Spiritual Issues Regarding Giving

The earth is the LORD’s, and all it contains, The world, and all those who dwell in it.

-Psalm 24:1

Generous Living & Giving

Spiritual Issues Regarding Giving

Articles that speak to the pivotal question of stewardship: How to use what you have to build God’s Kingdom, and in so doing becoming a faithful, cheerful, generous giver.

  • A Bridge or a Barrier When abundant provisions appear, they can create a barrier that limits our ability to trust God more fully. I have seen this in my own life and the lives of many others. The more we possess, the more likely we are to trust Him less. In other words, the more He provides, the less we trust Him to provide. Odd phenomenon, isn’t it?
  • A Different Kind of Needy This article does not refer to the needy who have a material shortfall; it refers to the needy who have a material surplus. Those who have a shortfall need to receive, but equally critical, those who have a surplus need to give. Both are genuinely needy, but in different ways.
  • Barns and Vats One of the most common fears of giving is this, “If I get really radical in my giving, what I currently have in my barns and vats could be greatly diminished. Consequently, I may find them being only half-full or worse yet, entirely empty because I gave too much away.”
  • Created to Be Generous Most of us lack the gift of generosity, but all of us possess the nature of generosity. And it is this God-like nature of generosity that we must diligently cultivate and develop. In so doing, the world will see the image of our generous Creator living and giving in us; and we will, like the gifted, find life indeed.
  • For Richer or For Poorer One of the most compelling disincentives to people’s giving is a nagging sense of loss from what they give away. Many feel that if they give, they will become “poorer” in the same proportion as the recipient of their gift becomes “richer.” In other words, “Someone else’s gain is at my expense.”
  • Generous Giver or Obedient Courier As you seek to personally embrace and consistently apply the concept of biblical stewardship in your own life, you might be surprised to hear that the term “generous giving” should create some uneasiness in you. Learn why!
  • Giving As An Act of Worship If we want our churches to experience the full, life changing power of giving, we need to make sure we emphasize that (1) our giving is to God, (2) our giving is the central way in which we worship Him and (3) our offering times are filled with enthusiastic, corporate celebration.
  • Giving Generously or Living Generously We can be generous in how we give without being generous in how we live. Conversely, a person who lives generously always gives generously. In other words, we may be willing to be extremely generous in giving what we want to give when and where we want to give it. But with what we don’t want to give, we can find ourselves being selfish and tight-fisted.
  • How Much Would You Give Away Just for the sake of discussion, let’s suppose that we could somehow know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus was coming back exactly one year from today. If we knew this with complete certainty, how much of our material blessings would we give away over the next year?
  • It Is More Blessed To Give Than To Receive Almost everyone has heard this statement, but few people actually know who originally said it and where it can be found. It might come as a surprise to you to learn that this statement was made by Jesus. But it is found in a very unusual place. This statement is found in the book of Acts. Paul includes this statement of Jesus in his farewell to the elders at the church of Ephesus after his three year ministry with them.
  • Releasing a Spirit of Generosity The idea of tithing as the standard for acceptable giving has so permeated the church that very few (including pastors and elders) even question its validity or application to those of us who are living on this side of the cross. Giving legalistically according to a formula too often produces a reluctant giver who is giving out of compulsion. Giving generously by faith produces a cheerful giver who is giving out of overflowing joy.
  • When Giving Got Out of Control If you want to experience out-of-control giving, (1) embrace a bigger vision, (2) totally surrender to the Lord, (3) listen to the Holy Spirit, and (4) make your giving a joyous experience. Then, look out!
  • When You Really Love When you really love…money is no object, giving is a delight, and no sacrifice is too great.