Lived Out Faith: Give Generously
Lived Out Faith: Give Generously by Rev. L. John Gable
October 14, 2018
This past month we have been talking about what it means to have a “lived out” faith. Recall the question I posed at the beginning of this series, “If being a Christian was against the law would there be enough evidence to convict you?” We have been using Dr. Frank Harrington’s guidelines to help us explore what it means to have a “lived out” faith and have identified four components, beginning with Worship regularly. Worship is at the center of all that we do. Everything else we do could be done by someone else, but worship is THE ESSENTIAL of the Christian life. Second, Live worthily: the price tag which God has placed on our lives is the sacrifice of His own Son Jesus Christ for us and our salvation. So we are called to live our lives in a manner “worthy” of that sacrifice. Last week we talked about the importance of “serving eagerly”, service being a trademark, a moniker of the Christian life and we are to engage in it “eagerly/joyfully.” You might recall the Frederick Buechner quote I used, “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” That is the place where we find ourselves “serving eagerly”, which means today we will conclude our series by talking about what it means to “give generously.” Curiously, I don’t preach on giving very often because Tab is such a generous congregation; but this idea of having a “lived out” faith prompts the importance of “giving generously” because stewardship is an important part of discipleship.
Through the years I have had many people come out of worship and say, “I really enjoyed your message today, but I LOVED the children’s sermon!” Why is that? Well, a children’s sermon is short and to the point and it often has an object lesson that makes it memorable. So today I am going to give you an object lesson on Christian giving that I hope will be simple and to the point.
For our purposes, let’s say this piece of paper represents everything that God has given you. Put it another way, it is everything that you have. Wait a minute you say, how can you conclude that everything I have has been given to me by God? Good question. Here’s the simple answer. How much of what you have did you bring into this life with you and how much of it will you one day take out with you? We can all picture the raw nakedness of a newborn baby, but there is an equally raw poignancy at the end of life. I remember walking out of a nursing home one evening with a woman whose husband had just died. I offered to carry his belongings as I walked her to her car. Bear in mind, this man had been extraordinarily successful in life, but I found myself carrying his most essential earthly possessions in a plastic bag from Walgreens: a pair of glasses, a pair of slippers and a toothbrush. This then is the starting point for any understanding of Christian stewardship: all that we are and all that we have has been given to us by God, hence it all belongs to God. Anything we possess, including life itself, is not owned by us, but is on loan to us. The sooner we come to that understanding the easier it will be to talk about the very relative importance of “our stuff”, including our money, for we are called to be good stewards of all of it for as long as it is entrusted into our care.
So the question we need to be asking is, “What am I supposed to do with all that God has given me?” As we talk about “giving generously” we are talking about our good use of not just our money but of all that we have: our time and our talents and our relationships and our opportunities; everything God has given us. But today, we are going to talk about money. Why? Because Jesus talked a lot about money; more than He talked about anything else. He did so because He realized what an easy trap it is for us to fall in to for our sense of success and security, and how threatening it can be to our spiritual lives. But when Jesus talked about money His interest was not in dollars or, in His case denarii, but in discipleship. He is more interested in our faith than He is our finances, but He also realizes that each of those has a great impact on the other, and we should too.
So, “How are we supposed to respond to God for all He has given us?” In our lesson from II Corinthians Paul gives some very practical guidance about Christian giving, beginning with our first response being one of gratitude. One of the first lesson’s every parent teaches their child is “remember to say ‘thank you’”. That is a good spiritual lesson, as well. Here we read that “God loves a cheerful giver.” The Greek word for “cheerful” is “hilaritas”, as in hilarious. God loves a “hilarious giver.” Not because they give more or are more generous, but because they do get what God has done for them, so they respond so joyfully, happily, enthusiastically. We become “hilarious” givers when we, first: recognize the goodness of God in all that we have been given, and second: when we realize that in our giving we get to participate in the work that God is doing in the world. When we give to the church and to those who are engaged in Christian ministries, we are doing our part to come along side God in the work He is doing in the world which allows us to give “cheerfully”, a cheerfulness borne of gratitude.
Further, we are instructed to give regularly. We used the word “regularly” when we talked about worship: “worship regularly”. Our giving should be regular as well because as Christians our giving is not just a means to pay the light bill at the church; it too is an act of worship, so it is a regular part of our service of worship. As Paul writes, our giving serves a three-fold purpose. On horizontal plain it helps to meet the needs of others; and on the vertical plain our giving results in thanksgiving to God. How often do we hear the recipient of a gift say, “Thank the Lord!” Why are they thanking God when we are the ones who have given the gift? Because, as Paul reminds us, in “our giving we help to meet the needs of others which produces thanksgiving to God”. Do you hear in this the coming together of the two great commandments: to love the Lord your God and your neighbor as yourself? Our giving in response to the needs of our neighbors reflects our relationship with God and our desire to work His purposes in the world, which then produces the third benefit of our giving: we grow in faith as we partner with God in acts of service and ministry. Are you beginning to hear the connection between “worship regularly, live worthily, serve eagerly and give generously”?
