It's not how much we give

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

 Giving can be a pain and extremely hard to   do. One Sunday during a service some years   ago, at collection time, I found myself nervously   fingering the money I had brought. How much   should I give? The collection plate was being   passed along the pews and I needed to do my   sums quickly. What did I need to buy at the   shop on the way home? How much could I give and not feel guilty? What about later in the week, would I have enough to get through? I made my calculations and never gave that week or the next. It was only later, a long time later, that I took the time to consider my dilemma in church, and it dawned on me that while considering my own needs, I gave no thought to the needs of the church or congregation. Every Sunday I sit in relative comfort, in a clean building, with electric lights and running water. How many of these things could be maintained with the paltry amount I had held back? It had never occurred to me that the preacher might not have enough to feed his family or service his car. What about the cleaner, the groundsman, the property tax, electricity, and water accounts, all these needed to be paid, and the building needed to be maintained.

Suddenly I was feeling uncomfortable and desperately wanted to justify myself, so I turned to my Bible. I even thought about not going to church but that would have only made me feel worse.

I am not one for theology and doctrines and church rules and regulations. I consider myself a regular person just trying to get through life by doing the right thing. If I can bend a rule or cut a corner to make my life easier, I will. My motive for going to the Scriptures was quite simply to ease my conscience, perhaps in the Bible I could find something that would make it easier for me to get away without giving, or maybe I could find something that would tell me that it is alright to pass the burden onto those who have more than I.

The first scripture that came to mind was one that we all hear when it comes time for collections:

Malachi 3:10(KJV) Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

A light bulb of hope went on in my brain. Malachi 2:1(KJV) And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you. This scripture was not for me but for the priests but I had a nagging suspicion that I had read somewhere that I was a priest:

1 Peter 2:9(KJV) But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light; (1Peter.2:9)

Revelation 1:5a,6a(KJV) And from Jesus Christ,... Unto him that loved us... And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father;

But I need my money. I will not have enough to get through the month if I give my hard-earned cash away.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth,… (Deut.8:18a)

The earth is the LORD'S, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. (Psalm.24:1)

Everything I have comes from Him. I need to plan for the future, my retirement, the children's education, medicals, the house, the list seems endless. There's always something else that has to be paid and what return is there from the church? Baptism, marriage, and a funeral when my life’s over. But there is also always someone who will listen to me when I complain or cry. There is always a place to go in time of trouble. A place of love when the world seems loveless. A place where my soul can grow and is blessed.

Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. (Luke.6:38)

Really? I’ve always liked scriptures that tell me I’m going to get something in return for my money (although I was not really convinced of it), but giving weighs so heavily on my heart. It is all very well to expect me to give, but I work hard for my money, which isn’t very much in any case. I loathed to be separated from my cash, it’s my prize for completing the month, my certificate of success, my reward, and the ticket of approval for what I’ve done. Even though I don't like it, I know I must open my hand and give but what shall I give?

Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. (2Cor.9:7)

As for receiving in return, I hear every day from banks and insurance companies how much they do for us and we know how believable their promises are, so what makes this and other promises in the Bible different?

God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? (Numbers.23:19)

Somebody once said that love and money only have meaning if they can be shared.

Winston Churchill said: We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.