Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality. For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability they gave of their own accord, begging us with much entreaty for the favor of participation in the support of the saints, and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God.
(II Corinthians 8:1-5)
Within our culture, we make finances a private, personal matter. It is our money. We use it as we see fit. Its primary purpose is to meet our needs. As our needs are met, we use it in our attempt to secure our future and to satisfy our desires. Should a need arise around us, we might be willing to give some money as long as it makes us feel good about ourselves or provides some tangible benefit to us. If someone says that our resources are a gift from God, we would laugh or dismiss it. We work hard for our money. It's ours. God doesn't give us anything. We fail to see the place we have given to money. It is one of our gods. For many of us, we might not live for, but we do place it in a position of importance in our lives, a position higher than God.
As we first get to know the Lord Jesus, we give no consideration to the issue of our finances. But then, that is not what Jesus is asking us for. What he wants is our heart. He is teaching us that we are to love the Lord with all of our heart, all of our soul, all of our mind, and all of our strength. He knows that where our heart is, there are treasures are also. So, his focus is on transforming our heart. As we grow in our knowledge and love of Christ, especially once we begin connecting with the body of Christ, the Church, we find that the issue of finances comes up. It is at this point that the truth of money's grip upon us is brought into the light. The stronger its hold on us, the more turned off we are by the tithes and offerings that are typically received during a church service. When we get defensive and protective about our money, it is being revealed that we hold money in higher esteem than it deserves. The harder it is to part with money for the sake of the kingdom, the greater its stronghold over us. Ultimately, this is an issue of the heart. It is an issue of trust. While our money may have written on it "In God We Trust", when push comes to shove, it is really in money that we trust. It is not that we are not interested in following Jesus, for we are. It is that we don't realize the grip money has on our heart and mind. We need to be set free from that bondage, and that only happens as we begin giving to God's kingdom.
At some point our priorities regarding money come to a head and we being to give to the work of the kingdom. At first we may start giving out of a sense guilt or shame. We see others putting into the offering and don't want to be embarrassed by simply letting it pass by us. So we start with a dollar or two to ease our mind. Or maybe we are in a church where we feel pressure to contribute. Maybe there is a need that is announced or just the way the offering is introduced that makes us feel obligated. We don't feel shame or guilt so much as we feel that we are obligated to participate. Somehow we have come to think that it is a requirement for us to give to the church, so we drop in a few dollars to do our part. Whatever the reason is for our giving, we begin to give, but not as an act of worship. Not out of love. However, if we are open to the work of the Holy Spirit, he will lead us to repentance of our self-centeredness and teach us how to give with a joyful heart. It may not be quick and for some of us it may not come easy. In one sense, our giving needs to become a spiritual discipline. If the discipline is guided by the work of the Spirit, we find ourselves becoming occasional givers. As we grow towards maturity, the occasional giving becomes regular giving. Not only does the frequency of our giving increase, but the amount of our giving increases when we are walking in the Spirit. Perhaps the most important aspect however is that our heart is changing. Once we felt pressure, shame, or guilt and we protected our pocketbook. Now we see giving as an act of worship that furthers the work of the kingdom of God.
--Needs content--
--Needs content--
--Needs content--
Maturity in Christ is something most recognized as we look back at ourselves and discover a growing faithfulness in our giving. Not only do the frequency and the amount we give shift, but so does our view of giving. We find it a blessing to give. We don't give for any fanfare or recognition. We give as an act of worship. We give in secret, knowing that our heavenly Father sees what is done in secret. We don't give because of the blessings we have received from God along the way. We give because we recognize how much God is giving us. The first part of whatever we get is given back to the Lord without even thinking of doing otherwise. When we give, we do so with great joy. We cannot imagine not giving. If there is a special need and we can contribute, we do so willingly and freely. If we are not able to give and not led to give sacrificially in that instance, we harbor no guilt about it nor find a need to justify ourselves. We are loyal to the Lord and our loyalty would be seen by anyone who happened to look at our financial statement.