Disciples Path: Week 3: Day 4 – Why I Make This Promise About Giving

2 Corinthians 9:7 – Everyone should give whatever they have decided in their heart. They shouldn’t give with hesitation or because of pressure. God loves a cheerful giver.

Mark 12:41-44 – Jesus sat down and watched the people put money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. One poor widow came and threw in two very small copper coins (mites). Jesus called his disciples and told them, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put in more than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth, but she gave out of her poverty; she gave everything she had”.

For the many years I’ve been a pastor, I have always made this promise to the people of the congregations I’ve served; “If you give to the ministry of the church and find out later that doing so actually hurt you, I’ll gladly refund your money.  In the 32 years I’ve made that promise, not one person has ever taken me up on it.  I’m not so naïve to think that no one has ever thought about asking me for the money back, but the truth behind the promise still stands.  It feels good to give to the greater good and what greater good is there than the work of God in the world?

But here’s the catch.  That good feeling often does not arrive until after the gift is given.  Often, before we give the gift, there is worry and/or fear. 

• If I give this, will I be able to pay my bills?
• What if I give this and then I have some emergency that that same money would have been able to handle?

To those who have had these worries (by the way, I’m in that group), I ask this question:  Do you trust money to take care of you or do you trust God to take care of you?   I ask this not to shame anyone, but to make the point that giving sacrificially is an act of trust in God. 

                How could the widow with meager resources put in the last coin she had without some trust that somehow, she would be cared for?  Though I doubt anyone reading this is in this widow’s desperate situation, trust is the bottom-line issue.  So giving is a way to build trust in God.  I believe this is where the “cheerful” comes from.  When you give and realize that your trust in God is growing, there is joy. 

Question for reflection today:  What is the relationship between your giving and your trust in God? 

Prayer:  I do trust You God, but I would like to trust you more.  Show me my next steps toward building that trust. Amen.

Song:  I Surrender All – Reawaken Hymns