What Is The Best Standard Amount For Charitable Giving?

Some people and some churches say we should give a certain percentage such as 10% or 20%, or even more. Did Jesus give his followers any guidance on how much they should give?

It is recorded in Matthew 10.

"Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give." Matthew 10:8.

These words are from the instructions Jesus gave to his followers when he sent them out to preach.

This is a list of Apostolic miracles, and generosity is elevated to the same level and is included as a guiding attitude. This statement of giving freely is an exclamation mark that sums up all of the instructions.

WHO
The phrase, "freely you have received, freely give," is directed to those disciples and their specific mission on that occasion; but the principle transcends time and place, and applies to us today.

THE POINT
The point is obvious that they were not to charge for the work they did in the name of the Lord; they were not to make a profit out of something that God gave them freely, instead, they were to be generous.

COST
Some in the church quote, "I will not give to God that which cost me nothing," which is a reference to King David's sacrifice to stop the plague in 2 Samuel 24:24.  But Jesus' disciples were to share freely the blessings they were given freely.  They were not just to do good but to do it with the attitude of unrestrained generosity.

WHAT IS IT TO GIVE FREELY
There is not a set rule to follow like a ten percent tithe; this is an even higher standard- it is to give without restraint or hesitation. It would say, "I have been greatly blessed so I will greatly bless. I have been given much so I will give much."

THINK WHAT HAVE YOU RECEIVED FREELY

We each have been given more than we know. We have blessings and resources of many types; some have money and some have talent, skills, time or gifts. We all have life and every heartbeat is a gift. If we count our blessings with an open mind and reflective spirit we would see we have been given much in many ways. Since we have received much and we should give much. 

NOT JUST BECAUSE

Jesus gives the instruction to give freely and that is the strongest reason but it is supported by many truths. 

     * It is morally right to give freely. 

     * It is an appropriate expression of gratitude. 

     * It is the correct way to honor the giver.

     * It is noble.

     * Society respects it.
     * God rewards it.
     * It reflects God who freely gives blessings to us.
     * It models Christ to those who are witness to it.

GIVE
Maybe you cannot raise the dead and drive out demons but generosity is just as powerful. Be thankful for the blessings The Almighty has given to you and rejoice in the opportunity to be a blessing by freely giving.

(c) Adron 2/7/16

Does The Bible Teach That You Will Be Rewarded For Being Generous

If I am generous, will I be rewarded?   Does the Bible teach that?

"A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed." Proverbs 11:25

This Bible Verse is a promise.

GENEROUS
A generous person blesses others by giving liberally, but generosity is not just giving stuff to others; there is an accompanying generous spirit.  If you give someone what they need and it is done with a complaint, a frown, or an ungracious attitude, then it is not done in God's Spirit.  To be truly generous comes as much from the heart as it does from the wallet for "God loves a cheerful giver." 2 Corinthians 9:7.  God looks with favor on the attitude of cheerfulness in giving.

PROSPER
The word, prosper, is associated with an investment that pays off, so the idea in this verse is that the giver receives not just equality but liberality. There is an idea, too, that being generous is a loan to God.

REFRESHES
This is an action word. To refresh is to meet a physical need, like giving a cup of water to thirsty.  The person who refreshes is one who not only says they will pray for you, or they wish the needy to be cared for, and then they do nothing themselves- the generous person is the person who actually does something.

WILL BE
The word, will, occurs twice in this verse; it gives double emphasis.  It is like saying the generous person definitely, absolutely, utterly, and completely will be prosperous.  There are no maybes in this verse.

REFRESHED
You have received so that you can, in turn, give, both in the world's goods and spiritual blessings.   God often deals with us in the same manner and measures we deal with others.  Jesus himself said,  "Give, and it will be given to you.  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap.  For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Luke 6:38.

We have been given many blessings and riches in the gospel of Christ, and since we are being made in the image of God, who loved and gave sacrificially, we ought to be generous.

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 Adron 5/31/14

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(c) Adron

How Do I Start Giving To God? Exodus 34:26

When should you start giving to God?  What should You  give? Do you wait until you have extra money or other expenses are dealt with first?  How Do I know When I am ready to give? The Bible has a scripture that answers these questions.

"Bring the best of the first fruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God." Exodus 34:26.

