When the subject of biblical giving arises, we usually have visions of dollars and cents. Certainly the support of the church is vital, so we give as the Lord has blessed us. Children should be taught by their parents, even as little ones, to place something in the offering plate. It is a display of thanksgiving and an acknowledgment that the first-fruits belong to the Lord. It is a part of worship that involves all believers. It is a commitment to the work of the church at home and abroad.
In difficult economic times, it is tempting to hold back giving. But this is a time when those who are able have the greatest opportunity to help those who are struggling. It may not only be monetary, but our time and our help is needed where it will do the most good.
We need to go beyond the offering plate. This is not the full measure of giving that the Lord requires of us. The giving of tithes and offerings is just a symbol that represents our desire of giving everything to the Lord in all facets of our life. If we give "proportionally"-that is, as the Lord has blessed us, we would never be able to fulfill that concept. The gifts of God to us are both temporal and eternal. We have much to give others.
Certainly the tithe that the Bible teaches is only 10 percent of our earnings. What about the rest-the 90 percent? If we have given a tithe, then is the remaining ours to use any way we may wish? Is the tithe sacred and the rest secular? Certainly not! Everything, including "our heart, mind, soul, and strength," belongs to the Lord and to our neighbor. The Lord demands 100 percent of our lives, given to Him in thankful obedience.
This should not be simply a matter of law, but of grace. Jesus said, "For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone" (Matt. 23:23).
The concept of biblical giving is not determined by our earnings, but by God's gifts. The Sunday offering is simply a confession that apart from the grace of God, we are and have nothing. Giving our first-fruits (not leftovers) acknowledges that fact.
So where do we start, as we determine what the Lord demands of us? Proverbs 23:26 instructs, "My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways." Yes, it is a matter of the heart. Where our treasure is, that is where our heart will be also. When we see faith falter, we often seen giving subside. When the doctrines of God's sovereign grace are no longer foremost in the confession and life of the church, we see giving subside. Some of the huge mega-churches, which have championed a man-centered message, are now falling into financial ruin. The grace of God that fills the heart is no longer there.
The prophet Malachi bemoaned the fact that Israel was "robbing God" by not giving their tithes. In addition, the sacrifices they brought were the blemished, blind, stolen, lame, and sick animals. What we give to God not only reflects who we are, but what we think of God and His glory. The prophet says, "You offer defiled food on my altar, but say, ‘In what way have we defiled You?' By saying, ‘The table of the Lord is contemptible (i.e., to be despised)' " (1:7). Malachi calls on the people to repent, or, as God says, "I will send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings" (2:2). When man robs God, it is not God who is poorer, but man himself.
By nature we are selfish, but by grace in our hearts we are thankfully selfless. For Christians, giving is not a burden, but a joy. The Lord loves a "cheerful giver." Jesus willingly showed this grace: "though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich" (2 Cor. 8:9).
Jesus did not give us a bag of gold, but He gave Himself. This is what God wants of us: to give of ourselves in humble gratitude. Whether it is in the offering plate on Sunday or whatever we do in our service to the Lord all during the week, this is what God has first given and continues to give us.
"So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Cor. 9:7).
