When asked about giving my money to God, one thought comes to mind: Stewardship.
Stewardship means it is not mine to control. It means I am taking care of something that belongs to someone else. It all belongs to God. In Genesis 1, I am told that He created everything. Then He gave it to me. Yes, I may have worked hard for what I think I earned, but even the breath in my lungs came from Him. So, it’s all His. Not mine. I take care of His money and assets for Him.
I have sometimes confused stewardship with tithing. I usually was trying to put a limit on my giving. Can I max out at 10 percent? I have done my duty and can check off the box. What about the other 90 percent? Can I do what I want to with that?
Stewardship trumps tithing. Again, it’s all His. Am I letting Him direct me with everything He has given to me? Do I use it all for His glory and to advance His kingdom or mine? In Matthew 6, Jesus gave me a model prayer. He said when I pray to the Father, to use the words “Thy kingdom come” and “Thy will be done.” I didn’t hear my name anywhere in there. It’s not about my kingdom or my will.
Later in Matthew 6, Jesus said that my heart and my treasure will always be in the same place. They can’t be separated. What is my treasure? Is it God’s kingdom or my kingdom? Which kingdom am I more willing to support?
One barrier in my giving to God is trust. Am I sure I can really trust Him to take care of me? I want to give, but I am afraid that my car will break down, or I will get sick and need to go to the doctor. I sometimes think that God’s kingdom will be fine without my money, but what about my kingdom? I really don’t trust God with all my heart as I am told to do in Proverbs 3.
I once was serving in a church that did a “Three Month Giving Challenge.” We asked people who were not giving to start giving for the next three months. If at the end of the three months they needed the money back, all they had to do was ask for it. It would be returned. Nobody ever asked for it back. Everyone was surprised that they could give to God and still have enough money to take care of their needs. In Malachi 3, God says to test Him in giving. God has always taken care of me.
Trusting God to take care of me today and in the future will lead me to not worry. It will lead me to be generous to help bring others to Christ. When I trust God to provide for me, I don’t have to worry. This brings peace to my heart. It does not matter what happens in the economy or the stock market. If I am trusting God, I can be content knowing He will always provide.
A passage on giving that I don’t think I have ever heard anyone preach is Exodus 36, where Moses told the people to stop giving. They were giving so generously from the heart that the workers received more than was needed to build the tabernacle. Can you imagine a preacher today telling the congregation to stop giving? Why were they giving so much? The people had repented of making an earthly god of the golden calf. They repented of not trusting God. They had experienced mercy and forgiveness from the Lord.
I have also received mercy and forgiveness. It should make my heart want to give. When I reflect on the grace I have received, it will lead me to generous living and generous giving. This will bring joy to my heart. In 2 Corinthians 9, Paul tells me that God loves a cheerful giver. That’s a win/win!
— Bryan Holley has spent the last 40 years serving as a hospital CFO, an IMB missionary, a church financial director, and has recently retired as the CFO of the South Carolina Baptist Convention. He still works with the SCBC’s Accounting Department.