Loving
and
Giving
A Biblical Perspective
on Stewardship
Introduction...
As God’s people, we recognize that creation
is a gift from God. God calls Christians to be good
stewards of His creation, ensuring that all His
resources are available to grow God’s Kingdom. God’s
call to stewardship is a transformational journey that
involves our head, our heart, and our hands.
God’s Word explains the why, when, how, and
where of Christian giving. Because He has given
the Church the task of teaching those scriptural
guidelines, let’s explore God’s Word for instruction in
how we should be loving and giving.
Why We Give...
■ To Reveal His Likeness In Us
We are made in God’s image. God so loved that He gave. God
gives Christians the Holy Spirit to move them to give with glad
hearts, just as He does. God created us to reveal the reality
of Himself to the world—loving by giving. “Follow God’s
example, therefore, as dearly loved children.”—Ephesians 5:1
■ Regularly
The love God has for the world and its people is steadfast. Our
faithfulness in stewardship shows itself in steadfast regularity.
Faithfulness in giving is another reflection of God’s character
in us. It is doing God’s work as he Himself does it. “On the
first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a
sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so
that when I come no collections will have to be made.”
—1 Corinthians 16:2
■ Proportionately
Our giving is to be a reflection of our abundance (1 Corin-
thians 16:2). Since all of life is God’s gift to us, we might
expect God to ask for a large portion in return. Instead, the
Bible teaches that the standard for our giving is 10 percent
(“tithe”) of our income (Malachi 3:10). What a small
response we are called to make as grateful children of God!
“Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the
Lord your God has blessed you.”—Deuteronomy 16:17
■ Sacrificially
God’s gift of His only Son is the costliest sacrifice ever made.
We, as Christians, are the beneficiaries of that sacrifice,
and we are to respond by giving sacrificially. For many, this
will mean giving “according to the blessing of the Lord”
(Deuteronomy 16:17) and by the leading of the Holy Spirit.
God doesn’t ask the same gifts from each of us, but He does
ask the same spirit of sacrifice. “Truly I tell you,” he [Jesus]
said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All
these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out
of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”—Luke 21:3-4
What We Give...
■ Our Time
Our willingness to serve God through our church, our
community, and world, demonstrates good management
of life’s gifts...our “tithe” of the hours and days God has
allotted each of us. “Redeeming the time” by offering it to our
Redeemer is another mark of a disciple. “Teach us to number
our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
—Psalm 90:12
■ Our Talents
We are part of a body which functions fully only as its
members exercise their God-given gifts in service. Our
individual spiritual gifts, talents, and abilities are intended to
compliment those of the other members of the body. We are
not our own, as the Apostle Paul reminds us. We are “bought
with a price.” “Each of you should use whatever gift you have
received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in
its various forms.”—1 Peter 4:10
■ Our Testimonies
By giving each of us a “faith story,” God has made us
stewards of a gift that is able to lead others “out of darkness,
into His marvelous light.” What an honor to be entrusted with
a gift no other person but you can give. God doesn’t say our
testimonies must be eloquent—just real and ready (1 Peter
3:15). “This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants
of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has
revealed.”—1 Corinthians 4:1
■ Our Treasure
As Christians, we are not to substitute trust in God’s ability
to meet our every need with our own ability to provide for
ourselves . The Bible says that such attitudes can even create
the very shortages they anticipate: “Remember this, whoever
sows sparingly will also reap sparingly” (2 Corinthians 9:6). In
our finances, as in all other areas of our lives, “we are laborers
together with God.” “For where your treasure is, there your
heart will be also.”—Luke 12:34
Where We Give...
■ To Our Church
From the Tabernacle Moses erected in the wilderness to the
house churches Paul nurtured in his journeys, God has urged
His people to participate in a worshipping, local fellowship,
and then to regular tithing through that fellowship. God has
given the Church all the resources needed to impact the world
He has called us to reach—but only as we respond together
is that reach strengthened and lengthened. “...In the midst
of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme
poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave
as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability...”
—2 Corinthians 8:2-3
■ To Spirit-Revealed Needs
God gives each of us unique opportunities to show our
Savior’s love by giving our time, talents, testimonies, and
tithes. This openness to human need is one of the highest
forms of witnessing. However, believers are called to exercise
discipline and discernment so that such giving will not
be impulsive, but rather will further the Gospel without
impairing local church commitments. “Therefore, as we have
opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those
who belong to the family of believers.”—Galatians 6:10
1 Peter 4:10-11