Maybe you’ve asked this question before:
“Should I give money even though I am in debt”
- or maybe phrased this way -
“Should I give money even though I don’t have much to give?”
Usually this question can be turned into an objection for giving – such as, “I just don’t have any money to give right now, I’ll start giving once I have a little more.”
This weekend we take a look at whether this is Biblical to wait to give money or not. Our text will be from 2 Corinthians 8 – a famous passage on giving and a challenging one as well.
2 Corinthians 8:1-4:
We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, 2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, 4 begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints—
I highlighted a couple of key points in this text. Here’s what we notice:
- They didn’t let troubles dissuade them from giving (v.2)
- They gave joyfully (v.2)
- They were extremely poor (v.2)
- They gave according to their means and beyond (v.3)
Here’s the ESV Study Bible notes for reflection:
God’s grace was manifested in that the Macedonians gave even though they were poor. What surprised Paul was that the Macedonians also gave themselves first to the Lord (a recommitment of their lives) and then . . . to us; they offered not only money but also any other personal help they could give to Paul.
But I don’t have money to give
As evidenced by the believers in Macedonia, they gave even though they were extremely poor! Not just a little poor, not just a little tight each month, but they were in extreme poverty – and yet – they gave abundantly with great joy!
It’s hard to read that and then continue our excuses of why we don’t give enough.
I already give enough
For those who are thinking, “I already give plenty”, this passage is an indicting one as well.
Notice the phrase wealth of generosity in the passage above? That doesn’t mean they gave enough to satisfy some legal requirement or enough to satiate their own consciences.
They gave abundantly, much more than they probably could have or should have – but they didn’t care about the money!
Why should we give even when we don’t have it
So this weekend, as we sit back and relax and look at all the gifts we gave and received for Christmas take some time to reflect on why we should be generous with our wealth to those in need.
Here’s three reasons why we should be generous even when we don’t have it:
1. We have more than we think
Be honest, we have way more than we think we have. Even when we think we have nothing, we have plenty to give. Our problem is we compare ourselves upward to the next standard of living up rather than down to the next standard of living.
2. We need to rearrange our priorities to place more emphasis on giving rather than getting
Often times why we don’t give is simply a matter of misplaced priorities. We view getting ahead, saving and accumulating stuff as more important than giving to those in need.
3. Your greatest return on investment will be giving to the Lord
If I told you that if you gave me $100 I’d give you back $10,000 would you make that investment?
Of course you would and yet we have an offer infinitely better than that. God promises to reward us eternally for the way we give and use our money.
One of the hardest lessons I have had to learn is this exact one that you are talking about. It was through my small group Bible Study on Malachi 3 that I found out that withholding the tithe is similar to robbing God. Some may argue that we live in New Testament times, but I believe that is all the more reason that we should be giving. God gave us the Greatest Gift in all of history, why should I withhold my tithe? One pastor also influenced me: the church was going through a hard financial time, and he felt God speaking to him, “You’re going to have to give your way out of this one.” I’m in the midst of working on my obedience, and “testing God” to see if His promise to provide is true. In my heart, I know I will not be disappointed.
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The Bible also says that if you fail to take care of your family, you are worse-off than a non-believer (I Timothy 5:8). But if those in extreme poverty could find something to give, we should also be able to give.
I think the rub might be that in Biblical times, perhaps the church was more active in providing for those in need? Perhaps it was easier to sacrificially give because the poor knew the church would actively help them with food/shelter if needed. In today’s Western church, I often wonder if that is part of the reason for hesitation to give – because the social safety net has transitioned from a church function to a duty of the state?
Steve, thanks for your comment! A couple things God has impressed upon me more and more is the fact that our money is all His anyways; so therefore we should be generous and willing to give because we are simply stewards of His money.
The other thing is that when we view our giving as storing up eternal rewards it is actually the greatest investment we could ever make – infinite return on investment!
Jason – thanks for you comment as well. You bring up a couple interesting points – one is that we do need to provide for our families, but ultimately it is God who provides for our needs to be met. Sometimes we think that providing for our families means we meet the needs and a lot of the wants. Perhaps we clutch too tightly to our goods on earth that we fail to offer up everything to Him with open hands. I’ve had to grow a lot in this area and continue to do so.
