Life is difficult already; why should I give to the church? We have all been there at some point, struggling to make ends meet and pay all the bills at the end of the month. So again, why give? The Bible is pretty clear about giving; Proverbs 3:9-10 tells us to “Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the Firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty; and your vats will be bursting with wine.” When we honor God with our wealth, He multiplies it!

The other option is to hold it back, but Matthew 6:24 tells us, “No one can serve two masters, for either he/she will hate the one and love the other, or he/she will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” When we hold back or horde money, it becomes more essential to our lives than the Lord.

This still does not make it easy to give; money is important and necessary for us to live in this world, but it is not money that we, as believers, put our hope in. Malachi 3:10 tells us to “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse that there may be food in My house. And thereby put Me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.”

God sees our needs; He sees how difficult it is for us. Proverbs 11:24-25 says, “One gives freely yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.” He promises to take care of us.

2 Corinthians 9:7 “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” Don’t be reluctant; give what you feel is right in your heart. In Mark 12:42, we see a poor widow give her last two mites; this was equivalent to 1/64^th of a day’s wage. She was praised because she gave from the depths of her need. She knew that God was worthy of everything she had and that He would provide for her needs. Deuteronomy 16:17 “Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God that he has given you.”

We hope that this has helped give a little more insight into why as believers, we give. It’s to honor the one who gave everything to us; it’s to help further His plan and ministry; it’s to help those in our church and our community who have fallen on hard times. Giving is sacrificial; John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”