Why Do We Give?
By Pastor Mark Aune

Money and faith, finances and spirituality; all are interwoven into the fabric of our faith and our relationship with God.

Giving is a:

• sign of and an expression of our faith


• reflection of Christ's generosity


• means of participating and celebrating God's work in the world

We believe that all things come from a good and gracious God. We believe that God's grace is the source of all our good ideas, energy, effort, and results. The Apostle Paul's words to the church in Corinth lay before us a wonderful core ingredient of Christian worship - when we gather on the Lord's Day, generous giving is expected with regularity, by everyone, in proportion to their income and with a consciousness of extending God's blessings to us beyond our local congregation.

Generosity will be different for each of us. In 2 Corinthians, chapter 8, Paul seems to be challenging each individual to give no matter what his or her status. So while generosity will be different for each of us, each of us has a personal responsibility to give when we gather for worship on the Lord's Day.

What is our motivation for giving? Paul answers in 1 Corinthians 16:14: "Do everything in love." God calls us to give generously and joyfully in response to God's abundant love for us through Jesus Christ. We are called to give out of our love for God. Therefore, we do not give God our leftovers, we give God our very best .

Our giving to the work of the Lord is to be consistent:

1. Our giving is to be intentional and consistent. "On the first day of the week . . ." Set aside a portion of financial resources to the work of God. Our gift should represent how we feel and think about God.
2. Our giving to the Lord is to be direct. "let each of you" give something that will help to nurture our witness to the saints. No giver is excused.
3. Our giving to the Lord is to be proportionate. "Laying something aside, each giver is to give that "something" according to the ability with which the Lord has blessed each person.