Getting Started
Give. Give what? Give how much? Give when? If you’re a person who struggles with what it means to give, maybe you’re in a place where you perhaps really have never given before-here are the ten suggestions, not commandments. Sometimes we like step by step instructions more than ambiguous ones.
Don’t beat yourself up for not giving before. Start where you are because that is where God meets you.
Pray for discernment regarding the amount. The Torah (OT whatever you want to use) taught to give ten percent. It’s an easy number to calculate. Try your best to make a consistent amount for your decision that you can anticipate.
Give something even when you’re not sure how it will pan out. These are the best stories that bring more confidence in our giving. God even says, “Test me on this.”
Decide the cost of something that you purchase often as a want not a need and calculate how much giving that up is. The Israelites gave the very best of their crops and cattle to be considered a sacrifice.
Many of us have trust issues with giving. We want our money to be used in good ways. Perhaps start getting to know the ministries of the church. Volunteer for a ministry. See how the money is spent. Then, you can begin to give with a cheerful heart.
Your giving is a way of saying thank you to God. We often say “How could I ever thank you enough?” And he encourages us to show our gratefulness through giving. 2 Corinthians 9:11 from the Message: “He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way, so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God.”
Do some soul searching. Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Ask around to people who know you…what do you think is most important to me? Don’t be afraid to shift your focus if only slightly from one “treasure” to another.
Jesus offered the women at the well what she physically needed, then he gave her what she spiritually needed. Think of giving as a way of sharing what God looks like with others. We share what we have then we can share WHO we have.
Don’t google about Biblical giving…it’s like googling about medicine, there’s a lot of misinformation out there and from supposed spiritual sources. Your act of giving is an act of worship and is a conversation between you and God. He doesn’t need Google’s help, neither does your doctor.
If for no other reason, give because you’ve been given to. We live in the richest country in the world and even those of us who think we are poor by American standards are rich by world standards. The best communities of people are the ones who believe that we should have all things in common-what’s mine is yours.
George Welty