Giving to God

[Martin Guthe]

I heard a sermon today about people not giving enough to God. Of course, giving to God means giving to the Church. Much, if not most of the money goes to Church expenses and the building fund etc..

I believe giving to the Church isn't giving to God. It is giving to the Church.
Giving to God, to me, is helping other people and donating to other non-profits that help people. In our world today, Church is a building with some of the people in it fellow believers. That is why home church is catching on. What would happen if the few people who tithe the proper amount helped other people out with the money instead?

This preacher today even had the audacity to say we should give a tithe based on our gross pay and not what we bring home. That is, we should tithe for the government as well. As taxes go up, we would have even less money after tithing.

What ever happened to earning a living doing something else and preaching the gospel for free. We are more blessed to give than receive. It shouldn't happen only one day a week anyway. Thank God we can listen to sermons on the radio and on the internet. We can read books and THE BOOK whenever we want. We do live in the best of times and it seems people are more messed up than ever before.

Now are the Bible Thought Police coming after me or years from now will this show up to haunt me?

[EnnisP]

Hey Lupine,
"Criticizing" was a poor choice of words. I knew it when I wrote it but didn't take the time to find a better one. Sorry about that. Nothing negative was intended.

I also recognize (identify with) the spirit of your present situation. I agree that people are often far too mechanical in their devotions. It helps to break out of the rut-ish approach and be spontaneous.

But, my questions were aimed at identifying guidelines that might be helpful to others making the same journey. I'm far too analytical than I should be but I like to give at least clear, though general, outlines to practical Christian living and ideas about giving fall mostly into two categories: hard, fast, unbending or I'm not sure how to explain it.

So, I was hoping for clarity. But, I do appreciate your remarks. Well said.

[Ginny Pamplin]

oh my---what I MEANT was that I truly feel that any believer who chooses to "hold out" on God financially is not because they love the money more than Him, but because they don't trust Him to come through for them.I sure did not mean to imply that you would put money ahead of God!!! So sorry I wasn't more clear. I just think that anyone who knows Him, who have been touched by His Heart, would never hold out on Him...not on purpose. You said:

Please don't think I would put money ahead of God. I see it as a tool that requires special skills to manage and one that can be used for much good but not as a replacement for God. I wouldn't say that God and money are antithetical. I would say that I have a lot to learn about how to make it, how to spend it, how to save it and how to give it.

honestly it sounds like you have a revelation about money that I both admire and would like to learn from. Thank you from sharing!

[Keren]

Ennis said. if there is a purpose for His gifts to me, other than serving me, and I do nothing to apply the resources toward that purpose, would that qualify as robbing? If not what should we call it?

I call it Mary. Mary didnt rob God of the gift of the Holy Spirit coming into her and impregnating her with Jesus. He gave it to her She didnt do anything but let it happen to her. She didnt try to be worthy - she just let it be.

She didnt give any resources for her own soul to be pierced so that, out of many hearts, thoughts may be revealed. She just let it be.

Also look at Martha and Mary - Lazarus's sisters. Both are worthy. Martha busy applying her resources yet Mary just kneeling by Jesus side was , according to Him, the better way.

Ennis, I do very much understand what you are saying, but it also seems there are more ways than relying on our own efforts and resources to share God's gifts.

[Martin Guthe]

Living is complicated. What we do, why we do it, what we expect from what we do, etc..

I feel God gives us what we need: food for life, physically and spiritually. He gives us the ability to continue to live both physically and spiritually. It is very wrong to take what He has given us and end our lives either physically or spiritually.

Wise management of money will allow someone to not depend on others. Of course, situations come up for some people that are beyond their ability to do it on their own. These are the people we should help. Why should we help people who continually misuse their own money and continually rely on others to get by? That's just throwing money away. Perhaps that is where teaching someone to fish comes in. Help them out and help them learn to take care of themselves monetarily. It isn't right for someone to mismanage his own money and be required to give what he doesn't have for a tithe. Cultural standards (law) are very complicated and hard to live by. Stressing only a few from others to get what you want is a deceiving sin. When a Church stresses tithing to insure that church expenses are paid is deceiving the congregation and taking advantage of some of them for it's own gain.

The simple basics of money management is to make the habit of spending less than you make on yourself. Giving back to the Lord is doing that. Learning to live without some of the things you want is another. When you are in the habit of questioning whether you should spend money on something, you start to learn you don't need to do it and through time desire it less. This leads to a simpler live without material things, and that leads to having more money to help God help others. Your identity is less what you have materially then it is what you have in your heart to give. Your method of earning the money becomes less who you are and your efforts to help others becomes a shining light of God's love and grace.