want us to sit on our money or to over-invest in the things we’ll only have here on earth; He wants us to actively invest in that which will last forever. We find it so easy to invest monies in maybe 10 or 20 years of retirement here on earth - why is it so hard to invest monies in an eternal life in heaven?
God has called the Church to spread the good news of Jesus Christ, thus affecting the eternity of millions of people. North Metro exists to build a community of Christ followers who will be difference makers in their world and the world for Him. We simply cannot do this without money. Sometimes, we get so concerned about our own comfort and security that we forget about the abundant blessings and fulfillment that comes from being an integral part of the Lord’s work. He uses us to make a difference. Who knows how many blessings - financially and spiritually, now and in eternity - we are missing out on when we fail to give? We need not fear running out of money, because God has promised to provide for our needs, even to provide more than we need. Don’t feel guilty, and certainly don’t give out of guilt. Be generous, and give because you love God, you love people, and you believe God will keep his promises.