BIBLE 101: GIVING

GIVING

by Pastor Peter Geisendorfer-Lindgren (peter@lordoflife.org)

Giving is at the heart of the Christian faith. When you look through the Bible, you will find “believer/believe/believing” 272 times. “Pray/ prayer/praying” is there 371 times and “love/ loving” 714 times. No one who would argue that believing, praying, and loving are not critical pieces of our relationship with God. So when we discover that the word “giving/giver/give” appears in Scripture 2,162 times, or more than three times as often as “love,” it is easy to tell that God wants us to understand that giving is really important.

There are many things we can give. We can give time, knowledge, forgiveness, joy, peace, patience, love, hope, and kindness. But, when we think of giving, it is often money that comes first to mind.

The Apostle Paul explains God’s financial plan in Second Corinthians 9:6-7.

6 The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

Paul’s first insight is that the principle of sowing and reaping applies to your giving. Giving to God’s work is not giving something away. It’s an investment. The farmer who sows doesn’t lose seed. He gains a crop. And by the way, more seed.

So when you give money to the church or another good cause you’re not losing your money, you’re planting it. Lord ofLife always presents our third graders with their very own Bible. We give, on average, 150 Bibles a year and they are paid for by the offerings we receive. Those children are one of our crops. We’re investing in them. And if we keep watering them with God’s Word and fertilizing them with God’s love, their lives will yield a rich harvest.

So how do we give and how much should we give?

7 Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Paul’s financial plan doesn’t offer any calculations of net or gross, nor does he share depreciation schedules or dividend tables. Paul writes: “give as you have made up your mind.” That is, think about it, pray about it. Paul eliminates the idea of giving out of guilt or obligation. If you are reluctant to give or if someone is pressuring you, don’t give. That’s okay. Wait until you can understand the joy and the honor that comes with giving. Then give cheerfully.

So as you are considering a year-end gift or your pledge to the church for 2021—God wants you to look at your bucket of seed, and determine in your head and heart how much you’d like to sow. Whatever it is, feel good about it. And then sit back and watch as God’s mission in the world grows.

Bible 101

reflection

Read Matthew 19:16-24 then ask, “Why is it difficult for rich people to give?”

Read Luke 6:37-38 then reflect, “How are acceptance, forgiveness, and giving repaid in God’s economy?”

Read Mark 8:36-37 then think, “What do these verses teach us about what is important?”