Faithful generosity is an important part of following God. We each give in a myriad of ways: serving others, sharing our gifts and talents, and giving financially. Each form of giving reflects God’s generosity and love working through us.
God invites us to give, knowing that God blesses whatever we have to share and makes it enough and sometimes more than enough. Every gift matters, every person matters. Giving with joy transforms not only us but also those who witness this joyful expression of faith.
Why is financial giving an important part of our faith journey?
We believe there are four main reasons why we give.
1. We Give from a Place of Gratitude and Joy
“Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.” – Luke 15:31
Everything we have is given to us from God, who is the creator of heaven and earth. God has commissioned us to be stewards of the earth, taking care of the resources and making sure everyone has enough to thrive. This is what stewardship is, being caretakers of someone else’s resources.
When we recognize God’s abundant goodness and generous spirit, we are invited to give thanks to God for all that we have been given. We give in response in gratitude and joy.
“God loves a cheerful giver.” — 2 Corinthians 9:7
During our capital campaign in 2023, a young girl gave $10 of her birthday money of which she had a total of $20 to our project—50%. Her smile was huge and her generosity contagious. She wanted to give more because she cared about her church and wanted others to experience the same love and belonging that she felt. What a gift to give with such joy!
2. Giving Is an Act of Trust
“She put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” — Mark 12:44
In Mark’s Gospel, we are told the story of a widow who gave her last two coins. (Mark 12:41-44) She demonstrated great trust in God. She didn’t have much at all, but she trusted that God would give her what she needed for each day.
In giving financially, we turn away from our own needs and toward God, trusting that we don’t need to be in control of everything. We can have faith that God will provide for us.
3. Giving Is a Spiritual Practice Allowing Us to Grow in Faith
“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” — Matthew 6:21
We often misinterpret this verse, believing that we give to things that touch our heart. In reality Jesus is telling us that how we spend our money can transform our heart. When we give to something, we pay attention to it, we invest in it, and our heart begins to see more clearly the ways that God is working.
Our treasure is whatever we value- our money in many cases, but also our time and our possessions, our families and our physical bodies. Jesus says that what we do with our treasure affects our hearts- determining who we are inside. It determines what sort of people we become.
4. Generosity Toward our Neighbor Is a Way to Live in Hope
Faithful generosity is an important part of following God. We each give in a myriad of ways: serving others, sharing our gifts and talents, and giving financially. Each form of giving reflects God’s generosity and love working through us.
Stewardship is how we live. Our first thought about stewardship might be that it is only about money. Stewardship is about how we offer ourselves back to God. It involves our whole being. Let us commit ourselves again to God in all the areas of our life to support God’s church.
