Intersections: Where Faith Meets Life – by Bob Weathers

Not a fan of those spontaneous love offerings for missionaries, traveling evangelists, or the pastor’s favorite local ministry? Consider this recently published research, found at sciencemag.org.

Weathers

Wanting “to understand people’s intuition” when it comes to giving money, psychologists conducted a study at an online site that permits lots of different people, from different walks of life, to interact and cooperate in games and experiments. The subjects were each given 40 cents to invest into a common pool. Whatever ended up in the pool would be divided evenly among the players. When acting purely on intuition and giving spontaneously, each person was more likely to put the whole 40 cents into the common pot. If given time to reflect and think, however, some realized they could keep most of their original share, put in a little, and reap a larger amount from the evenly split pot.

In the end, the researchers concluded that people were more likely to cooperate and give their money when they acted on intuition rather than mull it over. In other words, “people who took longer to think over their options were more likely to be selfish.”

Maybe that helps explain the notoriously low level of giving in our churches. In a 2007 survey, published just before the economy collapsed, the Barna Group found that only 5 percent of Christians in America tithed. Things have only gotten worse since then. Since tithing is a planned task, honoring God first with the best of what we receive (Proverbs 3:9), could it be that our adjustment to it is derailed by our innate selfishness rather than our lack of resources?

In truth, our failure to give any portion of our resources is the product of our sinful nature, not empty pockets. Keenly aware of this, Paul admonished Christians to make the plan to give, and then stick to it. Don’t let your sinful nature talk you out of it. “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).

In other words, once you have decided to give, do it. Don’t let your selfish self talk you out of it. Give in faith, do it cheerfully, and make God smile.