BRING
This is an action word. To bring something just doesn't happen on its own but you have to resolve to do it and that means a choice and effort. If you are going to bring something you see that it gets there, you don't just think about it.  It does not mean to procrastinate giving to God. It is a decision.

BEST
Something that is the best is something that is over all the others, it is the favored choice.  You choose the best with the highest standards. This is not the left overs or the spare.

FIRST FRUITS
This verse of God's word was written in the context of an agrarian culture; the harvest was the major focus of society and survival.   It represented success, wealth, and the favor of God.  The first crops that were harvested were long hoped for and anticipated.  It would have been tempting to consume the first that was harvested. The farmer could easily justify it by saying, "I worked hard all year, I waited a long time, it is my land and my plants so I should br able to do what I want."

HOUSE OF THE LORD YOUR GOD
In ancient times the house of the Lord was the tabernacle then the temple.  In modern times it i represented by the community of the local church.  Though we have many opportunities to give through "Christian" organizations, we must give our primary offerings through our local church.

THE LORD YOUR GOD
Giving is an act of thanks, worship and devotion.  It has no parallel in life and is so unique a spiritual activity that we must be intentional about it.  If we remember that our giving is to the Lord God it has to be first of all the things done with our resources.

It is not a question of logic or what makes good financial sense, it is an issue of devotion and the fear of the Lord.  It is the right thing to do.

You have to meet your financial responsibilities that is a moral imperative, but giving to God is the highest priority.  Make giving to God the top line of your budget and the first check you write out.

AI hope this is helpful. To read more choose from the labels in the right sidebar or the list of helpful post. on the left.

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Thank you for visiting my blog. I hope this is helpful. 

To read more choose from the labels in the right sidebar or the list of helpful post. on the left. 

Adron 

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(c) Adron

Does God Count Attitude When You Give?. Deuteronomy 15:10

People are always asking for money and we know we should give, and we do, but what about all those promises where God said He would bless us if we give.  It seems those promises are not true in our case. Why?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT GIVING AWAY MONEY?

"...And your eye is hostile to your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to the Lord against you and it will be a sin in you.  Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to." Deuteronomy 15:10.

WHAT IS IT TO GIVE GENEROUSLY?

To be generous is to be liberal and without restriction, or boundaries.  It is giving not just what is needed but to give beyond the need, to give extra.  Generous giving is a command according to this verse.

WHAT IS A GRUDGING HEART?
The Lord looks on the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).  If you give generously but do it grudgingly it is as if you did not give at all.  God will still use the gift and others may be blessed but you may have endangered your own blessing.

REMEMBER;

     * Jesus is watching.  When in the temple the part of worship he watched was those giving alms. (Luke 21:1).
     * God will give his praise.  There are only a few times in the Bible where it relates that God gives praise.
     * Jesus said it is as if we were doing this unto him. (Matthew 25:45)
     * It is an act of love.
     * It is an act of worship.
     * It is Godly since God is generous.
     * It is a statement of faith.
     * It is not yours anyway, "the earth is the Lord's and the fullness of it." (Psalm 24:1)
     * It is an act of faith.

WILL THE LORD BLESS YOU?
He will bless you in, "All your work and in everything you put your hand to." This is a promise from the Lord of the universe.  Think of what you want to accomplish, what are your dreams goals, and plans, to see them blessed by God would be wonderful and exciting.  God promises just that- if we give generously and cheerfully.

(c) Adron Dozat 5/10/15

If We Do Not Have As Much As Others Should We Still Give?

Should we give when we are not doing as well off as others who are rich? Can we use the excuse that we do not have as much as others, so we should not have to give? The Bible answers with an example of how some handled this question.

"In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity."  2 Corinthians 8:2

TRIALS
The people of Macedonia were going through trials; they may have experienced persecution, starvation, disease or some other hardship. The word in the original language for trial is the one that is used for purging of the type that is used to purify metal in a heated crucible until the metal melts and the impurities can be skimmed off of the top.

It wasn't just a hardship because it is described with the words, very and severe, this gives an emphasis that is unmistakable. They had it as bad as anyone ever could.

IN THE MIDST
They didn't wait for a sunny day to give, or for times to get better. They were in the middle of the trials.

