Freed to give generously
God loves a cheerful giver. That’s what the Bible says. A lot of Christian churches in the Western world end up on the guilt-ing side though.
There also seems to be a tendancy to shy away from specifics of how much to suggest or require for giving – the tithe? ten percent? whatever is upon your heart (even if it is one percent or less)?
I recall a story I heard of an African congregration. Ten percent was expected from each member to help fund the work of the church, the pastor, etc. Then a collection was made for helping the poor in the community, and each gave as they could. Lastly, if anyone had something to be thankful for of the work of God in their life, they would stand up and share that with the congregation, and give some amount as a thankoffering.
What generosity!
“When believers realize that others will care for them if they unexpectedly find themselves impoverished, they can then be freed to give more generously in times of plenty.” (Neither Poverty nor Riches, Criag L. Blomberg)
Maybe in the West this is part of our issue. We can’t imagine giving ten percent plus because we are worried we might not have enough to save for when things are bad. We want to be careful with our money, right?
Not that I want to require a set amount or percentage. I think perhaps as followers of Christ we should expect of each other to give a tithe, and in our relationships we ask and tell how we are doing: our struggles and our blessings in obeying. Those relationship may also free us to know we will be cared for when things get difficult, so that we can be truly freed to be generous and cheerful givers.