I think you’re right in that we probably all too often look at welfare, social security and the like as the duties of the state rather than looking out for the widows and orphans as we are commanded to do. Maybe we need to do a better job of assessing the needs and looking to provide for those in need. It is oftentimes much easier for me to keep my blinders on rather than look around and perceive what is really going on.
I really agree with Jason–we have abdicated so much of our responsibility to the state, and it has really changed our perspective and our priorities.
One question I didn’t really see answered here is the question of giving while in debt. My husband and I have been discussing this at length lately. One of us feels that we should not give beyond our tithe until we have paid off all our debt, because the extra money is not ours to give–it has already been pledged to someone else. The problem with this is that we don’t have the same attitude toward eating out, for instance (though we spend a very small amount of money on that!). The other one feels like we have so much, we should be giving sacrificially–not just out of our abundance. But the more we give, the less money gets put toward our debt, and we are slaves to it longer. The first spouse says that once we have all our debt paid off, THEN we can give more.
I would LOVE to hear anyone’s thoughts on this!
April, that’s a great question. I’m glad you are at least giving something while you are in debt. If you weren’t giving anything, I’d probably say to at the very least give something while in debt.
I don’t know that there is any hard and fast rules from Scripture that we can look to in this instance. Perhaps someone else could shed some light here too.
The best I can do is give my opinion. I’d say that you definitely want to pray for wisdom and discernment on what you should do. Pray separately and then come together and talk about what you feel God is leading you to do.
More importantly, it’s easy to forget that God is not out to get a certain amount from us or to exact some sort of required tax to please Him. He wants us to give with a cheerful heart, He wants us to give sacrificially and He is more interested in our heart attitudes towards money rather than a dollar amount.
Unfortunately, in America it is easy to let our hearts be persuaded by “stuff” rather than viewing the great things our money can do for the Kingdom of God.
Keep that in mind when you have your talks and see where God leads you! I’d love to hear what you come up with!
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I attended Financial Peace University earlier this yera as was impressed that charity is the first line item in Dave Ramsey’s budget forms.
Before then I hadn’t formally budgeted an amount to give. Now, I do and if I don’t give it all in a month I put it in a fund to give away in the future when a need arises.
Donations at our church fell off this past year and we couldn’t meet obligations. At a second stewardship campaign I and many others upped our pledges. Within a few weeks I received a bigger than expected raise at work. God does provide!
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Thanks for sharing Bucksome! I’ve heard many stories like that and love hearing them!
I’m so glad you started to budget in your giving. I think that is a HUGE step. Just like savings, if giving doesn’t get budgeted in, it unfortunately falls to the wayside.
@Jason of MyMoneyMinute: I think you hit the nail on the head. Let’s look to scripture for what the church should be doing:
Is the modern church doing this? From a majority perspective… absolutely not! The modern church seems more concerned with people committing to give in order to pay off the church mortgage. Million dollar church buildings may be where we want to start directing our questions… do we need them?
The role of the church is to spread the gospel of Christ, thus creating disciples, and ministering to whomever has need. Not just ministering by way of listening to a 1 hour sermon – but ministering for real… constantly.
The reason the state is taking over charity is because the church is failing in its God-given role of charity.
The good news is that we can change that by understanding this and changing our individual behavior. We HAVE to stop pointing fingers and start doing what’s right in our own lives… according to the scriptures.
@April: That’s a good argument to be having! It means you are on the right track. I would say give minimally (say 10% if you like) and pay off debt. This will speed your ability to give more, thus increasing the amount you give in the long term.
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As said in Luke 6:38 (KJV)–
“Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”
God truly is a provider! I can sympathize with @Bucksome, as there has been many occasions where I’ve put a little extra into the offering box and/or helped a friend or family member. As it always turns out, I have enough to cover my needs!
I believe the key is to realize that even as God asks us to return unto him that what he asks (and what’s 10%? these days, you tip the waiter or barista 15-30%!), we must give unto others just as cheerfully…and not expect it in return.
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Matt, thanks for pointing out our individual responsibility when it comes to the church. We are a body of believers and if many members of that body are not living out Biblical stewardship then the whole body suffers and we see a major breakdown like we have today.
