To Give Or Not To Give
To Give Or Not To Give
By Mark Seay
www.LighthousePrayerLine.org
The standard for giving under the Old Testament law was the tithe.
Each person was expected to give the first 10% of his income, as well as his livestock and his crops, to God (Leviticus 27:30-33; Malachi 3:8; Luke 18:11-12). People were obligated to tithe under the law of Moses. This changed after Jesus' death because His sacrifice satisfied all of the requirements of the law (Matthew 5:17).
As believers in Jesus Christ, we are no longer controlled by the law. However, our giving can reflect the reality of our faith. Likewise, our behavior can affect our attitude; our actions can affect our outlook.
We give, not under obligation, but out of our appreciation for Christ's sacrifice for our sake. Following the death of Jesus, there is no verse in the New Testament that directs believers to tithe. Paul wrote about giving but did not mention the tithe or any other amount as a standard for contributions (Romans 7:4,6; Galatians 2:17-21).
There are several verses in the New Testament that suggest guidelines for giving.
We should give regularly (1 Corinthians 16:2), privately (Matthew 6:3-4), proportionally (2 Corinthians 8:11-13), generously (2 Corinthians 9:6) and cheerfully (2 Corinthians 9:7-8). "Give, and you will receive. You will be given much. Pressed down, shaken together, and running over, it will spill into your lap. The way you give to others is the way God will give to you" (Luke 6:38).
Paul tells us that we should give our time, talents and our treasure. "I have given you an example that by working hard like this we should help the weak. We should remember the words that the Lord Jesus said, 'Giving gifts is more satisfying than receiving them' " (Acts 20:36 - GW).
Our attitude toward giving is more important than the amount of our giving. "...my contentment is not in wealth but in seeing you and knowing all is well between us. And when I awake in heaven, I will be fully satisfied, for I will see you face to face" (Psalm 16:15 - TLB).
Through our giving, we demonstrate our understanding that God provides everything we have. We express reliance on Him to meet our needs, not ourselves or our earnings. God wants us to offer ourselves to Him, fully, without reservation. If we do this, we will give our money as well. "Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you have already given us" (1 Chronicles 29:14 - TLB).
"So then, my brothers and sisters, because of God's great mercy to us I appeal to you; offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him. This is the true worship that you should offer" (Romans 12:1 - GNB).
Aside from the level of contentment that we'll possess from relinquishing, "true giving":
...provides my gratitude for God's gifts;
...promotes trust in God;
...prevents me from becoming greedy;
...and provides a secure return.
How can we give in today's economy with all the job loss, the drop in GDP, markets declining, and 401-K's plummeting? Well, let's see what God's Word has to say about it: "Although they were going through hard times and were very poor, they were glad to give generously. They gave as much as they could afford and even more, simply because they wanted to. They even asked and begged us to let them have the joy of giving their money for God's people. And they did more than we had hoped. They gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us, just as God wanted them to do" (2 Corinthians 8:2-5 - CEV).
Although it's not mandated, we can clearly see that not only are we blessed by giving, but we should desire to do so in order to grow closer to our Lord Jesus.
------------------------------------------
"Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can't take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content" (1 Timothy 6:6-8 - NLT).
By Mark Seay
www.LighthousePrayerLine.org
The standard for giving under the Old Testament law was the tithe.
Each person was expected to give the first 10% of his income, as well as his livestock and his crops, to God (Leviticus 27:30-33; Malachi 3:8; Luke 18:11-12). People were obligated to tithe under the law of Moses. This changed after Jesus' death because His sacrifice satisfied all of the requirements of the law (Matthew 5:17).
As believers in Jesus Christ, we are no longer controlled by the law. However, our giving can reflect the reality of our faith. Likewise, our behavior can affect our attitude; our actions can affect our outlook.
We give, not under obligation, but out of our appreciation for Christ's sacrifice for our sake. Following the death of Jesus, there is no verse in the New Testament that directs believers to tithe. Paul wrote about giving but did not mention the tithe or any other amount as a standard for contributions (Romans 7:4,6; Galatians 2:17-21).
There are several verses in the New Testament that suggest guidelines for giving.
We should give regularly (1 Corinthians 16:2), privately (Matthew 6:3-4), proportionally (2 Corinthians 8:11-13), generously (2 Corinthians 9:6) and cheerfully (2 Corinthians 9:7-8). "Give, and you will receive. You will be given much. Pressed down, shaken together, and running over, it will spill into your lap. The way you give to others is the way God will give to you" (Luke 6:38).
Paul tells us that we should give our time, talents and our treasure. "I have given you an example that by working hard like this we should help the weak. We should remember the words that the Lord Jesus said, 'Giving gifts is more satisfying than receiving them' " (Acts 20:36 - GW).
Our attitude toward giving is more important than the amount of our giving. "...my contentment is not in wealth but in seeing you and knowing all is well between us. And when I awake in heaven, I will be fully satisfied, for I will see you face to face" (Psalm 16:15 - TLB).
Through our giving, we demonstrate our understanding that God provides everything we have. We express reliance on Him to meet our needs, not ourselves or our earnings. God wants us to offer ourselves to Him, fully, without reservation. If we do this, we will give our money as well. "Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you have already given us" (1 Chronicles 29:14 - TLB).
"So then, my brothers and sisters, because of God's great mercy to us I appeal to you; offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him. This is the true worship that you should offer" (Romans 12:1 - GNB).
Aside from the level of contentment that we'll possess from relinquishing, "true giving":
...provides my gratitude for God's gifts;
...promotes trust in God;
...prevents me from becoming greedy;
...and provides a secure return.
How can we give in today's economy with all the job loss, the drop in GDP, markets declining, and 401-K's plummeting? Well, let's see what God's Word has to say about it: "Although they were going through hard times and were very poor, they were glad to give generously. They gave as much as they could afford and even more, simply because they wanted to. They even asked and begged us to let them have the joy of giving their money for God's people. And they did more than we had hoped. They gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us, just as God wanted them to do" (2 Corinthians 8:2-5 - CEV).
Although it's not mandated, we can clearly see that not only are we blessed by giving, but we should desire to do so in order to grow closer to our Lord Jesus.
------------------------------------------
"Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can't take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content" (1 Timothy 6:6-8 - NLT).
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