What does the Bible have to say about giving?
Read each of these passages and consider what each has to teach us about giving?

Deuteronomy 26-

2 Corinthians 8-9-

Psalm 24:1-

1 Timothy 6:17-19-

Mark 12:41-44-

Matthew 6:19-21-

Malachi 3:6-10-

What is giving?
Simply put, giving is using some of the resources that we have been given to give back to God in thanksgiving or to be a blessing in the life of another person. In the Bible, we see giving happen as people give tithes and offerings to the Lord. We see giving happen as skilled tradesman use their gifts to build the tabernacle and eventually the temple. We see giving happen as the early church used their resources to take care of saints who were in a difficult situation. What we see in all of this is that giving isn’t just about money. Giving can include using the various gifts that we have been given whether they are material, financial, time, talents, influence, or even our story.

What are some misconceptions about giving?

• God needs our stuff- The reality is that God is the creator of everything. The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it. God makes it very clear throughout Scripture that He doesn’t need our stuff. Take for instance the words of Psalm 50:12-15: “If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine. Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats? Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” Giving is not about supplying God’s need but is about creating a heart of thankfulness to God for all of the good gifts that He has given to us and engendering trust in God to take care of and provide for us.
• Giving is something we must do to appease God- There has been an idea within the church that somehow by giving one can make up for their sins. It’s the idea of buying forgiveness. This was the idea of indulgences in the time of Luther. No amount of money could ever buy the forgiveness of sins. Giving is to be born out of a season of joy and thankfulness not guilt or appeasement.
• Giving is all about money- From a Scriptural perspective, we see examples of people giving of what they had to offer whatever they might be. For some, this is their talents. For others, this is financial resources. Within the church today, we talk about being good stewards of our time, talents, treasures, and testimony.
• Giving has to be a miserable experience- This one is just flat-out false. In 2 Corinthians 9, Paul makes very clear that God loves a cheerful giver. Giving is not supposed to suck the joy out of us, but in fact, it is meant to produce joy within us. As Jesus is quoted as saying in Acts 20:35, “it is more blessed to give than to receive.” There is a blessing in the act of giving that can bring great joy into our hearts and lives.
• Giving is only about what we can spare or have left over- There is nothing in Scripture that ever speaks of giving being about the leftover. In the pages of the Old Testament, it talks about giving God the first fruits of the harvest. In 2 Corinthians 8, Paul applauds the church in Macedonia saying, “for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord.”

What insights does the LCMS offer about giving?

• God’s stewards are God’s steward’s.- God's stewards are stewards by virtue of creation and their re-creation in Holy Baptism; therefore, they belong to the Lord.
• God's stewards are managers, not owners.- God's stewards have been entrusted by God with life and life's resources and given the privilege of responsibly and joyfully managing them for Him.
• God's stewards are saints and sinners.- God's stewards rejoice in and live out what God has declared them to be through the cross. At the same time His stewards recognize they are sinners who fight sin and its consequences each day.
• God's stewards are uniquely singular, yet profoundly plural.- God's stewards recognize that their lives are not solo performances but are personal responses to God, lived out within the community of faith to benefit the whole world.
• God's stewards are in the world, but not of the world.- God's stewards recognize that the Lord sets them apart from the world and by the transforming power of the Gospel sends them into the world to live out the Gospel.
• God's stewards are loved and loving.- God's stewards recognize that their stewardship flows out of God's act of love for them in Christ which empowers then, in turn, to love others in acts of Christ-like love.
• God's stewards are served and serving.- God's stewards recognize that their stewardship involves a Gospel-powered style of life which is demonstrated in servanthood within all the arenas of life.
• God's stewards live with an awareness of the present and future, of time and eternity.- God's stewards live intentionally in the light of God's eternal purpose while being firmly committed to His rule in the here and now.1

What are some practical insights about giving?

• Examine your attitude- If giving is something that is difficult for you, spend some time in inner reflection and prayer considering why it is so difficult for you. What is it that is holding you back? How is giving a part of your faith life?
• Be intentional and prayerful about giving- God makes clear in 2 Corinthians that He doesn’t want giving to be a guilt trip or something that is forced. Make giving an intentional choice. Make giving something that you do on purpose and for a purpose.
• Don’t play the comparison game- We have not all been given equal gifts in the same areas. As Jesus makes clear with the poor widow’s mite, it is not a matter of how much but where it is coming from. The comparison is worthless in this conversation and will only serve to take the focus off of God and thankfulness.
• Put the big rocks in first- The reality is that we all have limited resources whether that be time or stuff. Part of the calling of firstfruits is to prioritize what is most important and act accordingly. When making your personal budget, you are probably going to budget your mortgage before a trip to Starbucks. In giving, decide what is most important and start there.

*This is the outline of the document produced by the LCMS entitled “Biblical Stewardship Principles.”