“I want to give regularly, but I also want my giving to be more about worship than paying bills. How do I do that?”
After going through our Money series, I met with one of our members to talk about his walk with Jesus and reconnect. In the conversation, we discussed the sermon on giving from the previous Sunday including the three things I mentioned about giving – that we should give cheerfully, intentionally and sacrificially. He told me about how his heart was pricked about the area of sacrifice and that he would begin giving more each month. Then, he asked the question at the beginning of this post. How do I give regularly but not feel like I’m paying my cable bill? I think it’s a great question. After thinking about it, I have a few ideas which have generated repentance in my own life. I hope they are helpful.
Realize that every bill we pay expresses a value
The truth is that every bill you pay is an expression of a value you hold. Our cable bill says that we value TV enough to pay for it rather than use an HD antenna. Our mortgage says we value a place for our family to live. Our student loan payment, car payment, etc all communicates what we value. Our electric bill climbs in the summer because I value being comfortable in my air-conditioned home. We spend according to our values. So, when you pay a bill, realize that payment is an expression of value.
When you give an offering, stop and consider what you are doing.
When Cheryl and I sit down to pay bills, we usually try to do it in a way that is as quick and painless as possible. We just want to get it done. As I’ve thought about my friend’s question, I wonder if we could stop for a moment as we write a check for our giving (or set up an online payment, bill pay, etc) and remember that we are giving this money to the work of the kingdom in and through our local church. Perhaps take a moment to pray as we click the button or tear the check out of the book. Acknowledge that we are giving this money for God to use it for his purposes. Ask Jesus to multiply it like the loaves and fishes for his uses. Those simple steps will remind us that this bill is different from others in that we are choosing to give this money to God’s purposes rather than our own.
Give so that you feel it.
I’m not trying to be legalistic. Just wondering if our giving feels like just another bill because we don’t feel it. Do you have opportunity to look at your budget and wonder what you could do with the money you are giving to God’s purposes? If your giving is not sacrificial, you probably will not feel it.
CS Lewis said
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 (giving habits) do not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say they are too small. There ought to be things we want to do but cannot do because our giving expenditures excludes them.
Maybe we could look at our spending and ask, “Does our giving communicate that we value Jesus and His Kingdom more than the other things we could do with the money we are giving to His purposes?” We all need to regularly assess that.
We live in a culture where most people don’t carry cash or checks. So more and more Christians are turning to online options for giving. Maybe these ideas will help you see that mouse click as an act of worship. I hope so.
If you would like help with your finances, we have a team of men and women who would love to serve you.
