Now, you have a Christian duty to “render unto God what is His.” That means that God wants you to return to Him a portion of the time, money, and abilities that He is loaned you so that the Ministry would be conducted among us and that the Gospel would be preached beyond us. How much you are to render to God is not dictated in the New Testament, unless you want to use the example of the widow who gave 100% or the rich young ruler who was required to give 100%. But how you are to give is clear. It is sacrificial, first fruits. You are to give a percentage offering – not an amount, but a percentage. It wasn’t the amount the widow gave which drew the attention of Jesus, it was the percentage.
In the Old Testament 10 % was the norm. But it is not so for you. You are free. You can set your goal as low as you want, 1%, 2%. Whatever it is, the point is to set your offerings in comparison to your total income. That is what makes it a sacrifice, a spiritual gift. How much of what the Lord provides do you return?
Next, it is to be first fruits giving. It comes off the top. This is where we often get it backwards. You write the check, or pay your offering, before you pay any of your bills. It is your first obligation and sets your priorities. If giving your offering prevents you from paying your mortgage or buying groceries or paying your taxes or buying the stuff you want, so be it. You don’t pay your other bills, make sure you’re safe and in the clear… and then give the left-overs to the Church. You make your offering first, in accordance with whatever promised percentage you made.
And you can always give more. Start with your commitment, with your percentage-based, first fruits weekly offering, then, as you have left-overs, give them out as it pleases you, to the church or the poor or something. But start with the Biblical model or percentage, first fruits.
That is how money is to be used and given by Christians. It is to be pressed into the service of the Gospel. It is not actually that hard. You can set the amount quite low. Write down a number and make a deliberate commitment. If you don’t know where to start, just take what you give now – use the offering statement you recently received if you have it – and figure up the percentage. What is it? Is it 2%, 4%? Is that what you want to be giving? Whatever it is, commit to keep that pledge for the year, over time you can increase that commitment, that percent-age, or not, but as your income fluctuates, going up or down, so will your offering amount. Set the percentage, then take that out of your check first each week. You might give the same amount in 2008 as you did in 2007, but now you’ve done something different. You’ve made your offering to God a first-fruits priority, rather than an after-thought. You have made it the most important thing you do with your money. It is a spiritual discipline.
It will feel a little scary at first. Just do it. Take the risk. Set the money aside for the Lord and trust that He will provide. And over time you will find that you really can give more than 1% and even do so without regret. This kind of Biblical, disciplined, first fruit giving takes the emotion out of it. It creates cheerful givers because when they drop the offering in the plate, they are already committed. They decided beforehand what to give. They don’t think about it. They are glad to fulfill their promise and to be in God’s house where He receives them according to grace.
Now, if all that made you squirm in your seat, repent. Money should not make you uncomfortable. If you don’t like to think about how much you give, if you don’t want to compare it to what you’ve been given, I suspect it is because you realize how little you give. Repent.
And if it makes you feel a bit bad, that is your conscience talking, not me. When your conscience talks, listen. Beware. The love of money is the root of all evil. Beware its dangers. If this kind of conversation strikes a little too close to home, that should tell you something.
If, however, all this made you feel good about yourself and what you’re doing, if I was describing what you already know and do, if you think you give enough and are proud of it, repent. If the Law satisfies you, if you think you have kept your end of the deal, you are a liar and hypocrite. Repent before it is too late. No one has given enough.
And what if it simply did nothing? What if you don’t care? You neither squirmed nor felt proud. You were happy to ignore the Biblical teaching and all that preacher stuff? That is the worst of all. Repent. Wake up. The great and terrible day of the Lord is coming. All men will give account of their lives. This is no game….
In reality, all first fruits giving has already been given – not 2% or 5% or 10%. The Lord Jesus has rendered to the Father everything for you, 100%. He has risen from the dead and is the first fruits of all those who have or who will fall asleep.
(1 Corinthians 15: 20). Our offerings have fallen short, offered in haste or with mixed motives. But Christ has loved us and given Himself for us, as an offering and a sacrifice to God. The Father loves you. He is satisfied with you. He wants you to come. And if there is a little gift for Him, that’ll be nice. If not, that is OK, too. Either way, He is your father and you are baptized. You are His and that is what matters.
