A Three Step Journey to GenerositySýnishorn

Day 3 - Heart

Once you’ve broken through the giving barriers and made that first gift, it’s time to move from Something to Repeating.  This is where you become intentional with your generosity. As you make this shift, pay attention to ways that God will bring resources to you as He trusts you more with His plan.

One of the reasons why people don’t give is because they feel attached to their money.  Research reveals that the average Christian in America gives around 2-3% of their income to charity.  That means if you are an average worker and make a $50,000/year salary, you will give around $1000 (a little over $80 per month) away.  At one point in the Christian tradition, the tithe or 10% of income, was an important way to balance the gifts brought to God.  In other words, if a wealthy person brought 10% and a poor person brought their 10%, the gifts were the same.  One pastor refers to this as “everything being level at the cross.”  Jesus tells the story in Mark 12:41-44 where a poor woman out gave a rich person.  It’s possible that a rich person could bring a gift of a million dollars and be out given by a poor person when it comes to percentages.  Again, what we are learning is that generosity is more about the position of your heart than the value of the gift.

When I was a boy, my grandparents went on vacation to Colorado one summer and brought me back a white plastic wallet with a mountain scene stamped on front.  Inside, there was a coin pocket that snapped shut.  Most importantly, there was a place in the back to put bills—cold hard cash.  This hidden slit in the back of my wallet quickly became very intriguing to me, not because of the design, but because of what it could contain.  I remember saving up one dollar bills from allowances, birthday money, and Christmas, and housing them in the wallet.  I cared for those bills like a precious pet.  One day I remember getting frustrated that all of my bills weren’t fitting appropriately in the wallet.  Needing more space, I came up with a brilliant idea.  I got out the iron and meticulously pressed each and every one of them so they would lay flat and fit perfectly in the wallet.  Another day, I remember laying each bill side by side on my bed and dreaming about the security they provided and that I now had the power to buy.  I share that story because it's my earliest memory of feeling an attachment to money and my heart connection to it.

In order to give Repeating gifts, you’ll need to look at your finances and take steps to get things in order.  If you don’t know where your money goes, it’s time to begin tracking your expenses.  If you don’t live on a budget, regardless of your level of income, it’s time to begin to make a plan and tell your money how to go to work for you.

Questions:  On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being not at all and 10 being all the way, how attached are you to your financial resources?  Now, think back over the last 12 months and determine how much you gave?  Is your attachment impacting your generosity?

Give it a Try: Set up online giving at your home church or add a line item to your budget for giving and make a plan to give first.