1. The Lord Jesus Expects and Re­quires us to Give⤒🔗

Jesus said to His disciples, “when you give” not “if you give” (Matthew 6:2)! Hence, Christian giving is not optional, but rather essen­tial. We often hear folks say: “in the Old Testament they had to give, but not in the New — now we only give if we want to.” This is clearly not Jesus’ teaching. He expected all His followers to be givers. Christians will give. Are you giving?

2. The Lord Jesus wants us to Give for the Right Rea­sons←⤒🔗

Jesus warned His disciples not to give for the sake of being admired by men. “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them,” He said (Matthew 6:1). When we give, we must be careful to examine our motives. We ought to give for the glory of God and the good of His people. We must desire His ap­proval of our giving, rather than the praise and admiration of people. Are you giving for God’s praise or man’s?

3. The Lord Jesus wants us to Prac­tice Benevolent or Charitable Giving←⤒🔗

Jesus said “When you give to the poor...” (Matthew 6:2, 3). Jesus is specifi­cally teaching about “alms” in this pas­sage: aid, charity, or benevolent offer­ings for the needy. Do you give amply enough to the Church that she can be generous in benevolent giving?

4. The Lord Jesus Reminds us that our giving is Ultimately to the all-seeing Heavenly Father←⤒🔗

Jesus said “When you give ... your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:3-4). When we give, we are not simply adding to the Church budget, we are giving up a thank offer­ing to the Father Himself. Thus, we must all give “as unto the Lord.” Our ultimate goal in giving is to please Him. Are you conscious of the fact that your giving is to the Lord and seen by the Lord?

5. The Bible Teaches that Christian giving is an Act of Worship←⤒🔗

In con­nection with the previous point, we see this truth stressed in another way in Paul’s word’s “On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save” (1 Corinthians 16:2). Paul here teaches the Corinthians that their taking up of the collection is an act of worship which is to be a part of their regular Lord’s Day wor­ship. When we put our money in the plate, we are worshiping Almighty God in accordance with His Word. Note well, Paul is speaking here of a “collection for the saints” — this is giving by the Church to the Church for the Church. Did you realize that giving is a part of worship? Is your worship in this area abundant or inhibited? Is giving to the Church a priority with you?

6. The Bible Teaches that Christian giving should be done in Light of the Incarnation←⤒🔗

Many Christians argue about whether the tithe (10% of our income) is still the standard for our giving to the Church (disputants usually want to show that less than 10% is fine). Paul scuttles the whole debate in one verse. He says: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich” (2 Co­rinthians 8:9). Christ’s self-giving is now the standard for our giving! We begin from the base of the tithe and aim for emulation of His self-sacrifice. Our giv­ing is to be inspired and instructed by Christ’s inexpressible gift. In light of such a challenge, who could possibly satisfy himself with asking “how little a percentage is acceptable for me to give?” Do you try to get by with giving as little as possible to the Lord, or do you give in view of the Lord’s costly sacrifice?

7. The Bible Teaches that Christian giving should be done in accordance with our Means←⤒🔗

Paul is quite clear on this: “For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have” (2 Corinthians 8:12). Put another way Paul is saying that you should give in proportion to what God has given you. He said it this way in 1 Corinthians 16:2, “each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper.” This means at least two things: (1) since we are all supposed to give proportionately, those who have more money are ex­pected to give more (we who are particularly blessed materially must re­member this), and (2) the Lord never asks us to give what we do not have, or contribute beyond our means. Are you really giving in proportion to the material blessings that the Lord has given you?

8. The Bible Teaches that the Liberal­ity of God’s Blessings to us is con­nected to the Liberality of our Chris­tian giving←⤒🔗

Though it may seem strange, both Jesus and Paul empha­size that there is a relation between our giving to the Lord and the Lord’s giving to us. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 9:6 “Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bounti­fully.” About this matter J.A. Beet once said: “They who in giving think, not how little they can give, as they would if self-enrichment were the aim, but of benefits to be conferred, will receive back on the same principle. As they do to others, so God will act to them.” Jesus reminds us of this in Matthew 6:4, where He teaches that our reward in giving comes from our heavenly Father. As someone once said: “The desire to be generous and the means to be generous both come from God.” Do you realize that the Lord has given you much, so that you can give much?

9. The Bible Teaches that Christian giving must be willing giving, free giving←⤒🔗

We learn this in 2 Corinthians 9:7 “Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion.” But doesn’t this contradict what we learned under the first principle, that Christian giving is not optional? The answer is, of course, no. True Christian giving is both mandatory and voluntary. It is required by God, but always willingly given by the believer. Is your giving to the Church something you do whole­heartedly, or indifferently, or grudg­ingly?

10. The Bible Teaches that Christian giving ought to be cheerful giving←⤒🔗

As Paul says “God loves a cheerful giver.” This is a truly amazing asser­tion. Paul assures us here that the Lord takes a special delight in those who are joyful, energetic, merry giv­ers. Is there joy in your heart as you give? Can you truly be characterized as a “cheerful giver?”

We have not come close to reaching our potential for giving. Won’t you pray that we will give as we ought? That we will give for the right mo­tives? That we will give joyously? And that we will give extravagantly?