I'm Declaring It 'National Give Away $50 Week'

We should give more to others and keep less for ourselves. So, I thought I'd issue a simple challenge for myself and my readers that I hope in some small way makes an impact for the glory of Christ and encourages us to be better givers.

The challenge is simple: Give away $50 this week that you were not planning to give away (i.e. not part of your regular giving).

Think creatively. What would be the most eternally useful way to "invest" $50? Here are some suggestions (I'd love to hear other ideas):

• Give it to a gospel-proclaiming ministry that you benefit from (like Desiring God).
• Give it to the building fund or adoption fund at your local church.
• Buy 5 copies of your favorite book and give them away.
• Give it to your local pregnancy center or other gospel-minded organization.
• Give it to someone struggling to pay their bills.
• Use it to buy a nice dinner for a family that rarely gets to eat out.
• Give it to a missions organization (like Wycliffe or Gospel for Asia).
• the possibilities are endless...

A few disclaimers:

• $50 is just a random suggestion. Some of you need to give $250 to actually feel it as significant. Others may be stretched to give $5.
• I'm obviously not intending to put a guilt-trip on anybody. If you give, give cheerfully for the glory of Christ.
• My assumption is that you are already giving faithfully, sacrificially, and regularly to your local church. That is where your first and most significant giving should be directed. I think 10% of your income is a great place to start with regular giving (with the desire to be able to give more as the Lord entrusts you with more).

So, if you plan to participate in 'National Give Away $50 Week,' let's do 2 things: (1) leave a comment and tell us how you decided to give away "extra" money this week (not with the goal of exalting ourselves but to inspire others and glorify God), and (2) share a link to this post with as many people as you can. Use Facebook, Twitter, or your blog to extend this challenge to others and let's see what God does.