This is our sixth and last article in our series regarding a biblical study of giving. As stated in session one, we quickly discovered when consolidating all the giving related passages, all our acquired notes, and our published “Getting Your Financial House In Order” book, that this subject was too extensive for one Loose Change article.
Question #1 was. “Why Do We Give?” Question #2 was, “How Much Do We Give and When Should We Give?” Questions #3 and #4 were, “Should I give from my Net Income or my Gross Income (Revenues)?” and “Who should we direct our giving toward?” Questions #5 and #6 were, “What if I don’t really want to give; isn’t giving only for the cheerful giver?” and “Should I give if my expenses exceed my income, or if I can’t pay my creditors?” Question #7 was, “What do I do if my spouse doesn’t want to tithe or give money to our church or any charities?” In this last article we address question #8.
8. When we are blessed with wealth, how should we approach giving?
First, the Bible does not condemn wealth. However, with wealth comes a lot of responsibilities.
I Tim. 6:17-19, “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.”
Wealth also comes with a lot of worldly temptations and traps:
Notice the rich young ruler of Luke 18:18-27. Verses 24-25 state, “And Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” (also see Mk.10:23)
We also have the warning from Rev. 3:16-17 (in the message to the church of Laodicea), “So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked,”
Here are several other words of wisdom and warnings from the book of Proverbs: 10:4, 15, 22; 13:7;
14:20; 18:11, 23; 21:17; 22:2, 7, 22:16; 28:6, 11, 20
Following are soul-searching questions for the wealthy:
1. How much is enough? When do we quit consuming that which God has blessed us with? When is the house big enough? When is the car new enough? When is the vacation long enough? When do we have enough toys? When do we say to ourselves, “This amount is the limit on our lifestyle living, saving, and investing. Everything else we earn over this level goes back into God’s work”?
Example: The Christian, R.G. LeTourneau, famously known in his day as the world's greatest inventor of earthmoving equipment, is also known for living on 10% of his income and giving away 90%.
2. Ultimately, where is our wealth and treasures actually being stored? Matt. 6:19-21, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Why are we saving or storing up this wealth, and is our reason biblical or stemming more from greed? We have the example from Jesus, where He denounces covetousness and greed in Luke 12:13-21 regarding the rich land owner who wanted to build bigger barns. Verses 20-21 end by saying, “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ 21 So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
When it comes to the excessive wealth being retained today, we observe people who have stored up enough wealth that they think they are going to live to be 650 years old. Again, the question is, “How much is enough?”
. Brief Summarization regarding the Believer (a born-again Christian) and giving to God:
Giving is an attitude of the heart
Giving demonstrates the desire to seek God, His work and His kingdom before anything else
Giving is an acknowledgement of God’s ownership of everything
Giving shows that our affections are fixed in heaven, not on earth
Giving shows our desire to obey God’s Word and follow His leading
Giving is having total faith in God and being willing to “test” Him in this one area of our life
Giving should be with a cheerful heart
Giving should be of our first fruits
Giving should be regularly
Giving should be proportionate (in percent’s of income and increases)
Giving should be sacrificial
This concludes question #8 and ends this series regarding a biblical look at the subject of giving. Should you have any questions, comments, or a related testimony you would like to share, please contact us. Our hope is that these articles, Bible passages, along with the leading of the Holy Spirit, prompt you to continually step out in faith when it comes to giving.
If you question or doubt your eternal salvation, contact us and ask for: “The ABC’s of Salvation.” If you missed any of the questions in this, “What are the eight most often asked questions about giving?” series, then contact us and we will forward the ones you request.