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Quite simply, you should give some of your money away because we are instructed to do so in the Bible. Of course, there are numerous Old Testament passages regarding tithes and offerings. And remember, these passages are directed towards all people - not just the wealthy or the ones who have managed to get out of debt. I think everyone should give what they can no matter what situation they find themselves. If you can only give a little, then give a little. If you can give more, then give more. Remember, God doesn’t ask you to give because he needs the money, so don’t worry about not having much to give. I think God instructs us to give for the following reasons, among others:

• Giving shifts our focus from the temporal to the eternal - It is quite easy for us to get caught up in our current situations and get distracted from our focus on God and the eternal. Purposefully and periodically giving money (which most of us deem important and find hard to do) shifts our focus from ourselves to God. At the same time, we trade our earthly treasures that are so dear yet so fleeting for heavenly treasures that are eternal.

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:20-21

No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. Matthew 6:24

• Giving shifts our focus from ourselves to others - As people, we are naturally selfish and self-absorbed. It requires effort to place others before ourselves. Giving causes us to look outside of ourselves and our day to day concerns. As a result, we learn about others and are exposed to the difficulties other people have in their lives. Not only does giving help out other people, but it also helps us as well by enabling us to be content with our current situation. It’s hard to complain about how much it costs to fill up your car with gas when you are giving your money to people who not only don’t have a car but don’t even have enough money for food.

• Giving typically results in material blessing and increase - This is the quite counterintuitive but it appears to be true. Check out this verse from Proverbs:

One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. Proverbs 11:24-25

This verse teaches that being generous towards others actually results in our own prosperity. I don’t think this is some guaranteed contract and I do think it only occurs if you have the correct attitude in giving. If you are begrudingly giving some money because you think you’ll get more money in return, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that probably won’t come to fruition.

On the other hand, here are some personal stories from ChristianPF and Capital Couples Finance via Gather Little By Little about how tithing affected their financial situations. My wife and I have regularly given a set percentage of our income since we got married. We continued this even while paying back huge amounts of student loans and somehow (I’m seriously not sure how it all came to pass so quickly) we have paid off all of our student loans decades before they were scheduled to be paid off.

How much should you give?

How much of your income to give is quite controversial as well. I really believe that amount is between you and God - there is no correct answer for all Christ followers. I’ll put some of my thoughts out here as a starting point to the discussion but these are only my opinions.

The most important component is your attitude.

If you are just giving money because you feel you have to, well, that’s alright because at least you are doing it to be obedient to God, but I do feel that you are still missing out on some of the associated benefits and blessings. On the other hand, if you are giving so others will tell you how great you are, then you are really missing out. You’ll get your reward, but it will be from a few people and not from God:

And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. Matthew 6:5

Shouldn’t I give 10%?

In the Old Testament, God commanded the Israelites to give a tithe, or tenth, of their possessions and income. I personally do think that it directly applies as a command to Christians.

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7

Though I do not feel bound by the tithe, I do think it is a good starting point for investigating how much of your income you feel led to give.

To whom should I give it?

Some people feel that your minimum tithe amount should be given to your home church and then whatever monies above and beyond that should be given to others in need. Personally, I don’t ascribe to this philosophy either. I believe that the Christ’s church is more than just a building with four walls; rather it is the collection of all Christ followers throughout the world. As such, I think we honor God by giving to wherever God’s work is being done.

For instance, we personally give 10% of our gross income (I don’t think that I should give less money to God when I do a better job of using tax deductions). We give the majority of this to our local church, but we also support a few organizations and directly support some missionaries.

What if you don’t believe in all this church stuff?

If you don’t believe in all this church stuff, I am really impressed that you made it this far into the post (sure, you probably just skipped ahead, but I’ll be optimistic). I still think it is important to give your money to others. Obviously, you won’t have the same reasons for giving as those described above. I do think it can be a worthwhile endeavor for a few reasons:

• Give to help others - You can make a real difference in a person’s life by giving them a helping hand when they need it.
• You can make the world a better place - direct your resources to people that need help and you improve their situation and make the world a slightly better place. Repeat this process and who knows how far you can get.
• It feels good to help others - you generally get great satisfaction from knowing you reached out to a fellow human being and made things a little brighter for them. Don’t believe me? Try it sometime and see what happens.

photo credits: Daquella manera and Phillie Casablanca