Teaching Kids to be Givers

I enjoyed this short clip from Dave Ramsey about teaching our kids to be givers. It contains some good practical wisdom for us and our kids.

On Giving Money

Tim Challies has a 2 part series at his blog on the issue of giving.  In it, he answers 4 questions:

1. Do I have to give some of my money away?
2. What should be my attitude as I give money away?
3. Where am I to give?
4. How much am I to give?

I found Challies' succinct answers to these questions to be very helpful.  In summary, he shows that as Christians we are indeed to give money away. We are to give cheerfully, mainly to our local church. And, we are to give sacrificially, where we actually feel that it is costing us something to give. He closes the series by showing that the tithe (giving 10% of our income) is meant to be a starting point for giving generously.

So, as you prepare for the new year, evaluate your own giving and plan to generously invest in the Kingdom of God in 2012. No greater investment can be made.

A Plan for Giving Generously

Kevin DeYoung has a gently challenging article on some steps to grow in our generosity. Here is the post in its entirety:

P – Pray for a generous heart.  Make people a priority over prosperity.  Don’t think: “How much do I have to give away in order to be obedient?”  Ask: “Give me opportunities to sow.”

L – Lifestyle cap.  As we earn more, we should give more. If you are wealthier than you used to be, have you done more to increase your standard of living or your standard of giving?

A – Accountability.  Set goals and find someone you can trust who won’t be threatened by talking frankly about finances. Sex and money–we don’t talk about them nearly as much as Jesus did.

N – No less than a tithe. Whether the Old Testament requirement is a binding prescription or not, I find it hard to imagine that Western Christians who have seen the glory of God in the face of Christ and enjoy great prosperity, would want to give less than was required of the poorest Israelite.  Statistics consistently show that Protestants give less than 3% of their income to their churches. A tithe, for most churchgoers, would be a huge step in the right direction.

Give as Christ Gave

Robert Murray McCheyne on the connection between the gospel and giving to the poor. Quoted in Generous Justice by Keller (p. 108).

Now, dear Christians, some of you pray night and day to be branches of the true vine; you pray to be made all over in the image of Christ. If so, you must be like him in giving. A branch bears the same kind of fruit as the tree…An old divine says well: “what would have become of us if Christ has been as saving of his blood as some men are of their money?”

Objection 1. “My money is my own” Answer: Christ might have said, “my blood is my own, my life is my own”…than were should we have been?

Objection 2. “The poor are undeserving.” Answer: Christ might have said the same thing. “They are wicked rebels against my father’s law: shall I lay down my life for these? I will give to the good angels.” But no, He left the ninety-nine, and came after the lost. He gave His blood for the undeserving.

Objection 3. “The poor may abuse it.” Answer: Christ might have said the same; yea, with far greater truth. Christ knew that thousands would trample His blood under their feet; that most would despise it…yet He gave His own blood.

Oh, my dear Christians! If you would be like Christ, give much, give often, give freely, to the vile and the poor, the thankless and the undeserving. Christ is glorious and happy and so will you be. It is not your money I want, but your happiness. Remember His own word: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

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.

Reformation in Giving

3 Fantastic articles by Aaron Menikoff on Biblical giving. Please take the time to read these.

1. Reformation in Giving 1
2. Reformation in Giving 2 (tithing is the floor, not the ceiling)
3. Reformation in Giving 3

Convicting Article on Giving

If you don't want to be convicted regarding your practice of giving, you shouldn't read this article: The Only Safe Rule for Giving.

Here is the CS Lewis quote from the article:
“I do not believe one can settle on how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusements, etc., is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving away too little. If our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say they are too small. There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot do because our charitable expenditure excludes them.”

Breaking News: Money CAN Buy Happiness

Whoever said that money can't buy happiness? You CAN use money to increase your happiness: give it away.

Jesus said, "it is better to give than to receive." Why is it better? Because God loves a cheerful giver. Because giving frees us from the grip of our stuff. Because giving stores up treasure in Heaven. Because giving is a practical expression of love for others.

Hudson Taylor said, "The less I spent on myself and the more I gave to others, the fuller of happiness and blessing did my soul become."

Here is a "secular" article I stumbled across that reminded me of this truth. I couldn't believe I was reading a "worldly" article about how, "one of the best ways to make yourself happy is to make someone else happy."

Warning: true happiness is only possible in Jesus Christ. If you give away everything you have and don't trust in Christ, you will be eternally unhappy.