Why Do we give as Christians? Do we really own anything after all?“The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, the world, and all those that dwell in it.” Psalm 24:1
Everything we possess now or ever will belongs to God. We are only entrusted with it for a time and during that time we must make wise choices with God’s resources. It’s the principle of stewardship.
WE CAN.
Sometimes we limit our giving potential due to our concern with the size of the gift we could make. To God it’s more about the condition of the heart, than it is size.
2 Cor. 9:7 “For God loves a cheerful giver.”
When given from a glad heart in obedience to His leading, God will use any gift you make, regardless of size. Everyone us can give to the Kingdom…some large gifts, some small, but all valuable.
YOU’VE BENEFITED FROM THE GENEROSITY OF OTHERS
All of us have been on the receiving end of someone else’s generosity at least at one point in our lives. Giving allows you to do a little role reversal… Acts 20:35 “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
IT’S GOOD FOR THE SOUL
If you’re a parent, you’ve no doubt experienced this. Out of the blue you bought your child that toy that they had been asking for. No special reason, you just wanted to surprise them. When you brought the toy out from behind your back or had them open their eyes…the look of excitement that was on their face…do you remember how much joy that gave you? You should experience no less when you give to God’s kingdom.
WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND
We’re not talking about “seed-planting” or dollar for dollar return here, but it is a basic scriptural principle, Luke 6:38 “Give and it will be given to you.” People who give often get a taste of their own medicine, many times unexpectedly and just when they need it most.
IT SETS A GOOD EXAMPLE
Again, if you’re a parent you will appreciate this. None of us want to raise bratty, stingy, all-about-me, mine-mine-mine children. One way we can avoid this is by teaching them to share by our example. They seem to learn the other just fine on their own.
IT’S TAX DEDUCTIBLE Sweet! There’s nothing wrong with that.
WHAT ELSE ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH IT Can you think of a better way to use disposable income? Why do we want to dispose of any of our income….it’s too hard to come buy. Why not invest it in something that will last?
“Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may hold on eternal life.” 1 Tim 6:18-19
We’re going to spend a lot more time at our final destination than this brief pit stop. Let’s make sure we have something when we get there.
IT’S JUST THE RIGHT THING TO DO
At the root of all sin is preoccupation with self and a desire to be self-dependent. In other words it all boils down to selfishness and defiant independence. As new creations in Christ we fight with our old sinful, selfish nature daily. Sometimes we win; sometimes we lose. By giving to God’s kingdom and putting the needs of others before our own wants we can ensure the victory, at least for today.