Many believers may not actually even think of giving as a spiritual discipline, but this only indicates we have yet to discover how vitally spiritual the biblical discipline of Giving is! The Christian's Spiritual Training Journal makes space in the Year-at-a-Glance Annual plan for targeting a giving goal that you set as a result of your own prayers and the conviction God puts in your heart. The article below lays out the broad biblical principles for taking up the challenge to pariticipate in God's generous character through this time-honored discipline of grace...

                                                        “You will be made rich in every way
                                                   so you can be generous on every occasion,
                                       and…your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.”

       2 Corinthians 9:11

In the verse immediately above, the apostle Paul identifies two reasons for which God entrusts us with various gifts
and types of wealth. First, in order to produce exactly the opposite result that wealth often has on an unregenerate
person--that we may be generous. For us the benefit of giving is the molding of our character like God's and, thus,
we grow more complete in our knowledge of and imitation of Him . Secondly, so that God may be glorified. Sounds
a lot like the Westiminster Confession doesn't it? ("The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever."
What could possibly make us more fit to enjoy God than if we become more like Him?)

On the matter of giving, I will not attempt to lay out a thorough biblical teaching.  For more thorough study I would
direct you to read the fine materials written by gifted, biblical financial counselors like Ron Blue of Crown Ministries. 
I will share with you, here, my conviction on this matter and my experience. 

There are many factors that must be addressed when making a decision about our level of giving to God’s program. 
I am well aware that the Old Testament biblical tithe (i.e., the tenth) is not binding upon the child of God under the New
Covenant.  I am also aware that under the Old Covenant arrangement that when the tenth was combined with other required
offerings and free-will offerings, the typical Old Covenant follower of the Lord gave in the neighborhood of 25% of their
“income” or produce.  It is true in the New Covenant arrangement that there is no longer the need to support the civil
functions of the government with our tithe, which is what some of the giving in the Old Covenant covered.  Today the
functions of civil government are paid by our taxes.  Some might reason that because of this a smaller percentage than the
Old Covenant tithe would be appropriate.  But it would be more accurate to suggest that a smaller percentage of the
approximate 25% is where we should start.  There are other questions we might wrestle with:  Do I tithe on my gross or my
after-taxes net?  What does it matter?  Since nation-wide, most believers give only around 2% of gross or net, even 10% of
the net would be a vast improvement. 

I have finally come to the place where I urge believers to commit to a minimum of 10% (of gross or net income? Does it
reallly matter!). I say this more out of personal conviction and not because you can make a strong case for it from the
Scripture (remember, a portion of our tithe is no longer required to support the civc functions of the theocratic kingdom, i.e.,
biblical Israel). In keeping with both Old and New Testament teaching, whatever we give should be “off the top”, that is
the first fruits of what we make.  We, as a matter of faith, trust God to help us live out of the remaining 90%.   After all, if
the arrangement in the New Covenant is one of being empowered and set free to do far more and better than under the Old
Covenant, why would we assume we are being especially spiritual to do nothing more than the bare-bones minimum of the
Old Covenant?  Looked at this way, 10% (or, the “tithe”) is at the very least a good starting place.  I also tend to agree with
those who direct the 10% to the ministry of their local church and designate for  “offerings” those gifts that exceed the this.
Offerings may be directed with freedom to any cause the believer is convinced God is leading them.  (Again this distinction
is more out of personal conviction and commitment than out of a strong biblical teaching.)

Ron Blue has remarked that stewardship (i.e., giving and the wise management of what we keep) is the one area of the Christian
life you cannot fake.  Before the eyes of fellow believers you can fake worship, prayer, etc., but you cannot fake giving.  You
either do it or you don’t.

What are the dividends of generous giving?  For starters, you begin in your own life to participate in the generosity of God.
The fact is that if believers everywhere tithed even just the 10% the Church of Jesus Christ would far out-strip the U.S. Federal
government in the ability to grant relief and fund development.  If we would only catch the vision of the church meeting the
world’s needs and giving at the biblical minimum required to support it, the church would not be begging the world for grants
or harassing businessmen for discounts.  

Moreover, the promise of Scripture is that where your treasure is your heart will also be invested (Matthew 6:19-21).  We
grow in our love for the Lord and our affection for his cause when we are heavily invested in its success, even financially. 
Biblical giving and wise stewardship of what we retain for our households is the only solid cure for materialism that I know of.

I do not join those who suggest that you can give your way into riches.  That somehow if you tithe God is obligated to
miraculously fund your desire for wealth.  You may tithe and God will bless you throughout your life with daily bread and not
great riches.  He may bless another with great wealth, but not because of their tithing.  And with that wealth comes greater
responsibility and opportunity to advance God’s program in the world.

II Corinthians, Chapters 8 & 9 provide much clarification on the matter of giving.  One thing comes through loud and clear:
God loves a cheerful giver and a deliberate giver:

                        “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give…”

True giving should be the fruit of prayer and a deliberate decision made between the Lord and the believer.  Again, this is why
the journal incorporates a place for prayerfully setting an intentional giving goal. Haphazard, thoughtless giving, is worse than
no giving at all. How can we say we are seeking the Kingdom of God and his righteousness while throwing pocket change at
God on Sunday worship and presuming to call such a thoughtless act “worship”? Yet thousands of Christians insult God weekly
in this way.

                        “…not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.                                                           

To truly please God our giving must well up out of a joyous and liberated heart, not out of some formulae to leverage greater
blessings from God or to fulfill a duty.

Finally, generosity in giving is an expression of the grace of God at work in the believer’s life.  Paul sees giving as just one of
the many virtues of God’s character that he, by his grace, works into our lives:

                                     "But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete
                                       earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.”

                                                                                                                                                 II Corinthians 8: 7

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