How Much Should I Give?
“Two things I ask of you …” Proverbs 30:7
There is a wonderful statement at the end of the book of Proverbs that is attributed to an unknown sage named Agur. He offers this prayer to God -
“Two things I ask of you. Deny them not to me before I die. Remove far from me falsehood and lying. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” Or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of God.”
This is a prayer for balance. He prays that God will not let him become so rich that he forgets that all things come from God. He also asks that he not be so poor that he will have to steal to eat. He asks that God will give him enough and help him use what he has for God’s service.
On Stewardship Dedication Sunday, we practice the discipline of generous giving. At both the Old Testament and the New, God’s work is supported by the gifts of his people. Stewardship supports God’s work and gives us the opportunity to participate in it. We lay up treasure in heaven by what we give, and it expands our outreach. Together we can do more and impact more people for Christ.
One reason we should not neglect faithful giving is that it is a part of “fulfilling all righteousness.” This is what Jesus did when he came to John the Baptist to be baptized. It is possible to fulfill some righteousness. We can do some things that we ought to do. Jesus fulfilled all righteousness. That is, he did all that he should do to serve God well. Our financial stewardship is one part of what we should do. Jesus noted that the Pharisees thought it important to tithe but neglected mercy, justice, and faithfulness. He then added that they needed to give priority to the latter without neglecting the former (Matthew 23:23). They needed to fulfill all righteousness, not just some.
When we give financially, it is a tangible way of expressing our gratitude to God. What God has done for us is, as the commercial says, “priceless.” We have everything in Christ and owe him everything. Our financial giving is one way to express our gratitude.
The scriptures guide us in the proper attitude. Paul says, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver (II Corinthians 9:7). The right attitude for giving is to be cheerful in doing so. God loves this! It signals that we understand that God can supply all our needs. In joy we trust God to take care of all our necessities.
May your giving in this stewardship season be an important part of your Christian discipleship. May God multiply our giving for good in order to make an impact, here and around the world. May we continue to find joy in our faith and be filled with gratitude toward our gracious God .