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Christopher, thanks for the comment and perspective. It’s good to remember that we don’t give because we expect something in return – we give because we love Him!
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I work hard for my money. I work hard for my money, so that my family and I can have a great life, filled with all the joys and riches that we deserve. I work hard for my money, so that my wife does not have to, and she can raise our beautiful family. I work hard for my money so that we can live debt-free, never concerned about how we are going to afford the next bill or when the next paycheck will come in.
Why in the world would I want to give ANY of my HARD EARNED money away?! It makes no sense to me why anyone would work as hard as they do, only to donate their hard-earned income to the “needy” or to “charity”. The ONLY charity I am concerned about is ME and MY FAMILY!
Everyone is born equal. We all have an equal chance to get an education, to get ahead in life, to be successful and to live a financially-rewarding life. It’s not my fault that a “needy” person made the CHOICE to not excel in life, is it? Why should ANYONE expect me to share ANY of my hard-earned income?
As for tipping, I NEVER tip either, under any circumstances. Why should I be expected to tip? Do I get a tip for doing my JOB? Heck no! The ONLY tip I’ll give someone is to go back to school, get an education and the SKILLS necessary so that you don’t have to accept doing low-paying, low-life, menial labor as your CAREER. Of course, having an education does not always guarantee financial success in life, but not having one almost always guarantees failure.
Remember…we are all created equal, but we are not ALL EQUAL. Life is about choices. Make the right ones.
I do believe we should give while we are in debt. You are so right when you say we up our standard of living and all the while blame debt for not being able to give. We add ‘wants’ and God said he would supply needs.
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“Usually this question can be turned into an objection for giving”–I never thought of it this way, but that’s very insightful, and I think you’re right about this.
A lot does depend on your financial condition though. If you’re barely getting by, feeding your family and deep in debt, it’s important to give at least a little something, but trying to stay with a 10% tithe can create pressure so great that you’re no longer giving cheerfully. We have the strong example of the poor women giving the widows mite here-God will bless what little we give when we have little.
Flip side, people who are enjoying good times, financially speaking, probably need to look to something beyond 10%. But I’m being more than a bit judgemental here too!
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I think you should. It also depends on what’s your appropriate level of giving? It doesn’t make you a bad person if you practice personal savings and look after your own finances. It’s tough to always look to give when you have your own needs and potential emergencies that could come up. If you can give, amazing. But if you can’t or don’t feel comfortable, I don’t think you should be looked down on.
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I agree with your analysis and also I would add that the Bible teaches it is important to be faithful and a good steward of little just as it is important to be faithful and a good steward of much.
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Dave, I can understand where you are coming from – I’ve been there with those same thoughts. A few points to think about is:
#1) It’s by God’s sheer grace that we even have the health to go to work, have a job and make a living.
#2) “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it” Psalm 24:1 – everything we have is really God’s. We are simply stewards and managers of God’s property.
#3) “Blessed is the one who considers the poor, in the day of trouble the Lord delivers him” Psalm 41:1 – when we consider/care for/ think about/help the poor we are blessed.
#4) Not every poor person is poor because of bad choices – some have been born into such horrible circumstances that it’s near impossible for them to rise above them. That doesn’t dismiss personal responsibility – I’m all for that, but we should be quick to extend mercy rather than judgment.
#5) God cares for the poor, the weak and even His enemies – He sent His Son Jesus to come and die and take our place on that cross because He loves even sinners like me and you. All we have to do is accept the gift by believing in our hearts and confessing with our mouths that Jesus is Lord.
Craig – You are right, it doesn’t make you a bad person if you practice personal savings and look after your own finances. What I’m suggesting is doing both – give and save.
The Bible is full of paradoxes and giving is one of them. When we give more and have a looser grip on our money God supplies every need that we have. When we are willing to give it all up for His sake, He blesses that heart attitude.
It seems strange that the more you give the more you have, but in many cases it’s true. We shouldn’t give so we can accumulate more, but what’s funny is that God will give more because He sees us as a channel to have the resources flow through to others who are in need.
Credit Card Chaser – that is a great point to bring into the discussion about being faithful in little. In fact, I could argue that it’s even more important to be faithful in little because the Bible says that “he who is faithful in very little is faithful in much.
Great point!