EXTREME POVERTY
They were at the rock bottom; they were destitute, and they had no resources to help themselves.

JOY
The mention of their overflowing joy is not a mistake. They had joy in giving. Giving blesses us when we give. In this case, giving was related to joy. Giving may have led to joy or joy may have led to giving- either way, they go together.

The Macedonians were in the heat of an extreme hardship. If anyone had grounds to be exempt from giving it would have been them. They did not wait to win the lottery or for things to get better before they gave. They gave generously while they were in poverty. They did not see that poverty excused them from giving. More likely they saw that giving to have greater significance to God since it was done in hardship.

(c) Adron 10/19/14

Does Giving to God Do Any Good For Me? Hebrews 7:8

We put money in the offering plate and give money to our church, but does it do any good? Why bother when I have so little to begin with?

"In one case, the tenth is collected by people who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living." Hebrews 7:8

BACKGROUND
Abraham after winning a battle gave an offering to a priest named Melchizedek. This priest is a mysterious person in the Bible since we know almost nothing about him. He is seen as representing Christ who had no beginning and no end and is a high priest forever.

OUR TEMPORARY RELIGION
Our churches with our pastors and priest are only for this world and will pass away with the coming of the better. What we do here reminds us of that better one to come. Our ministers and priest serve us only for a time but Jesus is the high priest who ministers on our behalf forever. Our opportunity to give is only temporary while our time in this world lasts.

GENERAL GIVING
When we give to our churches and ministers, (since we are pooling our resources with the others), we enable them to do greater good than we could do on our own. Our giving will do practical good since our finical support allows the Gospel and good works to go forward into this darkened world.

HOLY GIVING
When we give to our church it is a statement and an act of worship, and this maybe the bigger effect. It acknowledges God is the giver of our blessings and it proclaims He is worthy of devotion and sacrifice. It is a statement of faith; as if we were being a blessing to The Lord.

WRONG GIVING
We do not give because we are forced to or because we hope to buy God's grace in some way. Giving to the Lord will not earn us salvation or finical wealth.

WHY GIVE
We give to The Almighty through the church or another faith institution because it is the right thing to do. It honors Him and declares to man and angels that He is worthy. We do it as an act of worship because we love Him for giving us life and freeing us from sin through Christ.

To learn more about finding new life and freedom from sin see my other blog.

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I hope these post help.
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 Adron

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Why Should I Give To Charity When I have So LIttle? Proverbs 3:9-10

Every day, some worthy cause and noble charity are asking us for support. Should we give and why?

"Honor The Lord with your wealth, and with the first fruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine." Proverbs 3:9-10

HONOR

This scripture verse starts with the most important word to the answer of giving- honor. We may have many reasons to give to charity, but the best reason is to honor God. When we honor The Lord in giving, it is a statement of gratitude and of faith. It acknowledges that he is the giver of the good we enjoy- it is a statement not to others but to God.

Giving to The Poor When We Have So Little

FIRSTFRUITS

It does not honor God to give him the leftovers and the extra. He is honored when we put Him first, and giving to Him is sacrificial. The idea of firstfruits is the idea of giving God the best.

PLENTY

This verse promises that if we give to the Lord, we will have plenty, but the motivation is not that we give so somehow we get, but the motivation is that we should honor God. We honor God because it is the right thing to do, not so he will honor us in return.
The verse promises that The Lord will bless us, but it is all about attitude regarding our blessings. We are given blessings to be blessings to others, not so we can just consume those blessings. When we are given blessings and bless others with them, we are blessed to do so.

PROMISE

We should honor God by giving Him our best. It is not an easy thing, and it is more than just talk, sitting in church, and singing hymns; it is the difficulty and sacrifice that proves our intent is honorable to God.

(c) Adron dozat

Does Generosity Lead to Blessing?

Every day someone is asking for charity or a loan. Does it do any good to be a generous person?

"Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice." Psalm 112:5

CONTEXT
The context of this verse is from a passage that celebrates the fear of the Lord and finding delight in God's command. If we are giving freely with the right attitude of honoring and reverencing God then He promises good will come.

LENDS FREELY
To lend something, especially money, often creates an opportunity to exploit the borrower, this was particularly true in ancient times where heavy interest was common. The one who honors God does not take advantage of people who God created and loved but sees opportunities to do good to others as service to their Father in heaven- God will not be any man's debtor he will do good in return.

