Money Troubles? Try Giving.

Give money away?! Really? That’s the best way to see more income?  Before you run away in horror, just read one more paragraph (okay, two):

The universe runs according to laws.  The law of gravity.  The law of cause and effect.  The law of thermodynamics.  Whether you believe in these laws or not, doesn’t matter.  They exist and govern our daily lives.  The laws do not disappear if you dislike or disagree with them.  If you drop your glass vase, it will fall to the ground and break whether you believe in the law of gravity or not.

Just as there are physical laws that bring order to the universe, there are spiritual laws as well.  Both can be measured and tested, proven to be true.  I believe one of the reasons that some people are always behind on their bills is because they do not follow the Law of Giving.  Of course this is not the only reason that one may fall into financial trouble, but I believe it is one that is often overlooked.  Everyone (but especially Christians who know the God who made these laws) should be careful to follow it.  And when I write that we should “follow this law,” I don’t mean in the sense that we do it to earn God’s approval, as was done BC.  And I don’t mean following the law because we are afraid God will punish us if we don’t.  I simply mean following the law as we would follow the law of gravity.  (If the word “law” makes you feel uncomfortable, you can think of them as principles.)  Just as I hold a baby tightly and carefully when I walk because I know if I let go, he will fall, I also give a percentage of my income away because I know if I give, much will be given to me (Luke 6:38).

Jesus made this law very clear when he said in Luke 6, “Give and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will pour into your lap.”  The meaning is clear:  if you give to others, much will be given back to you.  In fact, more than you gave.

This Law of Giving has also been called the Law of Reciprocity.  In his book, The Secret Kingdom, Pat Robertson explains this law well.  I would recommend reading it.  You do not have to be a Christian to reap the benefits of living according to this principle.  Many wealthy people give much of their money away and in turn, make more.  They are living according to the secret Law of Reciprocity.

I was taught this law as a child because of the lesson my father learned as a young man.  Shortly after my parents were married, they were powerfully introduced to Jesus at a rally in Salt Lake City.  My dad was a door-to-door salesman at the time.  He sold sets of china and cookware to people almost every night of the week.  When he heard a sermon on this portion of scripture in Malachi, he decided he would take God up on his challenge.  Here’s the passage he read:

“From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from My statutes, and have not kept them.  Return to Me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of hosts.  “But you say, ‘How shall we return?’  Will a man rob God?  Yet you are robbing Me!  But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’  In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you?  Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven, and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.”  

So my Dad tested God.  That Sunday at church, he gave 10% of the commission he had made during the week.  The following week he made 10 times as much as he had made the previous week.  So he tried again (just to make sure it wasn’t a coincidence!) and again gave 10% of what he had made that week.  And again, he made 10 times as much as he had previously made.  Obviously, this had a great impact on my Dad, and he has lived according to this Principle of Reciprocity (or Giving) ever since.

This is why no matter where I am in the world, with the wealthy businessman who owns several houses or the poor rice farmer who does not know how he will make it through the winter, I would encourage everyone to give, to live according to this Law.  It’s the same as I would encourage a community to live according to the truth that one should not defecate in their water sources.  This may seem very obvious to you, but I assure you, it is not obvious to all.  Such is the the principle that I am discussing.  For those who know and live by it, it is a normal part of their budget.

The issue does not lie in how much money you have.  The issue lies in if you are giving or not.  Maybe you have NO money or possessions, you can still give.  You can give of your time.  You can give of your services.  You can still be generous.

In this article from CBN, a woman who went through a similar experience as my father, says it like this: “It’s not that God needs our money, but we need His blessing.”  It is God who gives the ability to produce wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18).

Currently in America, only 10-25% of a normal church congregation give 10% of their income.  Christians today give on average 2.5% of their income.  This is not said to guilt us into giving, but to inspire us to think: what could happen if we all gave just 10%?  There would be an extra $165 billion at the church’s disposal.  Here’s a little suggestion for what could be done with that money:

• $25 billion could relieve global hunger, starvation and deaths from preventable diseases in five years.
• $12 billion could eliminate illiteracy in five years.
• $15 billion could solve the world’s water and sanitation issues, specifically at places in the world where 1 billion people live on less than $1 per day.
• $1 billion could fully fund all overseas mission work.
• $100 – $110 billion would still be left over for additional ministry expansion.

(numbers taken from this great article: “What Would Happen if the Church Tithed” by Mike Holmes.)

I am writing to encourage us all to begin giving somewhere.  And by the way, currently only .01% of all Christian giving goes to reach people in the most un-evangelized parts of the world (Barrett & Johnson).  (More on the question of fund-raising being Biblical or not here.)

The underlying problem is that we can mistakenly assume that the money, time, and abilities we possess are ours, but in reality, they are His.  Yes, He has freely and utterly given them to us out of the goodness of His Father’s heart.  But one day, he will return and ask what we have done with our talents.  He wants us to be ready to be entrusted with more.  It is really more of a heart issue than it is one of money.

One day, we will all stand before Him and see the fullness of what He has done for us.

It may be a step of faith.  (Almost every time we give, I still feel this.)  You may wonder how in the world you can spare any money to give to God, but I promise you, it is an investment (and risk!) worth making.  Not only will God give back to you, but you will be a part of building His Kingdom and seeing lives change due to your generosity.  People you might never meet on earth may come up to you in Heaven and thank you for giving.  This is ultimately what God desires for those who choose to be generous.

Jesus told us that if we give to the least of these, we are giving to Him.  And you will NEVER be able to out-give the God who technically owns the entire world.

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