Someone ask me recently, “Why do you give?” Talking about the practice of giving a percentage of our income to our church & other ministries. My answer: Well, I WAS TAUGHT the discipline by my parents when I started mowing yards for $7 a piece at the age of 10 years old. They’d help me count my money out that needed to go in the envelope at church each Sunday. I obediently practiced THE DISCIPLINE, hesitantly at times, as I opened my first bank account & started my first job in my teen & college years. Over the years, I’ve experienced THE PROMISE of God to care for needs of the generous over & over again. Now, I can say I know THE JOY of giving as I see my money pooled with others for the good of God’s mission & the JOY of others. Now, if I didn’t give, I’d feel naked.

Giving should be TAUGHT, as a DISCIPLINE, so that people can know the PROMISES of God, for the sake of their own JOY & the joy of others.  

[from this quarter’s Contribution Statement letter from our church]

It’s my belief that giving isn’t primarily about my church’s budget, but my heart’s obedience & worship. The Bible commends regular, sacrificial, & cheerful giving to us as a way of life. Our church offers us the opportunity to pool our obedient giving together for the sake of a common mission. Church is about obedient hearts coming together.

Each quarter our church sends out contribution statements that give us an opportunity to examine our own obedience:

• Have I given regularly? (1 Corinthians 16:2) If not, pick a regular rhythm to begin giving. Once per month, once per week, each time you’re paid, etc.
• Have I given sacrificially? (Malachi 3:10) The Old Testament commands & Jesus commended 10% of our income. In the New Testament many gave all they had. Pick a % of your income that would be sacrificial & try giving it regularly & see how God honors His promises.  
• Have I given cheerfully? (2 Corinthians 9:6-7) Is there an enthusiasm in my heart about the opportunity to grow God’s kingdom & put my faith in God’s promises?

Giving has an impact on others, sure, but its greatest impact has been on me.