The wall of Giving

If a preacher wants to make his congregation mad all he has to do is preach on giving.  I've heard over and over again "All they talk about at that church is give us your money".  It's a sore spot with me especially when I hear radio and television preachers teach on faith and trusting God and then end their message with a statement like "we can only survive if you send your love offering of $100.00 today". 

I am a firm believer in giving of your means to God.  My Dad and Mom were insistent on me taking ten cents out of my $1.00 allowance many years ago, putting it in an offering envelope, putting my name on it and placing it in the offering plate.  It was a lesson they taught me by word and example. And I don't think we need to limit ourselves to ten percent.  We should give as God has blessed us. 

I have some weird ideas about offering taking at church.  I have suggested this to several of my pastors without much receptive response.  I believe we could eliminate all this talk about money if we placed a box at the rear of the church and told people we would not be taking up offerings but trusted them to place money as God leads them into the box.  I think it will work and give us a unique way to express to people that we want them and not their money.

Giving is not limited to our money.  Talents, gifts, abilities, skills are all things that should be offered to God for His glory.  It is often much easier to write a check and think that I am giving to God instead of using the talents that He gave me to honor Him. 

I can drop $5.00 in the offering plate and feel good about it.  It doesn't hurt too much.  But if I have to give up time and effort...now wait, that might be asking a little more than I want to give. 

I've heard many messages on tithing not only our money but our talents and our time.  If you really want to feel guilty, calculate the amount of time you give to God each week. If you are an average Christian, you will find that even if you count going to church on Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday night the time you offer to God comes up embarrassingly short of 10%. 

I know and you know that we can not "out-give" God.  He has much more than you have and He doesn't need anything that you might possess.  But you need to give to God.  You need to give your money, time, talent or whatever it might be that He places on your heart to give. 

So defend yourself from the enemy.  Build a wall by giving of your means.  Build a wall by giving back to God of the things He has so graciously given to you.