JUSTICE
The second half of the verse reminds us of the need to conduct our affairs with justice, today we would say with fairness or nobility of character.

OUR PROBLEM WITH THIS
One problem is that we have our own time frame and want to see the return on the generous actions right away; but to Him a day is as a thousand years and a thousand years is as a day, (2 Peter 3:8). We can't do an act of kindness and then stand there watching the clock waiting for God. God wants us to prove him right by our faith in him and trust that he will do it.

God will not be our debtor nor will he be manipulated, he knows our motivations; he looks on the heart and if we lend to receive from God we will be disappointed.

Good comes, but what kind of good? We may be looking for good in one way but God intends something different. We can't expect to get a check in the mail because we give to charity. We might experience good in some emotional, or spiritual, or social way that can't be measured in cash.


THE BIG PICTURE
We should not focus on receiving good but on being the person who is good, generous and fair. The quality of character is a reward that is immeasurably better.

What Are Good Guidelines for Giving?

Does the Bible say who I should give my charity money to, or is it up to me?

"For they went out for the sake of the name accepting no help from the pagans. Therefore we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers in the truth." 3 John 1: 7-8.

BACKGROUND
This Bible verse is from a passage giving praise to Gaius for his charity and hospitality to the traveling ministers of the Gospel in the early church.

WHO THEY WERE
Those who were serving the Lord were doing it sacrificially at a cost to themselves. They did not ask for help from those who were not believers in the message but trusted the Lord to provide.

OBLIGATION
The apostle John was saying we have an obligation to support those who were serving; he says we ought to, and we must.

In the early days this support was risky business it meant giving shelter or refuge for those serving the Church. It meant giving some of your own food or some of the little money you had.

THE TEST
Those they were to support were the ones who...
     * "Went out." these people left something behind; they left home, careers, future, family etc.
     * "For the sake of the Name." They had a dedicated commitment to Jesus.
     * "Accepting no help from pagans." They were not in it for the money.
     * "Workers in the truth." they had integrity. They had a focused mission of spreading the Gospel.

GIVE WISELY
We should give out of our abundance and we should give even if all we have is a widow's mite. We should give wisely and test those we share our financial blessings with. Take time and research to make sure the person or organization is following a call to minister the gospel, serving in truth and are operating with integrity.

When you give to those who serve you are becoming a fellow worker with them in the Gospel.

Can We Become Wealthy By Giving To God?

There are people who tell us to give to God and he will bless you. Is that really in the Bible?

"Who has ever given to God that God should repay them?" Romans 11:35.
The answer: no one.

YES GIVE
We should give to God, church, charities and good service organizations not because we will bribe God to bless us but because it is the right thing to do. We should give out of gratitude and as an act of worship to God and service to others. We should see giving as an opportunity to be a blessing to others.

HA! HA! FUNNY
It is ridiculous to think we could put God in our debt by giving paltry money to Him. He created diamonds, and gold was his idea. He already owns all things and if there was something He didn't own He could make it out of nothing.

"Who has a claim against me that I must pay? Everything under heaven belongs to me." Job 41:11.

BLESSING
God may bless us, but not for throwing money at Him. He blesses us because He loves us; but in addition, He has laid down terms of specific blessing in the Bible.

THE JOYFUL KEY
Many Bible verses talk about the attitude of the heart behind our giving.

• A cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7.
• To bless Jesus disciples. Matthew 10:42.
• Out of Kindness. Proverbs 19:17.
• As giving unto Jesus. Matthew 25:40.
• Out of love. Hebrews 6:10.
• To do good. Galatians 6:9.

Just to list a few attitudes God promises to reward.

THE BETTER WAY
God looks at our motivation and blesses our giving because of our attitude. If giving to God was a way to create wealth it would be unfair of God who first gives the wealth to a person then asks for it back to in order to give them more. It would be unfair for those in poor communities or suffer disabilities.

God in love considers not the giving but the heart behind the giving. The poorest person may be rich in hi heart with no money to give but still receive God's blessing. It is just and fair for everybody that God blesses the heart attitude behind the giving and rewards the nobler attitude.