My Daily Pause

In 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 Paul commands the weekly collection. We are to give in relation to our gains for the week or “as we have prospered.”

We can keep this command with several attitudes. How we handle our money, especially in relation to giving,  is covered throughout the Bible and should be something we take seriously.

Do you give with the attitude of:

1. The Rich Young Ruler? (Mark 10:18-22)
2. Judas? (John 12:3-6)
3. Ananias and Sapphira? (Acts 5: 1-2)
4. Barnabas? (Acts 4:36-37)
5. The Poor Widow? (Mark 12:41-44)
6. David? (2 Samuel 24:24)

One of the best expressions of our trust in God is to put giving at the top of our budget and not at the bottom – Where we are giving from our leftovers!

I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing – David

Barnabas had just sold a piece of land and laid all the money at the feet of the Apostle (Acts 4:36-37). That was a grand gesture, one that wasn’t even required but came straight from the heart. It’s not surprising that Ananias and Sapphira got caught up in the joy of giving and wanted to participate (Acts 5:1).

The beauty of being a giving person turns ugly fast when it is done only to be seen by others. We might not suffer the same fate as Ananias and Sapphira when we to do the same thing, but we know the Lord will ignore such heartless giving (Mark 12:41-12:44)

 ⁹ Generous people will be blessed,
because they share their food with the poor. – Proverbs 22:9

Last Post, I posed this question: “Will Your Giving Count?” and The last of the suggested readings was 2 Samuel 24:24 where David has been sent to build an altar on someone else’s property. Araunah, the owner, offers to give David the property and the Oxen to make the sacrifice, but he refuses and insists on paying for it. He says, “I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that cost me nothing.”

I hope that jarred you into thinking about your giving.

We are entering the season where we will have opportunities through raffles, formal dinners, parties, payroll deduction and more from well-meaning people to try and fulfill a lot of worthy needs. My thought is this: Does enjoying a $100 formal dinner with wine and waiters equal handing $5 to the next homeless person you see? Is your payroll deduction to United Way equal to keeping the heat on for a family that you know has fallen on hard times?

I can’t give you those answers as it ultimately depends on what is in your heart. What I will do is point out some of God’s guidance on how our giving should be:

• We should give Liberally – Luke 6:38
• Our giving should be Sacrificial – Hebrews 13:16
• Giving should be on purpose and cheerful – 2 Corinthians 9:7
• Give in secret – Matthew 6:3-4

God loves a cheerful giver and rewards those who are. Take a look at 2 Corinthians 2:6-13

 ²⁵ Lazy people’s desire for sleep will kill them,
because they refuse to work.
²⁶ All day long they wish for more,
but good people give without holding back. – Proverbs 21:25-26 NCV

One of Scripture’s recurring themes is a strong work ethic and liberal giving.

Paul gave us the gold standard for the correct attitude: There will be no U-Haul on our hearse (1 Timothy 6:7) and laboring because “it is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:34-35).

²⁷ The Lord hates sacrifices brought by evil people,
particularly when they offer them for the wrong reasons. – Proverbs 21:27 NCV

Giving to the Lord is a very specific and purposeful act and God wants us to give cheerfully (2 Corinthians 9:7). The Proverb writer tells us God hated those that offered their sacrifices with a wrong heart. Take a look at the New Testament version of God’s feelings: Acts 5:1-9. Was the amount of money they gave or the way they gave it wrong?