Rebecca Inglis - September 15, 2019
Giving is Good
When I was a child, my parents encouraged good behaviour through the use of a chart on the fridge. Each day my brother and I had certain jobs to complete, and for each job we finished we’d get a tick. If we didn’t do our jobs, or we displayed certain negative behaviours, we’d get a cross on the chart. At the end of the week, calculations were made to determine our pocket money: 10 cents for each tick and minus 5 cents for every cross. If we had a perfect week, the most we could earn was about $4, but most weeks we averaged between $2.50 and $3.50. Even in a perfect week, we didn’t get to spend $4. Before we saw any money, Mum would subtract 10% for us to give to God and 20% for us to save in our Dollar-Mite account through school banking. My parents instilled this habit of setting aside money for God first, savings for the future second, and then we could waste the rest on lollies and junk. I didn’t at all mind giving 10 cents of every dollar to God when I was only earning $4 a week. And this habit, this spiritual discipline, has continued throughout my life. The day my pay is deposited in my account, my tithe (10%) comes out and goes directly to the church where God has planted me. Often though, as a person increases in wealth, they decrease the percentage they give back to God. Giving ten cents out of a dollar is not very much; but if you have made $100,000, then $10,000 seems like a big amount. And if you make a million, $100,000 is ten percent! Perhaps the more you make, the more you are prone to say, “Well, maybe five percent is enough, because after all, that’s a lot of money.” It’s not hard to give ten cents out of a dollar. It is only when that dollar grows that it becomes difficult, especially as our expenses seem to grow quickly along with our income. The biggest deterrent to giving is fear; the fear that if we give too much we won’t have enough for what we need or what we want. When we give to God, we are expressing our faith and trust in God to provide for us. In the Old Testament, tithing was the way people declared to God that He had the first place in their life and finances. In the New Testament, we are instructed to seek first the Kingdom of God, and the things necessary for life will be added to us.
Scripture References: Acts 20:35
From Series: "Multiply"
Our 4 part series on finance management and giving. Less is More Stress is Bad Giving is Good and Tomorrow Matters
