Talking about giving . . .

At this time of year, just a week away from Christmas Day, we think about the birth of Jesus and the wonderful gift that God blessed mankind with. In and through Jesus, God has given to us the ultimate example of sacrificial giving. But how do we view ourselves when it comes to giving something back to God? Tithing is almost always a contentious subject, yet if we have our values right then there's absolutely no reason why it should be.

How can anyone who is committed to the Lord's work be anti-tithing? It's completely Biblical. We are urged to tithe 10% of our wealth, yet that still leaves us with the remaining 90%! So many churchgoers seem to think that all they need to do when it comes to money is to leave a 'tip' for God in the collecting plate at the Sunday service. Often the argument will be that 'they give what they can afford', yet when it comes to finding the money for an expensive holiday, new car, new anything-they-want, they manage to find it without a problem.

Suggest that someone puts a £10 (US$20) note into the collecting plate and the hands are raised in horror that they might be expected to give so much, yet if a loved one gives them £25 (US$50) as a birthday gift, they feel hard done by!God has given everything He could for us. How can we dare to withhold from Him what is rightfully His?

The other side of the financial coin is the responsibility factor. Suppose that an entire congregation tithe, and that most of them give considerable more than 10%, there is a great responsibility on the leaders of that congregation to ensure that the money given is used wisely for God's purpose, not as a means of improving the comfort zones of the leaders; something which has been seen all too often.

We are called to tithe to ensure that the spread of the Gospel message and the feeding of the flock is unhindered by financial restraint. The responsible church will be one who ensures that their giving achieves just that.