I’ve been writing about the 10 questions that we as your pastors want you to know the answer to. This week, we come to the ninth question: Why is it important that you give?
I am not going to be talking about how to give (you can give through swiftcreekbaptist.org by clicking “Give Online”; and we still pass the offering plates every week). I’m also not talking about how much to give (should we still tithe 10%? Is that net or gross? Are we still obligated to “tithe”? Should we simply give what God convicts us to give?).
No, today, I simply want to answer WHY you should give. WHY we do something is our motivator. If we are giving for the wrong reasons, then we will eventually stop giving, and find excuses not to give. But if we know WHY we are giving, we will be more faithful in giving.
Let me give you a few reasons to give:
1. When we give, we are like Jesus.
The Father and Jesus the Son are givers. God gives because He loves. Have you ever noticed the connection between giving and loving in the New Testament?
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son…”
1 John 3:16 “By this we know love, that he laid down (gave) his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.”
Ephesians 5:25 “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her…”
Christians are to be giving people. In fact, we should be the most giving people on the planet because we serve a big Giver in God. God is not stingy. He is a generous giver. In fact, the Bible says that God is a lavish giver. When we give generously and sacrificially, we honor God and follow His example.
2. When we give, we are good managers (stewards) of what God has entrusted to us.
God has commanded that we give. However, we are not owners; we are managers. God is the owner; we are simply called to manage what He has already entrusted into our care. When we see ourselves as managers, we will give what God leads us to give.
3. When we give, we give to an eternal cause and make an eternal investment at the same time.
Matthew 6:19-21 states, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
So, when we give to the Lord and His Kingdom work, we are giving to something that outlasts us. And to top it off, we are making an eternal investment. In other words, if we give now, we will reap later.
4. When we give, we are happy.
Jesus said, “it is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). The word “blessed” means “happy and joyful.” So, when we give we are happier than when we receive. Have you ever noticed how givers seem to be happy people and perpetual takers never seem to be happy? Have you ever noticed how giving a good gift brings more joy than getting a gift? It’s a biblical principle. If you want to be happy, then start with giving.
Church, let me encourage us to be givers, and to do so cheerfully. God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7). May Swift Creek be known as a generous people!