Paul instructs that our giving should also be intentional. We should think and pray about what we are going to give, rather than simply waiting for our emotional heartstrings to be pulled, or to see what is left over at the end of the month after everything else has been paid for. While there is nothing wrong with spontaneous giving, consider the story of the widow’s mite, there is also a discipline in intentional giving that helps us grow in our faith. When we make a thoughtful and prayerful pledge we are trusting God in advance, which is itself an act of faith.
Scripture also instructs that our giving should also be proportional. So look again at the piece of paper which I suggested represents all that you have been given by God, but for illustration’s sake today, let’s just say that this is your annual income. We are going to talk about how that can be used responsibly. Let me begin by saying, if you are spending more than you have represented on your sheet that issue must be addressed first. Regardless of how much or how little you make there is no reason why any of us should not be living within our means if we desire to be good stewards of God’s gifts; that is true for us as individuals, as families, as a church.
So, assuming you are living within your means, there is great wisdom to the old adage that we should “GIVE 10%, SAVE 10% and LIVE REASONABLY on the rest.” The old 80/10/10 rule. Let’s illustrate that. I’m going to tear off 10% and set that aside. That is the part I am going to SAVE, so I am not going to touch that unless I have to, and I don’t think I will have to, but it is good to have that safety net or rainy day fund.
Now I am going to tear off another 10%. That is the portion I am going to GIVE leaving the remaining 80% to live on, which for most of us is sufficient; really it is, although it may require us to make some lifestyle decisions to actually do it.
Setting the 80% aside, let’s focus on the 10% we are instructed to GIVE.
Again we read in II Corinthians, “God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work.” What that means is, we will always have the “ability” to give if we have the “desire” to give.
Don’t think of this 10% as being what is “left over”. This is the part we are going to return to God and the work of His church in the world, so we need to get away from the thought of giving God our “leftovers”. Scripture speaks of this 10% as being the “tithe” and ideally it should be given first, before anything else. It should be our first gift or Scripture refers to it as being the “first fruit”. Why? Because like worship, this is the gift we return to the work of the Lord, so it has first priority. Why 10%? Why a tithe? First of all, because it is Biblical. This is God’s idea, which by default makes it a good idea. Second, like any of the commandments God gives us, because it is a really helpful guideline, not just for our giving, but also for our living. At one time or another each of us asks, “With all that I have been given by God, how can I know how much should I give?” The tithe, 10%, becomes a helpful guideline. Some people look at the tithe as something that they “have” to do, as a law that they have to obey to the penny, or that they want to try to find a way to get around. We can hear that in ourselves when we start asking questions like, “Is the tithe on gross or net income? Is it all to the church or to any Christian cause? Does my gift to the Food Bank count, they do good work?” Those may be important questions, but they become non-essentials as we grow in our understanding that it is God’s desire that our giving be done out of gratitude and love, not out of manipulation or coercion, and the tithe simply helps us do that.
For some, the tithe seems like a nearly impossible goal, way too much; but for others at a different stage of life, the tithe may in fact be way too little. That is why each of us should first begin by calculating exactly how much we do give, and if it is less than a full tithe, make a spiritual commitment to grow in our giving, 1% a year, until we reach the measure of the tithe. If you are currently giving more than a tithe, then this is the opportunity to recognize how richly God has blessed you. The tithe for you becomes, not a ceiling, but a floor for your giving. You may be able to look at your remaining 80% and say, “I still have plenty to meet my needs. What more can I give?” Or there may even be some who are at that stage in life that you can look at the 10% you have saved through the years, which has now compounded and grown, and say, “That’s more than I or my family needs, how can I put a portion of that to good use to further the Kingdom of God?” Those are all questions that each of us can and should be asking. Remember, we are blessed to be a blessing and “to whom much has been given, much will be required.”
So, the real question of “giving generously” is not so much “How much should I give?”; it is really “How shall I live?” As those who desire Greater Faith, Deeper Relationships and a Stronger Community; as those who desire to have a “lived out” faith such that there will be more than enough evidence to convict us if ever we are brought up on charges of being a follower of Jesus Christ, let us then make the commitment to:
- worship regularly
- live worthily
- serve eagerly ,and
- give generously, saying “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”
To Him be all glory and power, forever and ever. Amen.