What does the Bible Teach about Giving?
Pretend that this is a Jehovah's Witness pamphlet.
There is a general rule of giving as recorded by Paul in his 2nd Letter to the people of Corinth and in the Gospel recorded by St. Luke
2 Corinthians 9:7 TPT
Let giving flow from your heart, not from a sense of religious duty. Let it spring up freely from the joy of giving—all because God loves hilarious generosity!
Luke 6:38 NIV
Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
There are others recorded in the old testament and even in the Deuterocanonical books but this is not a bible study class. I am just here to share my two cents on giving.
I am a firm believer of the little things. There is a little kid alone in a bus, you pick his/her transport fare. Help school children cross the road. Say thank you when someone helps you out with something. Tip people when you can. These are the things that keep life good and thriving.
Two weeks ago, I was having a discussion with my colleague about tithing and giving and she told me they were two different things.
She expressly said, "Tithing is tithing; Taking 10% of your income and giving to the Lord"- the standard Malachi 3:10 Sermon. “Giving on the other hand is where someone offers something to another person willingly, without expecting anything in return”.
The interesting part? She said your tithe shouldn't be tampered with. It should be given to God and the church alone.
I was in the mood so I indulged her a bit. I asked her a simple question, "If your pregnant neighbour has a hospital emergency and your tithe is the only spare money you have, will you give it to her?"
She paused and didn't say anything. As a matter of fact, she hasn't given me an answer till today.
I am not preacher or pastor but I'll just say this.
First, the concept of tithing was birthed from giving. It is in the spirit of giving, we tithe. If you don't give, you can't tithe. It is not rocket science.
Second, You will not die if you don't tithe. Devourer will not devour you. Nothing will happen to your heritage. We give and give cheerfully because we love him. We love him because he loved us first.
Third, There is no strict place or way to pay your tithe. If you channel your tithe into helping the poor, it is as beautiful and as equivalent as when you channel your tithe to the church. After all, the books of Deuteronomy, Numbers and Leviticus have different instructions on the payment of tithe to the people, the Levites and others.
Finally, I understand that Father Abraham gave 10% of his proceedings as Tithe to God. You can give more or even less as the spirit leads.
The benefits and blessings attached to giving are not respecters of age, place and even religion. God is always grateful when people give and he will never hesitate to bless those who give.
In this Lenten and Ramadan season, make it a point duty to show a little kindness to people and help make the world a better place.
The Lord be with you.
As someone who was bon into the Orthodox way of life, this is my favourite part of church. The culture is low-key dying thanks to civilization and everything but I will still listen to hymns anytime I take a walk, having a bad day, cooking or even working.
This is a collection of my Favourite hymns. May it bring you peace and comfort on the days you earnestly seek it.