A Biblical Guide to Giving:
How to Develop a Generous Spirit
As you think, discuss and pray about your decision to support the work of your church, spend some time with these scriptures:- The earth is the Lord's. is a song that leads God's people into worship. To speak of our giving of our time, our abilities, and our money is to speak about our worship. We praise God with our very lives.
- Make your gifts from your first and your best,not your last and your least. Read to see the spirit in which giving takes place. The people of God give out of the awareness that we do not manufacture our own blessings. Life is a gift. We give to our Lord in that spirit.
- Be guided by the Biblical standard of the tithe. . Be proportional in your giving. Begin with a percentage of your gross income, then increase your giving each year. This is a spiritual discipline that teaches many things at once!
- When it comes to building places of worship and gatherings of God's people, be extra generous. . The people bring more than enough offerings to get the job done. The key: do you believe God wants these spaces to be built?
- Give in joy, not in resentment or begrudgingly. . Such gifts evoke joy in others. Your spirit of giving has an impact on others' attitudes toward their own giving.
- Give regularly. . The apostle Paul instructs that giving take place "on the first day of the week" to be able to meet the needs of ministry.
- Give according to what you have. . This is the basis for reliability in completing a commitment and meeting the need.
- Consider your giving an investment that God will multiply for God's purposes. . The Parable of the Talents teaches as much. In withholding your giving, you limit the possibilities for others to experience God's grace, but you also limit yourself.
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Westminster Presbyterian Church |