Why Not?

2 Corinthians 9:6-15 (NIV)

⁶ Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. ⁷ Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸ And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. ⁹ As it is written:

“They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor;
their righteousness endures forever.”^[a]

¹⁰ Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. ¹¹ You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

¹² This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. ¹³ Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. ¹⁴ And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. ¹⁵ Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

 

We’re here to talk again about giving. Did you know that many churches don’t include giving exhortation in their worship service? A recent study by researcher George Barna found that only 3 percent of Christians tithe—a decrease from 8 percent in 2001. The principle of tithing, it seems, is not widely practiced as it once was and certainly is not widely understood as a critical form of worship.

Why? Why do people keep debating about tithing or giving to the church? Why do people resist giving in time of debt? Why do people spend so much time in studying to prove that tithing is no longer required? All those questions boil down to the main question which is, “Why do we need to give our tithes and offering?”

My answer is, “Why not?”

I will not talk about church history or some theologies. I choose to focus to the one who created heaven and earth, to the reason why we’re gathered here, to the reason why I give, to the reason why we live.

I know we cannot compare God to anyone, but we can learn from Him in this act of giving. We all know that God gives us so many things every day, but above all that, the greatest gift He gave was when He gave His only Son Jesus Christ. How can God give His Son, while we are so hesitant to give the 10%?

1. God loves unconditionally – therefore, He gave unconditionally. He did not give just for the righteous, He gave for all, including the most sinful person you can ever imagine. We love conditionally –therefore, we give conditionally. (e.g. exchange gifts, utang na loob, etc.) We give depending on the circumstance (e.g. in debt, in gain, not during tuition fee time).
2. God is focused on the reason why He is giving. He has us in mind. So no matter how difficult it would be to have His Son grow up in the company of sinners and be killed by the same people, He was determined to give to save us from our sins. We are not focused on the reason why we give. Many are even more focused on determining the reason why we should not give. If we do not know and focus on the reason why we give, then we will have endless list of reasons why we should not give. I give because I love the Lord – period. I acknowledge that I am just a steward of what I have now. Nothing belongs to me and I could not take anything with me when I die. If I know that my act of giving will glorify the Lord (and yes that includes furtherance of His Kingdom by supporting the church), then why will I not give? Isn’t it when we love someone we want to give everything? The moon and the stars… How many children were born out of wed-lock because two un-married couple gave out everything?! I work hard because I want to give my son the best education that I can. That passionate love… can’t we give that to the one who first loved us?
3. God knows exactly the big picture. He knows that after Jesus dies for us, many people will believe and be saved, and one day He will be with those people in His kingdom. We don’t know exactly the big picture or the future. We don’t know that after we give tonight, a family member may get sick. We don’t know if the amount of money you have now will be sufficient until the next salary. We don’t know what will happen tomorrow. But then we go back to the omniscient God, the God who knows everything. The God who will never leave us nor forsake us. The God who is our great provider. The God who loves us no matter what.

The next chance you get to give to God, don’t think twice because you’re in debt, your salary is delayed, school is coming, etc. Let’s think about how God loves us a lot. Then let’s think about how we love God. Then we give out of love.